Thief River Falls – Milton “Scout” Grant Bakken, age 71, of Thief River Falls, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Monday, August 11, 2025, at Karlstad Senior Living.
Milton was born on September 3, 1953, at Northwest Medical Center in Thief River Falls. Milton was the son of Melvin and Gladys (Swenson) Bakken. He was baptized and confirmed at Oak Ridge Lutheran Church and attended Washington Elementary, Franklin Middle School, and Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls. In 2002, he proudly earned his GED from Northwest Technical College.
Scout grew up on the family dairy farm, where he learned the value of hard work early in life. In 1993, he took over the farm when his father retired, and with the help of his nieces and nephews, he continued the dairy operation with dedication and pride. After retiring from dairy farming in 2002, Milton transitioned to raising beef cattle and farming small grains. Scout was loyal to his parents as they were aging. He was a truck driver for several years. Most recently, he was employed at Nordic Fiberglass in Warren, where he worked on the assembly line.
Scout cherished time with his family and had the gift of conversation, along with the laughter it often brought. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially deer hunting with his brothers, brothers-in-law, nieces, and nephews. He enjoyed sharing the kitties and “barkers” he often brought in from the barn for all of the kids. Known for his kind personality and genuine smile, and great sense of humor. Scout brought warmth and kindness to everyone he met.
He was a proud member of the Thief River Falls Eagles Club since 1980. Milton valued community and connection.
Milton is survived by his siblings, Melville Bakken of Thief River Falls, Marilyn Smalley of Mount Gilead, OH, Marvin Bakken of Thief River Falls, Myrna Dyrdal of Crookston; nieces and nephews, Angela Poole, Melanie (Roland) Burger, Wendy Bakken, Lori (Tim) Bland, Kathy (Fernando) Bucci, Ryan (Jamie) Bakken, Rob (Tanya) Bakken, Kevin (Lexie) Bakken, Chad Bakken, Becky (Jason) May, Melissa Dyrdal, Brent (Sarah) Dyrdal, and Tony (Liz) Dyrdal. Scout had many great-nieces and nephews, along with great-great-nieces and nephews that he enjoyed his time with.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Gladys Bakken; sister, Melitte Bakken; nephews, Jamie and Jason Dyrdal; great-niece, Marissa Dyrdal; and sisters-in-law, Marlys Bakken and Marlys Bakken, brother-in-law, Gary Smalley.
Milton will be deeply missed by all who knew him. His legacy of kindness, hard work, and quiet strength will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. Scout’s family would like to thank the staff at the Karlstad Senior Living for their compassionate and loving care.
The funeral service for Scout will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at Oak Ridge Lutheran Church near Thief River Falls.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will be held at the Oak Ridge Church Cemetery following the service.
In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the Pennington County Humane Society or the charity of your choice.
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