March 11, 1940 – April 7, 2019
Memorial Candles Lit for Roger | SEE ALL
Obituary for Roger Walter "Rog" Gatzke
Print
Gatzke
Roger “Rog”
Age 79
Loving Husband, Dad, Papa and soon to be Great-Papa, died peacefully at home on April 7, 2019
Preceded in death by parents Walter and Jean Gatzke, brothers Tom and Bill, father-in-law Joseph and mother-in-law Frances Bonfe, nephews Ike Larsen and Billy Gatzke.
Rog is survived by beloved wife of over 52 years, Judy and loving children Jeanine, Scott, Melissa (Eric) Rongstad, and Carissa (Mike) Schmidtbauer. Papa will be deeply missed by his 12 grandchildren: Carrie & Mike’s kids, Kylie and Tyler Knobbe and Samuel Schmidtbauer; Missy & Eric’s kids, Joseph, Samantha, Gabriella, and Daniel Rongstad; and Scott’s kids, Melissa, Justin, Kailey, Ashley, and Taylor Stenger. He was excited to become a Great-Grandpapa for the first time this coming June, and instead will be an angel looking out for baby Knobbe.
Additional family who will miss him are his sisters Nancy (Louie) Larsen and Jackie (Fred) Yarusso; sisters-in-law Beth and Rose, many treasured nieces and nephews. His skills as a plumber will never be forgotten by his sister-in-law, Beth (who knew as she called in an expert to fix the fix that at least his heart was in the right place).
He retired from the Electric Trouble Department after 44 years at Xcel Energy in 2005 and since then has enjoyed a life filled with many good jokes, a few hot but mostly not slot-machines with his casino-buddy Al, and lots of tasty “snackaroos.” He was always willing to be an impartial judge in a birthday party cupcake contest and delighted in teasing his niece, Terri, about her love of SPAM. His children will always shudder at the thought of his “world famous chicken cacciatore” recipe, still convinced it was the only thing he knew how to cook, and will always laugh at the memory of black electrical tape as an emergency diaper fastener.
His strong and quiet presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Thanks to Dr. Shanks and his team at HealthEast Cancer Care Center and all the nurses and patient care staff at St John’s Hospital, especially the ICU staff, for their support and dedication.
Visitation MONDAY April 15 from 11:00 AM to time of service at Mueller Memorial, 835 Johnson Pkwy, St. Paul. Service at 1:00 PM. Private interment at a later date.
Roger “Rog”
Age 79
Loving Husband, Dad, Papa and soon to be Great-Papa, died peacefully at home on April 7, 2019
Preceded in death by parents Walter and Jean Gatzke, brothers Tom and Bill, father-in-law Joseph and mother-in-law Frances Bonfe, nephews Ike Larsen and Billy Gatzke.
Rog is survived by beloved wife of over 52 years, Judy and loving children Jeanine, Scott, Melissa (Eric) Rongstad, and Carissa (Mike) Schmidtbauer. Papa will be deeply missed by his 12 grandchildren: Carrie & Mike’s kids, Kylie and Tyler Knobbe and Samuel Schmidtbauer; Missy & Eric’s kids, Joseph, Samantha, Gabriella, and Daniel Rongstad; and Scott’s kids, Melissa, Justin, Kailey, Ashley, and Taylor Stenger. He was excited to become a Great-Grandpapa for the first time this coming June, and instead will be an angel looking out for baby Knobbe.
Additional family who will miss him are his sisters Nancy (Louie) Larsen and Jackie (Fred) Yarusso; sisters-in-law Beth and Rose, many treasured nieces and nephews. His skills as a plumber will never be forgotten by his sister-in-law, Beth (who knew as she called in an expert to fix the fix that at least his heart was in the right place).
He retired from the Electric Trouble Department after 44 years at Xcel Energy in 2005 and since then has enjoyed a life filled with many good jokes, a few hot but mostly not slot-machines with his casino-buddy Al, and lots of tasty “snackaroos.” He was always willing to be an impartial judge in a birthday party cupcake contest and delighted in teasing his niece, Terri, about her love of SPAM. His children will always shudder at the thought of his “world famous chicken cacciatore” recipe, still convinced it was the only thing he knew how to cook, and will always laugh at the memory of black electrical tape as an emergency diaper fastener.
His strong and quiet presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Thanks to Dr. Shanks and his team at HealthEast Cancer Care Center and all the nurses and patient care staff at St John’s Hospital, especially the ICU staff, for their support and dedication.
Visitation MONDAY April 15 from 11:00 AM to time of service at Mueller Memorial, 835 Johnson Pkwy, St. Paul. Service at 1:00 PM. Private interment at a later date.
First Visitation
When
Monday, April 15th, 2019 11:00am - 1:00pm
Location
Mueller Memorial of St. Paul
Address
Address Not Available
Additional Information
Celebration of Life Information
When
Monday, April 15th, 2019 1:00pm
Location
Mueller Memorial of St. Paul
Address
Address Not Available
Interment Information
Location
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Address
1800 Edgerton St Maplewood, MN 55117
Reception Information
When
Monday, April 15th, 2019 2:00pm
Location
Yarusso Bros Italian Restaurant
Address
Address Not Available
Family Log-In
The Family Interactive feature enhances the Book of Memories. Authorized family members can securely access their loved one's memorial website settings at any time.
Subscribe to Updates
Connect with families at their time of loss. By subscribing to email updates, you will receive two daily updates containing all new stories, photos, candle lightings, condolences, and more.