Gary T. Steichen, Sartell, 44

December 13, 1969 - June 26, 2014

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, June 30, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids for Gary T. Steichen, age 44, who passed away unexpectedly on Thursday near Deerwood. Rev. Jerry Dalseth will officiate and burial will be at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Waite Park. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Sunday at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home, Sauk Rapids and one hour prior to the services Monday at the church. Parish prayers will be at 6:00 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Gary was born Dec. 13, 1969 in St. Cloud to Donald & Agnes (Bechtold) Steichen. He graduated from St. Cloud Cathedral High School in 1988 and from St. Cloud State University. Gary married Marianne Rowe on Jan. 15, 2005 in Las Vegas, NV. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Gary was the proud father of “my 3 girls”. He took great pride in his flowers and yard, and loved to bake and cook in his kitchen. Gary was a diehard Vikings fan, and spent lots of time with the family dog Charlie “the best $300 I ever spent”. He always had some sort of woodworking project he was working on in the garage. Gary was a persistent upbeat person who loved his wife and kids.

Survivors include his wife, Marianne of Sartell; children, Ellie Clark, Sami Clark, and Victoria “Tori” Steichen; parents, Don & Aggie Steichen of Waite Park; brothers, Jeff (Rose) Steichen of Sartell, Mike (Ginnie) Steichen of Baxter, and Kevin Steichen of Eagan; mother-in-law, Kay Rowe of Rochester; brothers-in-law, Tom Rowe of Rochester and Jeff (Amy) Rowe of Rosemount; nieces and nephews, Travis, Tyler, Kelly, Katy, Doug, Samantha, and Michaela. Gary was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Tom Rowe, and grandparents, Alfred & Lena Steichen, John & Esther Bechtold.