Mass of Christian Burial for 89-year-old Eugene “Gene” L. Stoesz of St. James, Minnesota, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, in St. James Catholic Church in St. James. The church is located at 623 4th Street South.
Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, located east of St. James on Watonwan County Road #27.
Visitation will be at the church the day of the funeral from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. A Christian Mothers’ Rosary will be held at 9:45 a.m.
Sturm Funeral Home-St. James Chapel (http://sturmfh.com/), is handling the funeral arrangements.
Gene passed away on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at the Good Samaritan Society of Mountain Lake-The Village.
Eugene “Gene” Lowell Stoesz was born November 30, 1926 on the family farm near Darfur, Minnesota. Gene grew up in the Darfur, Butterfield, Minnesota and Mountain Lake, Minnesota areas. He graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1945. Gene served in the United States Army for a year-and-a-half. He was a medic and served in Virginia, Colorado and Missouri.
On March 4, 1948, Gene was united in marriage to Donna Hudson at the St. James Catholic Church in St. James. The couple made their home in Butterfield, Mountain Lake, and later, St. James, where they raised two children, Nancy and Robert. Gene was a carpenter. He started his career at the age of 12 pulling nails out of wood for his uncle. He continued to work for Buhler Construction of Butterfield his entire career until he retired as a construction superintendent in 1992.
Gene was a lifelong member of St. James Catholic Parish, Knights of Columbus and the American Legion. He and Donna enjoyed their retirement years as snow birds, first in Florida, then Texas, and then some 20 years in Arizona. Gene loved to play golf. He also liked sports and would watch sports on television. He was a Minnesota Twins fan, and they had Minnesota Vikings season tickets for many years.
Eugene Stoesz is survived by his wife, Donna Stoesz of St. James; children Nancy Hoscheid of St. James and Robert (Patty) Stoesz of Rochester, Minnesota; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; one brother John (Vernelle) Stoesz of Becker, Minnesota; one sister-in-law. Verona Stoesz of Bloomington, Minnesota and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Melvin Stoesz and Alden “Chuck” Stoesz.
