Jason Granholm

In the early morning hours of October 26, 2026, at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minn., Jason Darrell Granholm joined his Lord Jesus in the place of no more sorrow and no more pain as his wife Doreen held his hand. Despite the greatest efforts of his own will and of the medical team, his body had succumbed to the effects of pancreatic cancer, which he had been fighting for some time.

Jason was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 24, 1971, to Sue Ellen Baker Granholm and Gary Wayne Granholm. Through his early years, Jason and his parents lived in a few different parts of the country, but soon came to stay in the Brainerd area, where many of his extended Granholm family lived.

Some of Jason's younger school days were spent at the Seventh Day Adventist school in Brainerd, and he also frequently attended the Nazarene church in Merrifield. During his 8th grade year in Brainerd Public School District 181, he met the guys who would become his buddies through high school and beyond, including Merle Berry, Brad Albertson, Bob Bettschen and Willie.

These boys spent many days and nights bicycling around the streets of Brainerd, playing video games and watching TV. At times, other neighborhood boys would join in their shenanigans. The TV was often playing Westerns (especially Clint Eastwood) or MTV, but Jason's favorite was, of course, the movie "Convoy." Jason was born into a truck driving family, and from an early age he knew that's how he would carry out his days.

As they reached their later high school years, the boys made the move from hanging out at their houses to being Perkins Restaurant in Brainerd, where they spent many long nights drinking coffee, contributing to clouds of smoke from cigarettes, solving the world's problems and, well, looking for girls.

Cousin Don Sooter was part of the crew at times, and they were often joined by a number of "more seasoned" friends, including John Swift, Chuck Pierce, Jason's cousin Dana Gunderson Mattson and her husband John.

Along the way, Jason spent time with his dad as he drove semi over the road, and many months working at "Burnsy's" ranch in Beach, North Dakota, and Wibaux, Montana. Around this time, Jason would find a few more relations added to his family tree: cousin Grove Ktytor and his first and only younger sibling, Dawn Snook.

When they graduated from Brainerd High School in 1990, the Perkins tradition carried on. During the day, Jason, Brad and Merle could often be found with Uncle Terry Granholm cutting firewood at Aunt Karen Granholm Gunderson's farm north of Merrifield. The wood was then delivered to customers throughout the area. More than once, the old wood truck with the bald tires left them stuck or broken down, which usually brought about no small amount of hollering and cussing.

Before long, Jason and Brad achieved their goal of driving big rigs after completing the driving course at Staples Technical College and earning their licenses. Initially, they took most any driving job they could find. This resulted in driving a number of trucks that weren't much better than the old wood truck, and the breakdowns and downtime that went along with it. But over time, they earned their way into better opportunities.

Brad got married, moved to St. Cloud and drove locally for road construction companies. Jason hit the open road in a number of different trucks, including flatbeds, box trailers and reefers. He drove Petes and Kennys, Volvos and Macks, long noses and cabovers. His only requirement was that it involve 18 wheels and, preferably, going West and not East. The other boys continued to live, and work, in the Brainerd area.

In his adulthood, Jason and his mom both lived in southwest Minnesota for a number of years, but later returned to the Brainerd area, where he would meet Jill Creen. Jill worked many years at the corporate offices of Mills Fleet Farm, and Jason kept rolling up the miles on every truck he could get into. Jason asked Jill to marry him on December 24, 2013, and on August 25, 2018, they exchanged their vows. It was a time of joy and of sadness for Jason: his longtime friend Brad passed away from a heart attack not long before the wedding.

Together, Jason and Jill purchased their first home on the south edge of Pillager, Minn., a quiet place away from the city, which the cowboy in Jason had always wanted. But not many years later, it would become a place of loneliness and grief for Jason. He lost Jill to cancer and, shortly after, his dad Gary as well. He would experience many difficult times of emotional and physical challenges through the coming years.

Friends like cousin Justin Granholm and wife Heather, cousin Grove and wife Margaret, roommate Dave Nutt, friends Merle and Sara Berry, Greg Spaid and Jim Weaver, and Jason's household of cats and dogs all did their best to help him through.

