Earl E. Gatz, age 89, of Anoka, MN, and formerly of Brooten, died Thursday, July 23, 2015, at River Oaks Assisted Living in Anoka.  Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 27th, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brooten, with Pastor Bryant Kaden officiating.  Visitation at the church in Brooten will begin at noon.  Interment will be in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, Brooten.  Arrangements are with Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home of Brooten.

Earl Edward Gatz was born on June 4, 1926, at Lester Prairie, MN to Edward C. and Leona (Kubasch) Gatz.  He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church.  As a young boy the family lived on a farm at Upsala, MN, and then moved to Brooten, MN, where he graduated from high school.

As a young man, Earl worked on the family farm and seasonally for the MN Highway Department.  Following high school he worked on a cattle ranch near Redstone, MT, until entering the U.S. Army in 1951.  He was honorably discharged in 1953.  Two years later he married Joyce Heidelberger and together they had three children, Brian, Kathleen and Susan.

The family initially lived in the Elk River area, where he studied carpentry and gained membership in the Minneapolis Local #7 Carpenters Union.  He worked the trade for many years.  The family later moved to a farm near Gaylord, MN and where Earl farmed and had livestock.  In 1968, the family moved to Correll, MN, where Earl built a farm implement repair, welding and fabricating business, known as Gatz Welding and Repair.

Earl served on the Big Stone County planning commission and was a member of the Correll fire department, where he served as chief.  He loved spending time with his family, especially when they had a chance to go hunting or fishing.   Raising a garden was an important family activity and everyone learned how to garden at a young age. Earl and Joyce spent many enjoyable and hard-working years in gardening and green housing.  They enjoyed traveling and sight-seeing and Earl created many beautiful wood crafts over the years.

Upon his retirement, Earl and Joyce moved back to the Brooten area, where he continued to work different jobs through the years.  Among those jobs were M & M Hardware of Brooten and Blue Water Well Drillers, where he had a role in sealing abandoned wells.  In 2013, Earl and Joyce made their final move, this time to Anoka, MN, to be closer to family. His last couple of years were spent relaxing and reading.

Earl peacefully went to Jesus early on the morning of July 23 ^rd , with his wife and daughter by his side.

Earl is survived by his wife of 60 years, Joyce.  Three children, Brian (Michelle) Gatz of Granite Falls, Kathy (Scott) Jagow of Coon Rapids, and Susan (Doug) Schmitz of Buffalo; seven grandchildren, Becky (Nick) Guenther, Robert (Kelly) Jagow, Steven (Sophia) Griffin, Leah Loch, Zach and April Schmitz, and John (Kaila) Caveney; 11 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-granddaughter; as well as his brother, Marlyn (Dorothy) Gatz; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and two sisters, Arlys Gerlach and Myra Gerlach.