John Oelkers Obituary

John Perry Oelkers, 69, of Red Wing, died Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, with his family by his side, at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing. He had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
    He was born Sept. 28, 1948, in Red Wing, to Vernon and Irene (Anderson) Oelkers and graduated from Red Wing Central High School. He married Cheryl DuBois in 1968 and together they had two children. They later divorced. John worked at 3M, ADM, and then at Xcel Energy where he worked for 42 years before retiring in 2014. In 1995 he was united in marriage to Susan Yule. John had served in the Red Wing National Guard, and was a past member of the Wildlife Federation, the Minnesota Conservation Federation, the Red Wing Elks Lodge BPOE 845, the Xcel Social Club, and was a Girl Scout Leader, having been the first male Girl Scout leader in Minnesota. He started the Reinvest in Minnesota Program with Jeff Cole. John enjoyed duck hunting and fishing and had taken many fishing and hunting trips throughout the U.S and Canada. John was an avid Harley rider and was a member of ABATE of Minnesota. He also enjoyed spending time at his cabin on Balsam Lake with his family and friends and he loved watching his grandkids grow up. John is survived by his wife, Sue of Red Wing; two children, Lisa and Brian Oelkers, both of Lake City; two step-children, Angie (Mike) Wood of Red Wing and Mandy (Brian) Sander; five grandchildren, Brittney Wooding, Alyssa (Kyle) Neswold, Matthew Wooding, and Marcus and Sophia Oelkers; one great-granddaughter arriving in May and one step-grandson, Jase Sander; siblings, Dick (Jean) of Red Wing and Kathy (Norman) Charlson of Blaine; and many nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Beverly Decker-Erickson.         A visitation for John will be held on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel in Red Wing, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and a time of sharing at 4 p.m. In John’s honor, come wearing your camouflage, Harley-Davidson or casual attire. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com