Kerry Glarner, 87

Kerry Kyle Glarner, age 87, of West Concord (Berne), MN, passed away peacefully, after a brief illness, surrounded by his family on Friday, January 1, 2021.

Kerry was born in rural West Concord (Berne) on December 26, 1933 to Carl J. and Virginia (Platt) Glarner on the family farm. He was the youngest of 6 children. Kerry went to country school in grades 1-8 and graduated from West Concord High School in 1951. He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for 2 years in his early adult life. Following his time in the service, he returned to Berne to take over the family farm.

On November 29, 1961, he married the love of his life, Bonnie Rosecke in Rochester, MN. Kerry and Bonnie enjoyed a wonderful 59 years of marriage. They raised two children, Scott and Terri and special nephew, Craig Hofland.

Kerry was a proud, hardworking dairy farmer until he sold the cows in 1997. After farming, Kerry enjoyed working in General Services as a van driver for Mayo Clinic until his retirement in April 2020, at the age of 86. He thoroughly cherished all his friendships he made while working at Mayo. Twenty plus years were also spent as a member of the planning and zoning board for Dodge County. Kerry was a lifelong member of the Berne Church and a participant in the Berne Swissfest, Berne Pizza night and Cemetery Board. He was proud of his Swiss heritage and loved picking on his Norwegian friends. His favorite pastime was going to town for coffee and BS-ing with anyone that would listen. He had a remarkable memory and the stories were endless. He also enjoyed spending time playing slot machines at local casinos.

Kerry was a loving husband, father, grandpa and great “papa”. He loved spending time with his family and friends and especially attending his grandchildren’s activities.

Kerry is survived by his wife, Bonnie; son, Scott (Beth) Glarner of Dodge Center; daughter, Terri (Chris) Burdick of Burnsville; nephew, Craig (Mary) Hofland of River Falls; grandchildren, Brady (Devan) Burdick of Prior Lake, Taylor (Cody) Capra of Lakeville and Jacob Glarner of Dodge Center; great grandsons, Crew Capra and Brev Burdick; sister, Cherie Rundquist of Red Wing; sister in laws, Dee Hofland of Oakdale and Charlotte Glarner of Faribault; as well as many other relatives and dear friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents; 2 sisters, Donalda and Arlene; brothers, Newell and Colin; brother in laws, Earl, David and Royce; and sister in law, Ruth.

Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home and Crematory of Faribault. For those unable to attend, you may watch the service through a link on Kerry’s obituary page. Relatives and friends are welcome, but please wear a mask and socially distance. Interment will be held in June.

Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, Kerry’s family requests donations be made to the Berne Church or you favorite small business affected by the pandemic.

Cards may be mailed to Bonnie Glarner c/o Terri Burdick, 735 Crystal Lake Road E, Burnsville, MN 55306.

Funeral arrangements are being completed by the Parker Kohl Funeral Home & Crematory of Faribault.

For online condolences and further information, please visit www.ParkerKohlFuneralHome.com