Bernard Kaczmarek, 82, of Silver Lake

Bernard “Bernie” John Kaczmarek, 82, of Silver Lake, died Monday, Sept. 28, 2015, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

 

A Mass of Christian Burial was held Friday, Oct. 2, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Silver Lake with the Rev. Paul Schumacher as the celebrant.

 

Honorary casket bearers were Christine Brecht, Heather Stockman, Nicole Hempel, Mackenzie Davis, Kyle Christensen, Olivia Farnes, Maxwell Davis, Jayden Tschimperle and Madison Tschimperle.

 

Casket bearers were Matthew Kaczmarek, Tyler Kaczmarek, Nathan Kaczmarek, Zachary Kaczmarek, Cody Christensen and Myles Davis.

In honor of Grandpa Bernie, each grandson wore one of his ties.

 

Interment was in the St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery in Silver Lake.

 

Bernard “Bernie” John Kaczmarek was born Aug. 19, 1933, in Glencoe, to Louis and Cecelia (Wozniak) Kaczmarek.

 

On April 18, 1961, Bernard  John Kaczmarek and Laura Ann Schermann were united in holy matrimony at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Silver Lake by the Rev. Albert Slechta. The two were blessed with six children.

 

Mr. Kaczmarek was a dairy farmer in Stockholm Township for more than 40 years. Along with farming, he hauled milk cans for Stockholm Creamery. He later worked at Philip Johnson Cab Company in Cokato while continuing to farm until his retirement. He moved to Silver Lake in 1995. Mr. Kaczmarek also served in the U.S. Army between 1956 and 1958.

 

He was a member of many organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, and was a Grand Knight. He also belonged to the Degree of Honor, Senior Citizens Club, Senior Dining, was a grand marshal of Silver Lake, supervisor of C&H Elevator and a church council member.

 

He enjoyed playing cards, tinkering in his shed, going on drives in the country, traveling, Friday morning coffee, dinner with friends, sweets (especially ice cream), polka music, and time spent with his family — family always came first. He was very proud of his Polish heritage and enjoyed teaching his grandchildren words and phrases in Polish.

 

He is survived by his wife, Laura Kaczmarek of Silver Lake; children, Darrell (Rhonda) Kaczmarek of Silver Lake, Barbara (Robin) Farnes of Hutchinson, Bonnie Kaczmarek of Silver Lake, Brenda (Scott) Tschimperle of Brownton and Betty (Paul) Davis of Silver Lake; grandchildren, Matthew, Christine (Jared), Heather (Brian), Zachary, Nicole (Jordon), Nathan, Tyler, Cody, Kyle, Myles, Mackenzie, Olivia, Maxwell, Jayden and Madison; great-grandchildren, Bentley Stockman and Dylan Brecht; brothers, Donald (Brenda) Kaczmarek of Ohio and Gerald (Marie) Kaczmarek of Hutchinson; and many other relatives and friends.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Cecelia Kaczmarek; son, Dean Kaczmarek; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Anna and Frank Schermann, and sisters, Dolores (Stanley) Chrast and Dorothy (Jerome) Ruzicka.

 

Arrangements were with The Maresh Funeral Home in Silver Lake. In lieu of acknowledgements, a donation will be made by the family to the American Heart Association.