General Information
Full Name: Don “Doc” Wruck
Date of Birth: March 5, 1941
Date of Death: October 7, 2012
Donald’s Life Story
Donald “Doc” B. Wruck
A resident of Shakopee, Don passed away peacefully in the presence of his loving family, at the young age of 71, the early morning hours of Sunday, October 7, 2012 at North Memorial Hospice in Robbinsdale, MN. Don’s services will all be at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home, 833 South Marschall Road, Shakopee. The family will greet guests on Wednesday, October 10 from 5-7 pm and one hour prior to the Celebration of Life Service on Thursday, October 11 at 11 a.m. Rev. Marline Wruck will officiate. Don will be laid to rest at Valley Cemetery in Shakopee.
Donald (Don or Doc) Bernard Wruck was born on March 5, 1941 in Rockwell City, Iowa to Bernard Edwin Wruck and Fern Ida Hartling, the second of eight children. The family lived on a farm near Rockwell City until late 1948, when they moved to a farm near Pierz, Minnesota. There, Don learned about farming and decided he never wanted to be a farmer. He brought home his first dog, Judy, allegedly for his little sister, who had just been released from the hospital. He completed his formal education there as well. Most importantly he found a lifelong passion for mechanics in taking apart and putting together old cars.
Don worked at a variety of jobs before coming to the Shakopee area and beginning his career at what eventually became the Anchor Glass Corporation, where he worked for 51 years. He started out working in the mold shop, but after a short time, he landed a position in maintenance, which was exactly suited to his interests and abilities. Over the years he moved into electronics technology and electrical maintenance. Don always said he enjoyed his work so much that he didn’t want to retire.
Don met his future wife, Carolee (Stender), in September, 1960 at the Lakeside Ballroom in Waconia. They quickly began dating and were married on April 28, 1962, at St. Mary’s Church in Shakopee. Their son, Russell Thomas, was born on November 3, 1963. Both Don and Carolee were active with Russ in Boy Scouts for seven years. They also enjoyed watching stock car and NASCAR racing together. For many years the family enjoyed wide ranging excursions especially to watch planes, trains and automobiles.
What Don lacked in formal education, he more than compensated for by his wide range of interests and pursuits. He enjoyed reading history, especially military history. Whenever he developed a new interest, his first step was to do copious amounts of research on the subject before embarking on his new passion. Some of these included guitar playing, model railroad building, snowmobiling, coin collecting, and tracing family genealogy. He bought a GPS so he could more easily locate the gravesites of long gone relatives. He loved going to the movies, preferably when they could be viewed through a windshield. He maintained his lawn so meticulously; he convinced many that he lived on a golf course. His little sister returned the favor of a dog shortly after his heart attack at 52, gifting him with Molly. After Molly, came Jasmine, who will miss her master.
Don was a great favorite among his many nieces and nephews, their children, and even their grandchildren. Many remember sitting on his lap and being talked with as if they were adults worthy of his attention and care.
Don leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Carolee and son, Russell (Guy). Other surviving relatives include siblings, Gus Wruck (Marline) of Manitoba: Philip Wruck of Eagan; John Wruck (Nancy) of Maple Grove; Richard Wruck (Barbara) of Mankato; sisters, Ida Ewen (John) of St. Paul, and Marjorie Husby (Paul) of Coon Rapids. Other survivors include sisters-in-law, Darlene Burandt of Waconia, LaVonne Koepp (Wesley) of Belle Plaine and brothers-in-law, Jon Stender (Roxanne) of Apple Valley and Bob Ruskanen of Denver.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Fern Wruck, sister, Ann Ruskanen and brother in law, LeRoy Burandt. Pall bearers for Don will be his siblings, Gus, Ida, Philip, John, Richard and Susie.
Memorials will be distributed in Don’s memory to local humane societies and animal shelters.
Visitation
When: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 5-7 pm
and also one hour prior the service
Location: Ballard -Sunder Funeral Home
Address: 833 S Marschall Road
Shakopee, MN
Service Information
When: Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 11 am
Location: Ballard Sunder Funeral Home
Address: 833 S Marschall Road
Shakopee, MN
Interment Information
Location: Valley Cemetery
Address: Shakopee, Minnesota
