Donald "Don" Schlichting

Donald A. “Don” Schlichting, age 84 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday, January 19 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Tim Wenzel officiating. Interment and full military honors will be at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls on Tuesday, January 22 at 1 p.m.

Visitation will be from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home 620 Beltline Road Sauk Centre, MN 56378 and from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul’s Catholic Church 304 Sinclair Lewis Avenue Sauk Centre, MN 56378.

Donald Schlichting was born April 17, 1934 in Royalton, Minnesota to Justin and Martha (Wunderlich) Schlichting.  He served in the U.S. Army from  1953 to 1955. On January 5, 1957, he was united in marriage to Jannette Fiereck at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. Don met his wife 64 years ago at a dance and they have been going to dances ever since. He worked for a total of 38 years with Northwestern Bell Telephone Company as a telephone technician; starting out in Little Falls, then in Glenwood, and finally in Sauk Centre. During those years, he was Local Union President for 12 years of CWA (Communication Workers of America) for central and north central Minnesota.

Don was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church. He was also a former commander of the American Legion Post 67 and served on the Sauk Centre honor guard for many years. He enjoyed dancing, traveling, car collecting, hunting, and snowmobiling. Don and Jannette enjoyed the peace and tranquility of spending time at their cabin in northern Minnesota where they hiked, watched the wildlife, enjoyed cross country skiing with their grandchildren, and where Don hunted frequently.

Survivors include his wife, Jannette Schlichting of Sauk Centre; children, Deborah (Charlie Blomme) Schlichting of Edina, David Schlichting of Richfield, Tom (Mary) Schlichting of Andover, Mike (Teresa) Schlichting of Bloomington, and Randy (Louise) Schlichting of Eagan; nine grandchildren, Luke, Mackenzie, Kyle, Emily, Noah, Annie, Regina, Claire, and Erin; one great-grandson, Owen; and sister, Evelyn Long of Arizona.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Justin and Martha Schlichting; brothers, Clarence and Albin Schlichting; and sisters, Virginia Chirhart, Elaine Smith, Joanne Rudnicki, and Delphine Sobiech.

Serving as casket bearers will be Luke Schlichting, Kyle Schlichting, Emily Schlichting, Annie Schlichting, Claire Schlichting, Erin Blomme, and Kevin McFarland. Honorary bearers will be Deborah, David, Tom, Mike, and Randy Schlichting. Cross bearer will be Regina Schlichting and scripture bearer will be Mackenzie Evans. Readers will be Erin Blomme, Annie Schlichting, and Kyle Schlichting and the words of remembrance will be read by Tom Schlichting, Kyle Schlichting, and Charlie Blomme. Gift bearers will be Luke Schlichting, Emily Schlichting, and Owen Schlichting.

Memorials to Habitat for Humanity.