Eugene Francis Ertel

Eugene F. Ertel, age 84, of Sartell, formerly of Maple Lake, died Friday, October 22, 2021 at The Good Shepherd Community in Sauk Rapids.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Maple Lake with Fr. Kevin Magner as the Celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Timothy Catholic Cemetery in Maple Lake. Visitation will be held from 9:00-10:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Dingmann Funeral Care Chapel in Maple Lake. The funeral will be livestreamed on the funeral home website.

Eugene Francis Ertel was born June 30, 1937 in St. Cloud to Harry and Agnes (Veches) Ertel. On October 25, 1958, Eugene was united in marriage to Elaine Pribyl in Maple Lake. They made their home near Maple Lake, where they raised their 5 children. Elaine preceded Eugene in death in 1984. On June 27, 1992, he was united in marriage to Shirley McAllister at the Pioneer Park Chapel in Annandale. They made their home outside of Maple Lake. Shirley preceded Eugene in death in 2014. On October 26, 2018, he was married to Janet (Kirscht) Skillingstad at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids. They made their home in Sartell.

Gene grew up and lived almost his entire life in the Maple Lake area. In addition to farming near Maple Lake, Gene worked in Golden Valley for over 44 years at St. Regis Paper Company, later known as Georgia Pacific Paper Company; retiring in 2001. In retirement, he continued working for Wright County Parks and Recreation. He was a member of St. Timothy Catholic Church in Maple Lake, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids, and a former member of the Silver Creek Sportsman Club and the Green Briar Archery Club. Gene enjoyed hunting, fishing, and watching sports, especially the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. In later years, he also enjoyed watching game shows and the occasional soap opera. Gene was well loved and will be deeply missed.

He is survived by his wife, Janet of Sartell; children, Debbie (Greg) Helmbrecht of Annandale, Penny (Dave) Berdan of St. Cloud, Jeannie (Joe) Kramer of Maple Lake, Sheri (Pat) Goelz of Maple Lake, and Michael (Melissa) Ertel of Buffalo; sister, Mary (Tom) Kohmetscher of Albertville; 17 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and step-children, Sheila (John) Anderson, Julie Smith, Eugene (Tina) Hageman, Miranda (Mike) Glimsdahl, Melinda (Lee) Flanum, Rita (Brian) McKinney, Lisa (Dennis) Hahn, Ruth (Alvin) Beniek, and Paul Skillingstad. Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Agnes Ertel; spouses, Elaine and Shirley; and brothers, Robert, Wayne "Tom", and Lawrence.

The urn bearers will be Gene's grandchildren, Bobby and Billy Helmbrecht, Ryan, Derek and Ann Berdan, Jeremy Kramer, Jamie Anderson, Melanie Hegle, Amanda Ennis, Erika Holt, Tony and Holly Goelz, Anndi and Destin Ertel, Toni Willems, Morgan and Wyatt Moeller. Krista Elsenpeter and Sarah Goelz will provide the music for the service. Arrangements are entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care Burial & Cremation Services of Maple Lake.

Obituary, Tribute Wall, Video Tribute and Funeral Webcast online at www.dingmannfuneral.com

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