John Hellie

John Hellie

John Hellie, 72 year old resident of Pierz, MN died Friday, June 29 at his home in Pierz with his family by his side. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, July 3 at 10:30 A.M. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Pierz with Father Kenneth Popp officiating. The burial will be held in the parish cemetery. A visitation will be held on Monday, July 2 from 3:00-8:00 P.M. and from 9:00-10:15 A.M. on Tuesday all visitation times will be held at Emblom Brenny Funeral Service in Pierz.

John Evan Hellie was born on February 12, 1946 in Minneapolis to the late Joseph and Ruby (Gregory) Hellie. He grew up in Morton and graduated from Morton High School 1964. In high school he was a three sport athlete scoring over 1000 points in basketball. He attended the University of Minnesota Morris where he received his degree in education and played basketball and baseball for the university. John was united in marriage to Karen Sitzman on September 25, 1970 at St. Josephs Catholic Church in Pierz. The couple made their home in Pierz where John taught at Pierz Healy High School from 1968 to 2001. He had a passion for kids. Hellie was Pierz's head baseball coach for 29 seasons and dedicated thousands of hours coaching Pierz youth baseball. John was truly a baseball man and kids loved playing for "H", as he was known in Pierz. He always wanted his players to have fun and enjoy the game. Hellie owns 350 career wins, 19 conference titles, seven district titles and one region title with one state appearance. John was also the boy's basketball coach for 13 years, assistant football coach for 30 years. John ran the summer baseball program for 27 years for kids age 6-15. He started the American Legion Baseball program in 1972 and took his team to the state tournament in 1995. He was inducted into the Minnesota Baseball Coaches Association in 2011. John was the first non-athlete to be inducted into the Pierz High School Hall of Fame. John had the honor of having the baseball field in Pierz named after him. John and Karen enjoyed leaving the cold behind and wintering in Cape Coral, FL. John also appreciated time spent at the family's cabin on Big Bass Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. He enjoyed hunting pheasants and deer and fishing for walleyes. He was a member of the Pierz Lions and the Knights of Columbus.

Left to cherish his memory are his; children, Randy (Lynn) Piasecki of Sauk Rapids, MN, Tanya (Tim) Ruhland of Lakeville, MN and Stacy (Rick) Herold of Pierz, MN; grandchildren, Darean and Alli Herold, Alex and Abby Ruhland; great-granddaughters, Stella Herold and Hayden Herold; brother, Charles (Anita) Hellie of Northfield. In laws, Tom (Christy) Sitzman and Red (Pam) Sitzman both of Pierz, MN, Lloyd Stachowski of Pierz, MN; JoAnne Sitzman of St. Joseph, MN.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Ruby Hellie; wife, Karen in 2016; brother, Greg Hellie; sisters-in-law, Janice Hellie and Marcene Stachowski; brother-in-law, Marvin Sitzman.

In lieu of flowers memorials will be distributed to Hellie Field in Pierz.

The family asks the attenders wear your Pioneer clothing to the wake and funeral.

Arrangements are with Emblom Brenny Funeral Service in Pierz.