MARSHALL — When Warren Quarnstrom came to Marshall, it didn’t take long for him to get involved with the community — and he did so in ways that helped shape the town’s future. Quarnstrom moved to Marshall with his family in 1955, and within just a year he became part of a group that pushed for the creation of what is now Southwest Minnesota State University.

Over the course of more than six decades in Marshall, Quarnstrom stayed a strong supporter of the university and local athletics, started a law firm, and was active in organizations like the Rotary Club and the American Legion.

“Everyone loved Warren, and everyone respected what he had to say,” said Bill Mulso, vice president of advancement at SMSU and executive director of the SMSU Foundation.

Quarnstrom died Saturday, at the Prairie Home Hospice McLaughlin House in Marshall. He was 95.

Quarnstrom grew up in Brewster, and after graduating from high school enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served until 1946, and then went to college and law school back in Minnesota. In 1955, he moved to Marshall with his wife Ardella and their family and began practicing law.

Together with Lee Doering, he established the Quarnstrom and Doering law firm in Marshall in 1957. While Quarnstrom retired in 2009, the firm is still in business today.

Not long after coming to Marshall, Quarnstrom was also part of a group of local residents who met over coffee at the New Atlantic Hotel, and talked about the need for higher education in the region. The conversations that started there became something much bigger.

As Quarnstrom described it at the 2017 SMSU Founder’s Day celebrations, “A group of local businesspeople got the idea for it, and there was an obvious void for colleges in southwest Minnesota.” They formed a higher education committee, and lobbied the state to open a new college. “We started the process in about 1956. The legislation was passed in 1963.” As a committee member, Quarnstrom used his legal skills to help acquire the land for the college in Marshall.

Even after the college was established, Quarnstrom remained a passionate supporter. He served on the SMSU Foundation board, and was a founding member of the Mustang Booster Club.

Mulso said Quarnstrom was a well of knowledge about the university’s history.

“It was always fun to have Warren pull out a fact none of us knew,” he said.

Quarnstrom was active in the community in a lot of other ways as well. He served on the Marshall School Board, was a longtime member of both the American Legion and the Rotary Club of Marshall, and he and Ardella were in the stands at countless university and high school sports games.

“That carried through with everything. They were always there,” Mulso said. “You could go to Rotary and (Warren) would be there, you could go to our weekly Booster Club meetings and he would be there.”

Quarnstrom’s personality also stood out to people who knew him.

“He had a really sharp, dry sense of humor,” and you’d have to be quick to catch the joke, Mulso said. In conversation, “He would slip something in there to see if you were paying attention.”

When he celebrated his 95th birthday in April, members of the Marshall Noon Rotary presented Quarnstrom with a pair of certificates — one giving him an honorary membership, and one for 62 years of “imperfect attendance.” At the time, Rotary member Matt Pedersen said the attendance certificate was something “that goes along with the wonderful sense of humor that Warren has.”

Pedersen said Quarnstrom had been “a rock and a foundation to our club,” who had made a big impact on its growth over six decades.

“Sixty-two years of membership to an organization like Rotary is profound. He’s always been a guiding principal on an advisory role for many years; his belief in the Four-Way Test and the ideals of Rotary is outstanding,” Pedersen said of Quarnstrom.

Funeral services for Quarnstrom will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Lutheran Church in Marshall. A walk-through visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at the church. Masks and state social distancing requirements will be observed. Military honors will be provided by American Legion Post #113 after the service Wednesday, outside the church.