John Wilwerding, age 99 of Eden Prairie formerly of Hopkins.
Born on April 3, 1913 in Minneapolis, MN, John Stephen was the son of parents Carl and Wilhelmina (Ligday) Wilwerding. He was the third of four children. John’s school years occurred during the great depression. His mother struggled during those years, as John’s father had tuberculosis and spent time recovering at the Glen Lake Sanatorium. She worked as a furrier for Ribnik Furs in Minneapolis to support the family. Times were so tough, his mother sent John and his sister, Evelyn, to live with her brother in California for a year. He loved to tell the story of how his uncle begged to keep him in California as he was a “good worker” on the farm, but to no avail. John attended Clear Springs Elementary School in Minnetonka, MN. His family later moved to Hopkins, MN. For the duration of high school, John excelled and loved sports. He played basketball, baseball and softball. John graduated from Hopkins High School in 1930.
Meeting the love of his life in high school, John married Leone Pauly on November 9, 1935 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Hopkins, MN. They had five children; Michael, Polly, Lee, Stephen, and Anne. On September 30, 1973 Leone passed away. This changed John’s life forever and family became even more important to him. John hosted Christmas day every year until he sold his home in 1990. It was always an elaborate event with all the trimmings. In the summer he hosted family picnics; sometimes serving salmon he had caught on Lake Michigan (even though he did not eat most fish). He will also be remembered for his German potato dumplings served on special occasions, like birthdays. It was a recipe passed on by his mother.
Most of John’s career was spent in the grocery industry. In 1948, he and his brother-in-law Rinehart bought a grocery store in south Minneapolis, which they named J and R Grocery. In 1952, John went to work for Red Owl. He spent the next 25 years working in management. Retiring at the age of 65, John worked part time for Evers Heilig, Inc., a food and candy brokerage company, until finally retiring at the young age of 95. In retirement, John especially enjoyed planning and attending the Red Owl Alumni Christmas gatherings.
His love for sports continued throughout John’s life. After high school, he played semi-pro basketball for a Hopkins area team. He also played baseball and was player/manager for Hopkins softball teams including: Milberts and Knights of Columbus. He bowled, and treasured playing golf with friends and son Mike over the years. Favorite memories were stories he told of his Canadian fishing adventures. John always enjoyed spectator sports. He could be heard cheering on the Minneapolis Millers at old Nicollet Park and later, the Minnesota Gophers, Twins and Vikings.
At an early age, John gardened with his mother. An exceptional and passionate flower and vegetable gardener, John appreciated growing plants from seeds. In the spring, his house was “aglow” with grow lights from the upstairs to the basement. His produce was all inclusive: everything from lettuce and radish to corn, squash, tomatoes and watermelons. He was very proud to make weekly trips to family and friends delivering his bounty. At the age of 90, John sold his home and took up “condo living”, because he could no longer keep up with his garden. John, who rarely complained and made the most of every situation, then enjoyed sitting on the patio admiring the landscape and playing countless hours of gin rummy with his family and caregivers. His laughter and the twinkle in his eyes as he won more games than he lost will never be forgotten.
A true family man, John was caring, fun loving and a wonderful husband, dad and grandpa. A resident of Eden Prairie, formerly of Hopkins, John, age 99 passed away peacefully the early morning hours of Thursday, May 3, 2012 at St. Gertrude’s Health and Rehabilitation Center in Shakopee, MN.
Forever loved, John will be deeply missed by his sons, Michael (Anne) Wilwerding of Eden Prairie, Lee (Ruth) Wilwerding of Hilton Head, SC; daughter, Anne Truax of St. Louis Park; grandchildren, Steven DeBella, Gina Carlson(Steve Johnson), John K. Wilwerding, Amy (Scott) Graham, Michelle Wilwerding, Devin and Sean Dwyer; great-grandchildren, Sam and Joe DeBella, Marisa, Brady and Madalyn Graham; son-in-law, Bill Dunn of Flower Mound, Texas; other loving relatives and friends.
John is preceded in death by his wife, Leone; parents, Carl and Wilhelmina; daughter, Polly DeBella; infant son, Stephen; grandson, Shawn Pagelkopf; sisters, Dorothea (Rinehart) Schumann, Evelyn (Robert Mergens) (Robert) Mundt and Gertrude (Ward) Dahlberg.
Urn bearer for John will be John K.Wilwerding, accompanied by Sam and Joe DeBella.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be on Tuesday, May 8 at 11 a.m., with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m., all at Pax Christi Catholic Community: 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie, MN. Father Patrick Kennedy will officiate. John will be laid to rest at a private family interment in St. Margaret’s Cemetery in Minnetonka, MN.
Memorials are preferred and will be distributed in John’s memory by the family.
The Wilwerding family is served with honor, care and compassion by Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home, Shakopee Chapel.
