Walter Tarka

Walter A. "Dziadzio" Tarka, age 72 of Sauk Centre, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday, January 15, 2004 at St. Michael's Hospital in Sauk Centre.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, January 19 at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre with Pastor Ron Hemsworth officiating.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Monday one hour prior to the service.

Walter Tarka was born on December 11, 1931 in Lwow, Poland to Carl and Anna (Stubilac) Tarka. On April 2, 1956 he married Kathryn Partyka in Poland. He moved to the United States in 1960 with his wife and two infant daughters. They resided in St. Louis Park and he worked as a custodian at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Edina for 27 years. In the spring of 1998 they moved to Sauk Centre.

Walter loved fishing, visiting with his neighbors, tinkering in the garage fixing anything and everything, gardening, making birdhouses and wooden planters, playing cards with Kathryn and was an avid Weather Channel watcher.

Survivors include his wife, Kathryn Tarka of Sauk Centre; four children, Mary (John) Wegrzyn of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Terry (Bill) Hathaway of Andover, Ed (Michelle) Tarka of Hastings, Debby (Jeffery) Miskowic of Elk River; six grandchildren, Kristine (Fernando) Consiglio, Danusia Wegrzyn, Jennifer and Kari Hathaway, Leigha and Joshua Tarka.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Stephanie.