Elmer Valentine Walz, age 81 of Albertville, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on September 29, 2021 after a 9-year battle with dementia.

He was born on July 10, 1940 in Watkins, Minnesota, one of ten children, to Ferdinand and Anna (Neu) Walz. He graduated from Cold Spring High School with the class of 1958.

Shortly after his graduation, he enlisted to serve in the United States Marine Corps. He proudly served until his honorable discharge in 1962.
In 1965, he was joined in marriage to Mary Lou Schmit in Watkins, Minnesota. They were married for 40 years and during that time, they raised three children. In 2005, Mary Lou passed away from a courageous battle with cancer.

In 2008, he was joined in marriage to Julianna “Judy” (Fehn) Weber at St. Elizabeth Church in Dilworth, Minnesota.

Elmer was known for his hard work ethic.  Elmer grew up working on his family farm.  After his discharge from the military, he spent several years working for his brother, Al, at his gas station.  Elmer spent most of his work life as a large crane operator building many of the bridges located throughout Minnesota.  In addition to his work as a crane operator, he co-owned a landscaping business, V&E Landscaping, for several years.  He took pride in not only keeping his customer’s yards tidy and beautiful, but his own was always immaculate too. He retired in 2000 but continued to support his community and church and volunteered many hours of his time with his hard-working hands.

Elmer was an avid outdoorsman and nature lover.  He loved his annual pheasant hunting trips with Barry and spending time in his deer stand each fall.  One of his favorite pastimes was fishing on Lake Ida at his cabin in Alexandria, MN. It didn’t matter if it was summer or winter, he enjoyed being on the lake. He also was a sports lover and spent many hours watching his kids’ sporting events.  He also had a love/hate relationship with the Minnesota Vikings and spent many years in front of the TV cursing them out each Sunday.  However, he never lost faith that the Vikings would one day be in the Superbowl and continued to wear his Vikings gear to show his support

Elmer was a member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Michael American Legion, and St. Michael Catholic Church. Out of all the activities and accomplishments he made for himself, he was most proud of being a husband, father, and grandfather. He took pride in his role as a provider and made sure his family was always taken care of. He was fun loving, respectful, and a true gentleman.  He loved a good drink and good friends.  He was quiet but charismatic and could make friends with just about anyone.  He was always known to lend a helping hand to others and was also known for his compassion and empathy for the elderly.  He was the “caregiver” to his friends at the Legacy and kept an eye out for others and made sure everyone was taken care of.

He is preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Lou; son, Barry Walz; daughter, Jacqueline(Jackie) Groe; parents Ferdinand and Anna Walz; brothers, Wilbert, Eugene, Albin, Roman, and Richard Walz; and sister, Esther.

Elmer is survived by his wife, Judy Weber; daughter, Jennifer (Ron) Holterman; son-in-law, Scott Groe; grandchildren, April Neiber, Ian Groe, and Kaden and Landen Holterman; great-grandchildren, Lincoln and Emery Neiber; step-daughters, Patricia (Steve) Brees and Pamela (Corey) Burnside; and brothers, Waldemar, Maynard and Celestine Walz.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 11 AM with visitation beginning at 9 AM at the St. Michael Catholic Church in St. Michael, MN. Interment will follow with military honors at St. Michael Catholic Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to The Peterson Chapel in St. Michael-Albertville. Online condolences for the family may be directed to www.thepetersonchapel.com