Geraldine Ann (Rysavy) Marsolek

Geraldine (Gerry) Marsolek , formerly of Medford and Owatonna, Mn, died on May 7 at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Park Rapids, Mn.

Funeral Mass will be July 26, 11:00 AM at Christ the King Catholic Church, Medford, Mn, with Fr. James E Starasinich officiating. Family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at the church. Following the service, a light meal will be served in the church basement.

Inurnment will take place on July 27, 11:00 AM at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Geraldine’s name to Christ the King Catholic Church or Medford, Knights of Columbus, Robert Carlin Council in Medford or to your favorite charity.

Born March 14, 1931 in Somerset Township, Steel County, MN, Geraldine Ann Rysavy was the daughter of John R. and Frances C. (Vesely) Rysavy and grew up on the family farm near Claremont, Mn. In her youth she participated in 4H and had fond memories of playing kitten ball. She graduated from Claremont High School in 1949. Soon afterward she moved to Owatonna and began work, first at Federated Insurance, then moving on to Jostens, which she referred to as “The Yearbook. She would reminisce about traveling on the train between Owatonna and Claremont to visit home on the weekends. In 1959 Gerry began a 30 plus years career as secretary of the City of Owatonna Engineering Dept., retiring in 1990. 

She married Richard “Dick” T. Marsolek at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Owatonna, in 1955.  Their first son, Richard, was born and they moved into their first house, built by Dick and his father, on land purchased from Dick’s parents, on Holly Ave., in Owatonna. Gerry was an avid gardener and always had a large vegetable garden and numerous well-tended flower beds. Her flowers could be found on display at the Steele County Fair each August. She also helped establish and maintain several flower beds on the grounds of West Hills in Owatonna. She was an excellent seamstress and sewed many of the clothes she wore in her early working years.  Many of her quilts were also entered into the fair competition.

In 1963, Gerry and Dick purchased 10 acres of land northeast of Medford, Mn. Over the next several years they built their second home, again with the bulk of the work being done by Dick and his father and they moved to the country in 1968. Gerry used her gardening skills to transform that property and added growing fruit trees to her expertise. During that time, their second son, Jeff was born.

Gerry and Dick lived on the property until Dick’s death in 2003. Shortly after, Gerry moved to an apartment in Owatonna and then eventually to Bemidji, to be closer to her son, Richard. In 2019 she moved into the Diamond Willow Assisted Living facility in Park Rapids and remained there until her death.

Gerry is survived by her sons, six grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, brother, Robert Rysavy (Nyla), sister-in law Maureen (Marsolek) (Donald) Drabant, brother-in-law Peter Patterson, sister-in-law Ruth Rysavy, and several nieces and nephews.

Deceased family members include her husband and parents, her sister, Darlene “Dolly” Kniefel and Dolly’s husband Anthony Kniefel, brother, Gerald “Bud” Rysavy, Sr., nephew Gerald “Bucky” Rysavy, Jr., sister-in-law Mary Lou (Marsolek) Eisen, brother-in-law, Roger Eisen, sister-in-law Shirley (Marsolek) Patterson, nephew David Eisen, and niece Cindy Eisen.

Special thanks to the staff of Diamond Willow Assisted Living and St Joseph’s Hospice in Park Rapids, Mn.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Geraldine Ann (Rysavy) Marsolek, please visit our floral store.