Verne O. Fiedler, 86, St. Cloud

January 8, 1933 - November 15, 2019

Verne Fiedler passed away peacefully in his home in St. Cloud Friday, November 15, 2019 surrounded by family. He was 86 years old. It was Verne’s wish to be cremated, so there will be no open casket. However, there will be a visitation filled with photos and cherished memories at the Daniel Funeral Home in St. Cloud from 4-7p.m. on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 with a short Memorial Service at 7 p.m. Private entombment will take place at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery. Please join us to celebrate the life of this amazing man.

Verne was born in his family home in Clearwater on January 8, 1933. In September 1955, he married Esther Willeck and they had six children. The couple raised their family in Clearwater. After their family had grown, they were blessed with 22 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren (one on the way), and four great-great-grandchildren.

Verne enjoyed a wide array of employment in his lifetime. He served honorably in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, owned his own gas station (Verne’s Texaco) and was an auto parts delivery driver for many years, most notably for Braun’s Automotive. After retirement, Verne & Esther moved to Rice where they lived for nearly 17 years. He decided to keep busy by continuing to work part time. Declining health precipitated a move to Waite Park. In 2016, Verne & Esther moved to the St. Cloud Cherrywood Advanced Living home. Esther passed later that year, but Verne carried on for another three plus years.

Verne was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He is survived by his daughters, Mona Ritzer (Mark), Nancy Laughton, Denise Pollard (Rick), Tina Fiedler (Jeff); sons, Jim Fiedler (Kathy) and Jeff Fiedler (Beth); 21 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years: Esther Fiedler (nee Willeck); parents, Fred and Nellie Fiedler (nee Gehringer); sisters, Ida Mae Anderson and Alice Wiegand; brothers, John and Ernie Fiedler and Baby James; grandsons, Jamie Diedrich and Eric Fiedler and great-granddaughters, Tehya and Rayne Giles.

The family would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all the staff at the St. Cloud Cherrywood Advanced Living home for their hard work and loving care. They made Verne’s last years the best we could have hoped for. Thanks, as well to St. Croix Hospice for making his final weeks as comfortable as possible and for helping him pass with peace and dignity. Both groups showed extraordinary kindness and the comfort they provided to the family in this extremely difficult time will never be forgotten.