Many other friends and family, near and far, helped as well: the widows and widowers he met through Facebook, his employers and fellow truckers, his friends at KC's Saloon in Pillager, the 734 friends he had on Facebook, and the church family at Community of Hope Nazarene in Brainerd. Together, the many people he befriended through the years, with his gentle demeanor, friendly smile and little grin, did what they could to stay by his side to get him through to better days.

And he kept the big wheels rolling mile after mile: many years with Tony's Transfer out of Wadena, Minn., then Kwik Kargo in Clear Lake, Minn., and, at the end, Polman Transfer in Wadena. Over the millions of miles he drove, he was virtually accident free. As much as he grumbled about the log book and the Federal driving rules, he found a way to earn multiple Safety Awards and a Driver of the Month award from Polman in April of 2025. In July of 2026, just before his health took a turn for the worse, he was one of the top five drivers at Polman with 10,037 miles in one month.

During this period of his life, another very important person arrived to bring happiness and contentment to him once again: a precious lady named Doreen. They met in the latter part of 2023 and began dating in September of 2024. By December, Jason asked her to be his wife. He loved that after these many years he had found someone to truly share his faith with, to walk together with Jesus as their Lord.

Jason and Doreen were married at Community of Hope on May 10, 2025. In marriage, he gained not only the love of a great woman but also a family: four stepchildren and 11 step-grandchildren altogether. It was a new experience for Jason, going to family gatherings, attending dance recitals and family sleepovers at the house in Pillager. But with time, it became an important part of his life and something he enjoyed.

During spring and summer, you could find Jason and Doreen stopping in at garage sales wherever they might be. The seasonal change to fall drew them to the highways and byways to observe the colors of the leaves. On Sunday afternoons, the Minnesota Vikings would sound the Gjallerhorn, calling them to the TV. When Jason was on the road and Doreen was at home, he would stop the truck for a few hours. They would watch the game "together" but apart, their phones allowing them to cheer and groan as one. And finally, Christmas time. Jason loved Christmas (even though he'd spent many when things weren't so merry). Many an evening was spent together as they journeyed to find the beautiful light displays available.

But, sadly, his time with Doreen would be cut short. His physical health presented frequent challenges, and Jason's time on the road was often interrupted by a medical emergency. Through it all, Doreen stood strong, a constant source of strength and inspiration. The love they shared continued to grow.

It was a beautiful and sunny fall day on October 11, 2026, as Jason and Doreen drove around north central Minnesota to take in the beauty of the changing leaves. He had been going through a lot of physical pain, and it was refreshing to get out and enjoy the beauty of creation. Suddenly, an eagle began soaring near them as they drove.

For some unknown reason, the eagle stayed near them for an unusually long time, so much so that Jason was able to take close-up photos of it. It was a moment of wonder, a moment of knowing that, in spite of the pain, God was still there.

When Jason entered the hospital for the final time a few days later, he made sure that Doreen had his Bible with her. Shortly after he passed, she showed it to the family who had been there with him during his last few days. It was highlighted in many places, and in several places there were bookmarks. In that moment, it seemed to open of its own accord to one particular place: the first few sentences of the 34th Psalm of David. It read, "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice."

This was a part of Jason's hope: a hope for more time on this earth yet, if that could not be, the hope of eternal life with Christ and the reunion with those who had gone on before. No matter the outcome of each day, there remained this hope. And in that, he could rest.

Jason is deeply missed by his loving wife, Doreen Granholm; mother, Sue Mohrman; uncle, Darrell Granholm; aunts, Karen Granholm Gunderson and Ruthann Morris; Mary Letner; a number of cousins; precious friends too many to count; and the stepfamily that became his own in recent times. He was preceded in death by his late wife, Jill Creen Granholm; dad, Gary Granholm; cousin, Kerry Granholm; and aunts and uncles Terry Granholm, Gale Granholm Chapman, Loretta Kress, Lois Forkner, Marilyn Caldwell, Oma Jane Ray, Peggy Carpenter, Jimmy Baker and Winton Baker.

Jason's memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 22, at Community of Hope Church of the Nazarene north of Brainerd. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m., with the service beginning at 2 p.m. As we feel that Jason would approve, please come as you are; blue jeans and cowboy hats are welcome.

If you are unable to attend the service in person, you can view it on a Facebook livestream at Community of Hope Church of the Nazarene, Brainerd.