Kenneth E. Pierskalla, 89
St. Cloud
March 9, 1936-May 23, 2025
Kenneth Edward Pierskalla, 89, of St. Cloud, died peacefully May 23 at Talamore Senior Living, after living with dementia for about six years.
His funeral was held Thursday, May 29 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. The Rev. Derek Wiechmann officiated.
Pierskalla was born March 9, 1936 in St. Cloud to his parents, Louis and Selina Pierskalla. He graduated from Technical High School, St. Cloud, in 1954. He then went on to enlist in the U.S. Navy, his basic training and advanced training, in Illinois and went on to Beeville, Texas, where he was a navigator on naval airplanes, sitting directly behind the pilot. Following his time in the Navy, he moved back to the St. Cloud area to be a lineman with Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. He met the love of his life, Marilyn Eleanor Rassier. They were wed on July 18, 1960, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Joseph. The couple moved around often due to his position with the phone company. Some of the towns they resided included the following: Sauk Centre, Brainerd, Little Falls, St. Cloud, St. Paul, Hibbing and Duluth. With his proven dedication to the company, he became regional manager with Northwestern Bell and US West.
Pierskalla was a parishioner with Holy Spirit Catholic Church, St. Cloud since 1990 and was a Knight of Columbus of the Third Degree. He was the 25th elected Honorary Ambassador for Winter Frolic Titan of Taconite, Hibbing, Minn. He spent time volunteering for the Special Olympics, putting life lines in for Telephone Pioneers, ARC and simply helping those in need. He was an outdoorsman, enjoyed hunting, fishing and woodworking. He also enjoyed gardening, specifically roses, polka dancing, traveling and spending time with family.
Survivors include the following: his sons: Mark (Diane), Stephen (Karen Davis) Pierskalla; daughters: Julie (Anthony) Sorteberg and Wanda (Chad) Belich; grandchildren: Joshua, Justin, Johnathan, Jeremy, Callista, Anthony Jr., Anneka, Gabriel, Andy, Adam, Alexis, Nick, Ben, Amanda, Mike, Brad, Cynthia and Nick; and many great-grandkids.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marilyn; his parents; daughter, Linda Pierskalla; daughter-in-law, Lisa Pierskalla; brothers Jim and Robert Pierskalla; and sister Theresa Pierskalla.
In lieu of flowers, please donate your memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association or the American Lyme Disease Foundation.
