Donald “Tido” Warnert, Jr., 77, Rice

December 21, 1940 - July 30, 2018

Memorial Services will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 3, 2018 at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids for Donald “Tido” Warnert, Jr., age 77, who passed away Monday at the St. Cloud Hospital. Rev. Bruce Tessen will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services Friday at the funeral home.

Donald Arthur Warnert was born Dec. 21, 1940 in St. Joseph to Donald Charles & Lillian (Loso) Warnert. He married Gloria Miller on Dec. 4, 1961 and they lived in Rice since 1966. Tido worked in commercial painting and also auto body repair. He was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Rice. Tido was a member of the National Fish Decoy Association and received the Living Legend Award in 2003. His passion was making fishing decoys for family and friends, plowing snow with his tractor, and metal detecting with his wife Gloria. He started making decoys when he was 7 years old, taught to him by his uncle, Jack Loso. His greatest passion of all was spear fishing. Tido was a happy, loving and carefree man.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Gloria of Rice; children, Bruce (Jackie) Warnert of Sauk Rapids, Scott (Shay) Warnert of Jonesboro, TN and Sherry (Brian) Smith of Mayodan, NC; sisters and brothers, Mary Erickson of Bradenton, FL, Kathy (Bill) Daniel of St. Cloud, Joyce Butterfly of St. Cloud, Jack (Lois) Warnert of St. Joseph and Joe (Jane) Warnert of Sauk Rapids; eight grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Sandy; and several aunts and uncles.