Gary Gene Waller was reunited in heaven with his loving wife, two siblings, and his parents on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Born to Orin and Ruth (Hoffman) Waller of Nelsonville, Wisconsin on May 31 of 1945, Gary was the youngest of three children.
The family moved in 1947 after building a new home in Iola, Wisconsin. It was in Iola where Gary graduated Iola-Scandinavia High School in 1963 before attending and graduating from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa in 1967. Soon after, summer employment with H.O. Wolding Co. led to full-time supervisory work in the pickle business in Iola and Pulaski, Wisconsin; Eaton Rapids, Michigan; Oconto and Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Chaska, Minnesota. Also worth noting… Gary hated pickles. A career shift led to 27 years with Certainteed Corporation in Shakopee prior to retirement in 2009.
It was in Shakopee that Gary met Kathleen Kepp, fell in love, and married. He and Kathy wed on May 9, 1981 at Mount Olive Lutheran Church and the two enjoyed 34 years together until Kathy’s passing in 2015. Gary is survived by his children Andrew (Megan) Waller and Debra (Ethan) Bolstad, along with eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Alan, sister Mary, grandson Torian Bolstad, aunts, uncles, several cousins, and dear friends.
Actively serving his church family for years, Gary began and ran the Mount Olive audio-visual program, starting in 1984 and retiring from doing so in 2018. He also spent years on the church council. Gary’s hobbies included model railroading and woodworking. He utilized his talents to build kitchen cabinetry, create a patented corner base cabinet, and construct numerous other features not only in his homes, but also those of many friends and neighbors.
In Gary’s final years, he experienced peripheral artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and in his words, “the usual assortment of aches and pains.” When asked how he was feeling, he found humor in an invariable response of “old, fat, and lazy.” Today, we celebrate Gary’s perfect health and joyous activity in heaven.
A visitation will be held at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Shakopee, MN at 10:00 am, immediately followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am on Thursday, January 28, 2021. We ask that guests abide by the state mask policy and be respectful of COVID-related concerns by socially distancing while in the church. While all are invited, you are certainly welcome to send love and pay respects from afar during these difficult times.
