Cletus Scherer

Cletus H. Scherer, age 91 of Melrose, died Friday, October 1, 2010 at the Pine Villa Care Center in Melrose, Minnesota.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, October 8 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Melrose with Rev. Vince Lieser officiating and Rev. Ken Thielman concelebrating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. Military honors will be provided by the Melrose Veterans Honor Guard.

Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Melrose.

The country roads were muddy and marked with deep ruts when Cletus' uncle Clarence hurried the team of horses to Long Lake to pick up Dr. Lyons, the trusted family doctor. But Cletus was impatient to enter the world and by the time they returned, Cletus had been delivered with the help of his grandmother, Agatha Hutter Scherer. His father was holding him by the warmth of the living room wood heater.Cletus Henry Scherer was born to Charles and Lucy (Leuer) Scherer on March 15, 1919 near Hamel, Minnesota. He was joined by brothers, Jerome and Wilfred. He attended school at the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church School, graduating from the 8th grade in 1934. His teen years were spent working on the farm and working with his uncles bailing hay and harvesting crops and cutting wood. He also worked at his uncle Clarence and Munn's Lumber Yard in Northeast Minneapolis. The U.S. had been drawn into World War II and Cletus was drafted into the army on May 16, 1942. His basic training was at Camp Shelby, Mississippi with desert training in Arizona and California, and maneuvers in Louisiana. On January 1, 1944 his division set sail from New York City to Casablanca, North Africa. From there to Naples, Italy where Germans were pushing southward. Near Monte Casino, while defending "Hill 69", Cletus was severely wounded in his left hip and leg. After five months in a hospital in Naples, he was directed to 15th Air Force, Quartermaster Division. He was discharged in December of 1945. Cletus was proud of his service to his country. On September 10, 1949 he was united in marriage to Harriette Marsh at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Annandale. He worked at Scherer Brothers Lumber Company as foreman for 25 years, then owned the River Garden Bar with Minnesota Lakers basketball player Tony Jaros; went on to the 101 club and came to Melrose and was in business as a bar owner and founder of Scherer Pickled products known as Scherer Enterprise Inc.

Survivors include his loving wife of 61 years, Harriette Scherer of Melrose; children, Daniel (Barbara) Scherer of Delano, Mary Ann (Jim) Loecken of Melrose, Irene (Paul) Petersen of Fergus Falls, and David (Ann) Scherer of Bedford, Nova Scotia; ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Cletus was preceded in death by parents, Charles and Lucy (Leuer) Scherer; infant sisters, Florence and Irene; brother, Wilfred Scherer; and infant daughter, Elizabeth Lucy Scherer.

Serving as casket bearers will be Ben Scherer, Patrick Scherer, Nathan Petersen, Adam Petersen, Melissa Hokanson, Michelle Scherer Winecoff, Raechel Konczewski, and Elisabeth Loecken. Cross bearer will be Lauren Scherer and scripture bearer will be William Scherer.