Gerald Allen Hedtke

Gerald Allen Hedtke, age 83, of River Falls, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on June 25, 2023, at Kinnic Health Nursing Home and Rehab in River Falls, WI.

Gerald was born on December 7, 1939, to parent’s Gilbert and Verdella (Kutzke) Hedtke in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Gerald was united in marriage with the love of his life, Susan (Gulenchyn) on March 18, 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Together they raised three children.  After being employed at Red Owl, Gerald went on working for Twin Cities Monorail/TC American and was able to retire at the age of 58.  This early retirement was Gerald’s opportunity to enjoy the best part of life, his family.

Once married to Sue, it was natural to find Gerald on the dance floor dancing with his wife.  They would dance at New Year’s Eve parties and even out on the pontoon.  Gerald found a love for golf as he began caddying when he was about age 9.  When he retired, he was the first one on the golf course every day Monday – Friday.  He even was given his own key to a golf cart because the golf shop was not open when he arrived.  He loved camping with his family and playing cards for hours with anyone, anywhere, anytime.  He was proud to say he traveled to almost all 50 states, only missing two.  His favorite vacations included traveling to Hawaii, Italy and Germany.

Gerald is survived by his loving wife Sue; children Cindy (Roger) Jahnke, Pam (Mike) Morrison, Mike (Wendy) Hedtke; grandchildren Sean Morrison, Grant Morrison, Amanda Labs; great-grandchild Theodore Albrecht; and brother Neil (Martha) Hedtke.

He was preceded in death by his parents Gilbert and Verdella Hedtke; sister Darla (Tom) Bengtson; and great-grandchild Kylr Labs.

A Memorial Service for Gerald will be held at Bethel Highlands, 504 Frontage Rd. Hudson, WI 54016 on Monday, July 10th, 2023 at 11:00.  Visitation will take place Sunday, July 9 ^th , 2023 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at O’Connell Family Funeral Home, 502 S. 11 ^th Street Hudson, WI 54016 and an hour prior to service on Monday, July 10 ^th , 2023 at Bethel Highlands. The service will be live streamed here

Memorials are preferred to Kinnic Health Nursing Home and Rehab, Parkinson’s Foundation, or The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Funeral services entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson.