Mack Robert Motzko, 20, Deephaven

January 7, 2001 - July 25, 2021

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1:00 PM Monday August 2, 2021 at the Cathedral High School North Gymnasium in St. Cloud, Minnesota following a private funeral service held at the Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in St. Cloud for Mack Motzko who died Sunday, July 25th at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale from injuries he received in a motor vehicle accident. Father Scott Pogatchnik will officiate and burial will be at a later date. Visitation will follow the services held at Cathedral High School on Monday.

Mack was born January 7, 2001 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Robert & Shelley (Slotness) Motzko. At a very young age, it was obvious that Mack was guided by a strong faith and a huge heart. He believed and he cared -- deeply. He often cared more about you than you cared about yourself. He had a spirit and presence that would pull you in and never let you go. Mack made time for people, especially those whom others didn’t. He was that kind of kid – smart, athletic, talented, funny, popular, but never while putting himself above others or leaving anyone out. He went out of his way to positively impact all those he met. It was who he was and how he saw the world. He was fortunate to find his purpose and passion very early in life, and knew it was to help others. Everyone loved Mack. That is not something people simply say about Mack. It’s real. Everyone loved Mack. Everyone will always love Mack.

As soon as he could walk, he was found most days on skates or with a golf club in his hands. He loved the thrill of competition and the challenge of being and doing his absolute best. Most importantly, he loved being with, and competing with, his friends. Being on a team and being a great teammate mattered to Mack. Being a true friend. The kind of friend you leaned on when times were tough and the kind of friend you celebrated with when times were great. He spent his formative years running around the St. Cloud State University Men’s Hockey locker room. He was the adopted little brother of countless Husky hockey players and would get on (or sneak on) the ice and the bus with the team whenever his schedule and father permitted. Mack loved the locker room. A lot is learned there, and those teachings are priceless. How to communicate, how to accept feedback, how to build relationships, how to work together, how to adapt to change, how to take ownership, how to win and how to lose. Mack was a natural leader who embodied all he learned from his father, his father’s players, his father’s friends, his family and all around him. He always encouraged his teammates and friends to be their best – better than they thought they could be -- and made them smile, even when he was having a bad day. His feelings and emotions were always secondary to making sure his teammates and friends were happy and able to do their best. His father was his hero, and Mack was his father’s.

After his faith, family was first to Mack. He was his mother’s son and he loved her with all he had. He was fiercely loyal, perseverant and strong like his mother. There was little Mack enjoyed more than family vacations. He was a wonderful brother, looking up to his sister and mentoring his younger brother. Supporting them both whenever and however they needed. He was the brother all of us wish we had.

Mack adored his grandparents and loved spending time with them in Duluth, Cape Coral, FL and St. Cloud. He learned an enormous amount from his grandparents and their unconditional love was priceless. That gave him the confidence to do his best and not be afraid to get up and try again and again. He also cared deeply for his uncles, aunt and cousins. The best time was family time. Everyone loved Mack because Mack loved them back.

Mack graduated from St. Cloud Cathedral High School in 2020 and spent last year playing junior hockey in Sioux Falls, SD and Albuquerque, NM. He was preparing to move to Penticton, British Columbia to play junior hockey this fall. He worked at the Minneapolis Golf Club the past three summers, spending as much time as he could working on his own golf game.

Mack is survived by his parents; sister Ella Rose and brother Beau Richard; grandparents, Richard and Shirley Slotness and Beverly Motzko; aunts and uncles Dane Slotness, Bill and Nancy Motzko, Steve and Mary Lucke, David Motzko; many cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather Giles Motzko, aunt Ellen Motzko and uncle Jerome Motzko.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorials and cash gifts to the Hugs from Mack Memorial Fund at the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, 101 7th Avenue S #100, St. Cloud, MN 56301. These tax-deductible gifts will be used to honor Mack’s legacy of giving, caring and leading with your heart.

Please share your stories, photos, videos and other beautiful memories and moments with Mack. Those moments are precious and need to be remembered and preserved forever. On social media, please use the hashtag #momentswithmack18. If you would prefer to send an email with attachments, please use momentswithmack18@gmail.com. All submissions will be complied and presented to the family.

The Celebration of Life service will be live-streamed and can be found at the following link https://youtu.be/2EMUsr0Oxuk In honor of Mack’s love of golf and Tiger Woods, those attending in person are asked to wear a “Sunday red” golf shirt and golf attire.