Alfred "Fred" Luther Schaal

ALFRED “FRED” LUTHER SCHAAL, age 81, died on the morning of Saturday, July 18, 2020 at the Trinity Care Center in Farmington.

Born in DeWitt, Iowa on January 23, 1939, Alfred was the son of William Frederick and Helen Mae (Siver) Schaal. When he was six months old their family moved to Minnesota in search of work. He graduated from Waterville High School in 1957. On August 23, 1958 he married the love of his life, Betty Hansen. Theirs was a true love affair. They met when he was eleven years old and she was twelve years old. Betty would joke that if she had known he was only eleven she never would have given him a chance. By the time she found out it was too late, she was smitten. Together they raised five children: Randall, Elizabeth, David, Lynette, and Nicole.

Fred began his working career at Herters where he worked for two years. He then went to work for Bock’s Service Station for seven years. In April 1966 he started at Brown Printing Company where he loved his job. He would compete with himself to produce more than he did the day before and hardly ever missed a day of work. He enjoyed the friends he made there. He retired after 36 years of service.

Fred was an awesome husband, dad, and grandpa. He was very proud of his family and they meant everything to him. He loved animals. They say, “Animals can sense good people,” and he was definitely “good people.” He especially loved dogs and they loved him. He enjoyed history and politics and liked watching the news. He enjoyed going to church. He particularly liked the times he got to help restore the cemetery. These types of things were very important to him. He wanted to preserve history. He was always ready to help out wherever needed. He enjoyed being in the tractor and helping in the field. He could fix anything and if he didn’t know how, he would teach himself. He taught himself how to use a computer in his 60’s. He was very intelligent but was very humble and would never boast. He lead by example whether it was raising his kids or leading his crew at work. He never asked anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.

Fred is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty; children Randall (Teresa), Elizabeth (Dean), Lynette (Bruce), and Nicole (William); 15 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by one son, David; both of his parents; one brother, John; one sister, Geneva; and one great-grandchild, Zoey.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00AM on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at the third street chapel of Dennis Funeral & Cremation Services in Waseca, with Rev. Kris Anderson officiating. Visitation will be held for one hour before the service at the funeral home. Interment will follow at North Waseca Lutheran Cemetery.