Funeral services for 69-year-old Kenneth Stoesz of St. James, Minnesota, will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, January 31, 2015, at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. James. the church is located at 315 9th Street South.
Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in rural St. James, located on Watonwan County Road #27 South.
Pastor Martin Lopahs will officiate at the services.
Visitation will be at the church the day of the funeral, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Handling the funeral arrangements is Sturm Funeral Home-St. James Chapel.
Kenneth Stoesz passed away on Sunday, January 25, 2015, in St. James.
Kenneth Lee Stoesz was born on June 29, 1945 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Cornelius and Marie (Unruh) Stoesz. His family moved to Lewisville in 1957 and then to St. James, where he graduated from St. James Public High School in 1963.
Ken moved to Stockton, California and Modesto, California after high school graduation, and then to Reno, Nevada. He moved back to Minnesota and married Janice Hartman on September 12, 1981. They made their home in St. James.
Ken worked at various jobs, he managed the car wash, where he was able to drive many different cars. He worked at Kato Engineering, Westin, Inc., Atlas Plastics and ST Industries. He retired in 2003 due to health issues.
Ken enjoyed gardening, cooking and working on cars. He was known as the “Mopar Man,” with his favorite being the Plymouth Valiant convertible. Ken was an avid University of Minnesota Gophers fan, Minnesota Vikings fan and Minnesota Twins fan. He enjoyed reading the newspaper from front-to-back.
Ken had a true wit about him, always a joke or story to tell, always ready to lend a hand and help if at all possible. This held true in his death as well, giving someone the gift of sight. You are “Still the One.”
Kenny is survived by his wife, Janice Stoesz of St. James; sister, Marilyn (Bill) Thomas of Lakeville, Minnesota; sisters-in-law, Gertrude Stoesz of St. James and Jeanine Hartman (Jon Hageland) of New Mexico and several nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Myron, Ronald and Allen; mother- and father-in-law, Bernard and Alice Hartman.
