Gary Neal Nordlund

Gary Neal Nordlund, age 72, resident of Sartell, MN, entered the kingdom of Heaven on February 1st, surrounded by his loving family. A mass of Christian Burial will be held February 8th at 10:30 A.M. at Church of St. Joseph in St. Joseph, MN, with Father Roger Klassen officiating. Burial will be held immediately following in the parish cemetery. Friends and loved ones may gather from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Monday, February 7th, at Church of St. Joseph, and from 9:30 A.M. until the hour of service on Tuesday. Parish prayers will be held at 6:00 P.M. Monday evening at the church.  In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for a donation to a veterans foundation.

Gary Neal Nordlund was born on March 5th, 1949 in Littlefork, MN to Garland and Donna (Horgen) Nordlund. He graduated from Littlefork-Big Falls High School in 1967. The day after graduation, Gary courageously left for the Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam from 1967-1969, rising to the rank of Sergeant in the elite Force Recon teams, as well as serving as a Vietnamese interpreter. Once returning from Vietnam, Gary proved to be a jack of all trades, working as a logger with his dad, and subsequently traveling the United States employed as a machinist, heavy equipment operator and mechanic. Gary eventually moved back to Littlefork and purchased his family business, G&E Logging. He selflessly became a volunteer firefighter and arson investigator for the town of Littlefork and worked as a ride along officer with the town's Sheriff. After selling the family business, he relocated to St. Cloud, MN, working as a lead in housekeeping at the VA Medical Center, retiring in 2014. This is where Gary met the love of his life, Roxi Yasgar. Gary was united in marriage to Roxi on September 7th, 2013. He enjoyed traveling with his beautiful wife, spending time with his family, and making sure everyone stayed out of trouble. He was a lifetime member of the VFW. Gary will be remembered for his kind heart, humbleness, and devotion to all those he loved. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Gary is survived by his loving wife, Roxi Nordlund, of Sartell, MN; children, April (David) Nordlund of Pierz, MN, Gary “Dub” Nordlund of Littlefork, MN, Cory (Sarah) Yasgar of Saint Joseph, MN, Chris “Bugsey” (Leslie) Yasgar of Saint Joseph, MN, Kelsey Yasgar of Sartell, MN, and Jackie (Nate) Gwost of Willmar, MN; siblings, Pam Hauner of Littlefork, MN, Cathy (Ronnie) Lee of Littlefork, MN, and Gil (Annette) Nordlund of Oak Harbor, Ohio; 14 grandchildren, with one blessing on the way, and four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Garland and Donna Nordlund.