Lawrence D Larry Gretz

Lawrence D. 'Larry' Gretz June 5, 1947 - January 12, 2013

Lawrence D. "Larry" Gretz, age 65, of Faribault, died Saturday, January 12, 2013 following a sudden illness.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home & Crematory of Faribault, with Bernadette Tatge, Pastoral Minister at Divine Mercy Catholic Church, officiating. Interment will be held at the Calvary Cemetery, Faribault, with military honors provided by the Rice County Central Veterans Association.

Visitation will be held at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home & Crematory of Faribault on Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and on Friday for one hour prior to services.

Lawrence David, the son of Lawrence Joseph and Mildred (Stotzel) Gretz, was born on June 5, 1947 in St. Paul, MN. As a young boy his family moved to Faribault. Larry attended Faribault High School and served in the U.S. Army Infantry during the Vietnam War. After his service time Larry worked as an independent painting contractor. Larry was very friendly and had many friends in Faribault and at the VFW Post 1562 and the American Legion Post 43, both of which he was a member. Larry was blessed with many artistic skills. He loved playing the guitar, enjoyed doing etched glass windows, and took great pride in completing other creative projects around the house. He was a member of the Pyrotechnics Guild International and had many friends in this industry. He always enjoyed a good fireworks show and was an animated story teller.

He is survived by his daughters, Jessica of Long Island City, NY; Jennifer (Jack) McLaughlin of Lewiston, MN; by two grandchildren, Jocelyn Bauer and Elijah McLaughlin; by his brother, Gregory (Fran) Gretz of St. Paul, MN and by nieces, Elizabeth Gretz; Emily (Jason) Dommeyer; by his former spouse and mother of their children, Betty (Liz) Remmey of Rochester, MN and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents.