Eugene Pederson

A lifelong resident of the community he loved, there was no one who met Eugene Pederson and left unchanged. He was thoughtful and purposeful in the things he did with a spirit of generosity that spread to all who were near. A more devoted family man would be hard to find since Gene deeply treasured his family as there was no greater gift in his life than watching his family tree blossom to include numerous branches of loved ones who were his greatest source of pride and joy. With a life that spanned times of great change in the world around him, Gene leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that will be forever cherished by all who were blessed to know and love him.

During the first half of the 1940s, the eyes of our nation were focused overseas as countless young servicemen and women were deeply entrenched in the throes of WWII. Those who remained stateside became all too familiar with rationing on common goods like coffee, sugar, rubber, and tin. Victory came and there was celebration in the streets when America and our allies were victorious after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August of 1945. It was just prior to this historic time that Ernest and Ann (Johnson) Pederson were eagerly anticipating the birth of their new baby as the promise of spring began to appear on the horizon in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, in 1945. The big day finally arrived on March 1st when the baby boy they named Eugene Allen drew his first breath. He was one of five children in his family as he was raised in the family home alongside his siblings, Robert, Beverly, Donavan, and Diane.

In many ways, Eugene, or Gene as he was usually known, was a young boy of his generation. He developed a love for the outdoors and enjoyed things like fishing and canoeing. Gene was also a Boy Scout. As a student he attended local schools, graduating from Sauk Centre High School. Gene later attended Control Data Institute in Minneapolis where he studied computer programming. It was also as a young man that he served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Dahlgren and the USS Vesuvius in Tonkin Bay during the Vietnam War.

Not to be forgotten during his years in high school was Gene’s introduction to the young girl with whom he would write a love story that would span more than 50 years. Her name was Elizabeth Jean “Betty” Bigaouette, and they met at work. From the moment he spotted her, Gene knew she would be the woman he would marry. They began dating and soon found themselves deeply in love. With a desire to establish a life together, Gene and Betty were married on September 26, 1964, at St. Brendan Catholic Church in Green Isle, Minnesota. Their love and devotion to each other continued year after year. To mark the occasion of their 50th anniversary Betty and Gene planned it to be just like their wedding day—same date, same church, same time, so they could share it with their family. It was memorable and just perfect.

Gene was known for his strong work ethic throughout his life. He was employed at Honeywell and then at Control Data in Bloomington. Later on, he worked as an insurance agent for Mutual of Omaha and Life Investors. Since 1974, Gene and his family called Sauk Centre home, and Gene was a semi-truck driver for International Transport of Rochester and Long Haul Trucking of Albertville. Gene and Betty were the number one team at Long Haul Trucking eleven times, driving 5.8 million miles in the truck accident free.

There was nothing that was of greater significance in Gene’s life than his family. Together he and Betty welcomed three girls including Brenda, Jennifer, and Stephanie into their hearts and home, raising their children in Sauk Centre. Gene was an amazing father who was patient, kind, and encouraging, and he was not only wise but had a great sense of humor as well. Later in life he was thrilled to become the father to sons when he welcomed his sons-in-law into the family with open arms. Of course nothing was better than when the family grew to include the six grandchildren he adored. New Year’s Eve was always a blast as they had a big family gathering, and during the summers Gene had so much fun with his grandchildren in the semi-truck. He and Betty celebrated their 40th anniversary with their children in Key West, and they also vacationed in Mexico as a family. It was easy to see that Gene treasured his wife, and he has also been called a romantic. One of the greatest gifts that he gave his family was a strong faith. Gene was a longtime member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church. He was a wonderful example of what it means to be a man of God, reading his Bible from cover to cover more than once. He had a special Bible verse he liked to refer to, especially lately, it was 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

All who knew Gene would agree that he was an extraordinary man to know and love. He always had a story, and they were usually a bit long-winded, and a couple of his most well-known phrases were, “Hey, I got a story for you,” and, “Did I ever tell you the story about…” Gene has also been called the world’s best hugger. He always counted Al Emmel as a major influence in his life as he credited Al for learning about having a good attitude, being honest, and being a man of integrity. Gene always considered attitude, integrity, and enthusiasm to be three vital words to direct his life and the lives of everyone he met. He was such a positive influence to others as he was known for being a man of great character and integrity who was selfless in ways both great and small. Gene had the ability to find the humor in almost anything, and he always had the best jokes, too. He was the president of Jaycees in Willmar, ran an award winning insurance agency, TEC #86, and counted the dollar bets he won with Betty to be among his most epic accomplishments.

A stranger to none and a friend to all, Eugene Pederson was a blessing to everyone he met. Upon only spending a few moments with him it was clear that his life was based on something different, something deeper, and that something was his faith. Gene accomplished so much of which to be proud, but he was a humble and gracious man who was such an encouragement to everyone he met. He cherished his family, and even when facing his toughest opponent, cancer, the love of his family coupled with his unwavering faith sustained him. Gene’s contagious laughter, fun stories, and timeless wisdom will never be forgotten.

Eugene A. “Gene” Pederson, of Sauk Centre, died on Friday, May 29, 2015, at CentraCare Health Hospital in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Gene’s family includes his wife, Elizabeth Jean “Betty” Pederson of Sauk Centre; three daughters, Brenda Jean (Rick) Renzaglia of St. Michael, Jennifer Jean (Rob) Burner of Corinth, Texas, and Stephanie Jean (Baron) Totman of Rosemount; six grandchildren, Sydney and Ryne Renzaglia, Austyn and Abigail Burner, Brock and Jarod Totman; and sister, Diane (Jim) O’Brien of Clearwater. Gene was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Robert Pederson, Beverly Wagner, and Donavan Pederson. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 1 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Greg Paffel officiating. Military honors will be provided by the Sauk Centre United Veterans Honor Guard and private family inurnment will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls. Visitation will be from 9:30-11 a.m. Monday at the church. Serving as casket bearers will be Nathan, Nicholas, Christopher, and Zachary Winter, Joseph Koopmeiners, and Isaac Engel. Honorary bearers will be members of the Patriot Guard Riders. Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Services of Sauk Centre.