Harvey Joseph Kalla, 90, Waite Park

May 2, 1930 - My 15, 2020

Harvey Joseph Kalla, who turned 90 on May 2, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, May 15, 2020. He is survived by his children, Joseph (Bonnie) Kalla, Kathryn (Peter) Bahe, Mark (Christine) Kalla and Chris (Nancy) Kalla; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Lou Kalla (Kirchner); daughters, Mary (Ron) Becker and Amy (John) Kline; grandson, Jesse Raden; and siblings, Claude Kalla and Beatrice (Leo) Pundsack.

Harvey was born in Rubgy, North Dakota to Joseph and Susan (Dufner) Kalla. He spent most of his life in Waite Park. In his youth he was in the Boy Scouts and did many odd jobs to help his Depression Era family. For 44 years, he worked as a Carman Welder for Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railways. He was a volunteer fireman and also volunteered for 15 years for Meals on Wheels. He was an active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Waite Park, where he operated the bowling alley underneath the grade school. He hired and trained kids to spot pins for seven cents a line on manual pin setting machines. He also accepted the parish’s request for families to house a student, Jude Gomez from Bangladesh, while he attended St. Cloud State University. Harvey was also very proud of his German Heritage and enjoyed visiting and hosting German relatives.

Harvey was an avid fisherman, hunter, baseball, softball and mushball player, and bowler. He was a competitive card player, particularly when playing Euchre and Skat. As he grew older, he enjoyed golfing, bird watching and woodworking. His many woodworking carvings, toys, furniture and plaques are treasured by his family.

A private service will be held for the family, with a celebration of life at a later date.

A special thank you to Dr. Nardi and Dr. Al Khatib as well as to Centra Care Home Hospice for their loving and compassionate care of Harvey.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Mary Lou Kalla Foundation.