Dietrich “D. Junior” Stoesz age 87, of Mountain Lake, Minnesota died on September 16, 2024, at Windom Area Hospital in Windom, Minnesota. Visitation will be on Friday, September 20, 2024, from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Sturm Funeral Home, Mountain Lake Chapel and will continue on Saturday from 9:30 am until 10:30 am at Cornerstone Bible Church. A funeral service will be held at Cornerstone Bible Church in Mountain Lake on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at 10:30 am and will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075492966274&mibextid=ZbWKwL. The clergy will be Pastor Herms Banico. Interment will be at Cornerstone Cemetery (formerly EMB) in Mountain Lake. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Mountain Lake. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mobility Worldwide: Minnesota-Southwest at https://mobilityworldwide.org/affiliates/minnesota-southwest/.
D. Junior Stoesz was born to Dietrich D. and Anna (Fast) Stoesz on June 15, 1937, in Mountain Lake, Minnesota. His older siblings were Harvey, Edgar, Eldor, and Helen. He committed his life to Christ when he was 13 years old and was baptized 2 years later at the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren (EMB) Church in Mountain Lake. Junior attended Bible School in Mountain Lake until 3rd grade and then graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1956. Junior participated in alternative service with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Haiti from 1959 to 1961. He enjoyed interacting with the Haitians and learning the Creole language.
Junior met the lovely Arlene Classen when she was visiting from Meade, Kansas. They got married at the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren (EMB) Church in Meade, Kansas on June 22, 1963. They settled into life on the farm in Mountain Lake. Before long, Jeanette was born to them, and then about five years later, they were blessed by another daughter, Marjorie, and then twin boys, Darwin and Dale.
Junior was a successful and innovative farmer even during very hard times. He also took on many side jobs such as hauling grain, building a grain elevator, and plowing snow.
Junior put his head and hands to leadership roles at the EMB church (now Cornerstone Bible Church). He valued the Bible very highly, so he also served with The Gideons International and the Mountain Lake Christian School board. Junior and Arlene appreciated the years they worshiped at the First Baptist Church in Windom.
When Junior turned 50 years old, he began nurturing his love of music. He sang bass as a soloist and in men’s quartets at many church services, community events, and weddings. Junior also loved helping people, whether that meant clearing the snow from their driveway or clearing trees after a storm. Throughout his life, he invented things to improve life for others or to entertain his grandchildren. He always had a twinkle in his eye and brought joy and adventure everywhere he went.
Junior was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He and Arlene enjoyed sharing their time together at The Lodge in Mountain Lake. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Harvey and Eldor Stoesz. He is survived by his brother, Edgar Stoesz, and his sister, Helen (Stoesz) Peifer. He is also survived by his wife of 61 years, Arlene (Classen) Stoesz of The Lodge in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, and their four children: Jeanette (Stoesz) and Stan Harder of Goshen, Indiana, Marjorie (Stoesz) and Jay Peterson of Brewster, Minnesota, Darwin & Karen Stoesz of Whitewater, Kansas, and Dale & Monica Stoesz of Lino Lakes, Minnesota and eight grandchildren: Nick, Jonathan, Brittany, Anthony, Abby, Anna, Audrey, and Clara.