George Bernard Rotegard died in his home in Bloomington, Minn., of natural causes Friday, Aug. 21, 2015 at age 90.
George was born in New Richland, Minn. on Feb. 8, 1925, the third son of Bernard and Lillie Rotegard of New Richland, owners of Rotegard Drug Store. George was a very popular basketball player in his high school years as he was 6 feet, 4 inches tall and was a star player on the 1943 team. He worked in his dad's Drug Store whenever he wasn't in school from 7th grade on.
He graduated from NRHS in 1943 and was drafted into the U.S. Navy that summer. He was a Pharmacist Mate and participated in the Normandy Invasion in June of 1944. George landed the beach on the second day, picking up the wounded on stretchers, running them to safety, all with a Red Cross band on his arm. He came back on a furlough to New Richland and was reassigned to the Marine Corps. He then was sent to Okinawa and was in that invasion in the spring of 1945. After the war, he spent six months in occupation of Tientsin, China. Back home in New Richland in 1946, he worked in the drug gtore for a short time and then enrolled in the University of Minnesota Business School.
George graduated from the U of M in 1952 with a CPA degree and worked as an accountant from then on. He married Verna Iverson of Starkweather, N.D. in Sept. 1953 at the Lutheran Church in Starkweather. Back to Minneapolis they built a new house in Bloomington, Minn. and lived there for the next 62 years.He was preceeded in death by his wife, Verna and his brothers, Karl of Coral Gables, FL and Richard of Park Rapids, MN and their spouses, Jean and June. He is survived by his sons, Gary (Diane) of Apple Valley, Steven of Bloomington, William (Melissa) and Chris Jon (Rena) of Rosemount, grandsons Dustin, Derek, Travis, Jeremy, Kyle, granddaughters Nicole, Jamie, Taylor and sister, Jane Hesse (Bruce) of Minnetonka plus many nieces and nephews.
A Memorial service was held Friday, Aug. 28, at 11:30 a.m. at the Werness Brothers, 2300 Old Shakopee Rd. in Bloomingtoon, MN. Visitation was one hour before.
A military burial was held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN. Memorials were requested for the Alzheimer's Assoc.