Garret Lee Loverink, 88
Published 10:37 am Saturday, February 17, 2018
Garret Lee Loverink, 88, of Austin, Minnesota, died at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin on Friday, Feb.16, 2018.
Garret Lee Loverink was born in Hollandale, Minnesota, on Oct. 6, 1929, the son of Tom and Rena (Dykstra) Loverink, the 13th of 14 children, seven boys and seven girls. While growing up, he lived in Hollandale, Hayward, Minnesota, and Rose Creek, Minnesota. He attended school through the eighth grade. He ran away from home with his best friend and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps (later the Air Force) on July 2, 1947, serving until July 12, 1950. He served as a military policeman and was involved in the Berlin Airlift.
Garret Loverink
On Oct. 10, 1953, he married E. Muriel Harden in Brainerd, Minnesota, and they resided in Austin most of their married life. They had two children, Dee Layne and Derwin Lee. They moved to Outing, Minnesota, and Brainerd when he retired. They were divorced in 1991.
Garret worked at the Geo. A. Hormel Company from Jan. 16, 1951, until retiring on March 30, 1983. He mainly worked in the bacon mold section.
He was very active in First Baptist Church in Austin, even helping build the current church (now known as Grace Baptist Church) in the evenings after work. He and his brother-in-law, Haven Boysen, put down all the tile in the sanctuary and basement. He was an usher, treasurer, and deacon.
Over the years, Garret helped at the Minnesota Regular Baptist Bible Camp in Winnebago, Minnesota, from its beginning. He was proud of the camp and all the kids that had been able to go and hear the message of Jesus, as his dad had donated the first $100 to start the camp. Whatever needed to be done, he did; cutting down trees, mowing, building, laying pipes for the geothermal heating for the camp directors house and much more. After his divorce, he worked at the camp for a few years, sometimes for a few weeks at a time and sometimes for the whole summer. He spent many weeks out in Pennsylvania helping to build the ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) National headquarters.
Garret married Lois Todd in Deer River, Minnesota, on Nov. 16, 1996, and resided in Deer River. He was active in Deer River Baptist Church, helping out where he could, including helping them with an addition that was built on the church and being an usher.
He enjoyed gardening, always planting a big garden with the idea that his kids would “sell the extras,” but they would always give it all away. He and Muriel canned many, many pints and quarts of meat, fruits and vegetables over the years. He had a big garden in Deer River too, passing out ice cream pails of extra vegetables to others. He enjoyed picking strawberries and blueberries for the University of Minnesota at the test gardens in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, making many pints of jam that he shared with everyone.
He enjoyed hunting pheasants, jack rabbits and deer. Two of his nephews, Cornie and Tom, treated him to a hunting trip to Canada to moose hunt with his brother, Harm, and nephew, Herb. The trip was a “thank you” for always being there for them after their father died. After moving to Deer River, he even enjoyed fishing in summer and winter.
He loved to help others, whether it was at church as an usher or helping someone weed a garden or move to a different home, painting for someone, anything that was needed. For many years, he supported many missionaries each month.
After his wife, Lois, had a stroke and ended up in the nursing home in Deer River, he would go up there six days a week right after breakfast and stay until right before lunch, visiting or helping with games, drinking coffee with the nurses, residents, or spouses that were visiting their loved ones. They loved having him there. He returned to southern Minnesota in October 2011 after the death of his grandson, David. He resided in Stewartville, Minnesota, and attended Calvary Baptist Church in Rochester, Minnesota.
He felt very honored to have his son, two grandsons, one great-grandson, three or four nephews and one great-nephew named after him with either their first or middle name.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Rena (Dykstra) Loverink; six brothers, John, Jack, Evert, Everett, Herbert and Harm; seven sisters, Mary, Rene, Jenny, Dorothy, Stella, Nellie and Gertie; stepmother, Bertha; grandson, David Garret Messinger; and some nieces and nephews.
Garret is survived by his daughter, Dee (Bill) Messinger of Stewartville; son, Derwin (Tammy) Loverink of Rittman, Ohio; grandchildren, April (Randy) Woodbury of Ankeny, Iowa, Anette Messinger of Converse, Texas, Lacy (Casey) Hamilton of Rochester, Roxanna Martin of Taconite, Minnesota, Derwin (Maryno) Loverink of Ohio, and Peter, Rena and Aiden Loverink of Rittman; great-grandchildren, Kaden, Colin and Abigail Woodbury, Isabel Marks, Danita and Mikayla Messinger, Liam and Paisley Southwick, Parker and Isaac Hamilton, Skyler and Logan Martin, and Derwin Loverink III; one stepbrother, Jerry Loverink of South St. Paul, Minnesota; many nieces and nephews; his wife, Lois of Deer River; stepchildren, Kathy Henke, Art (Lori) Ogle, Darren Ogle all of Deer River, and Doug (Keeley) Ogle of Bovey, Minnesota; stepgrandchildren, Lisa (Ben) Nissen, Jodi (Shaun) Sheller, Jamie (Phil) Hoey, Anna (Paul) Grooms, Leah Ogle, Twyla (Chad) Niemi, Kari Stolley, Tiffany Marsh, Kayleen (Kori) Monacelli, Riley Henke, and Amber and Rachel Todd; and 21 stepgreat-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at Grace Baptist Church in Austin, Minnesota, (formerly First Baptist Church) with Pastor Gene Murrell and Pastor Devin Larson officiating. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary and for one hour before the service on Wednesday at the church. Interment will be at Grandview Cemetery with American Legion Post 91 in charge of military rites.