Obituaries: Roland Ferdinand Kunze

Roland Ferdinand Kunze, 96, of Cloquet died June 8, 2020, while under hospice care.

He was born July 25, 1923 in Cloquet to Carl and Rose (Roy) Kunze.

Roland attended school at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Cloquet High School, graduating in 1941. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served stateside during the war as a mechanic. After his discharge in 1945, he joined his brother Sylvester “Ted” in opening a supper club in Wadena. It was there that he met his wife, Iris Laugen. They married in 1947, and together they had four children. They moved back to Cloquet where he resided in the home they built together until his death. He worked for the Wood Conversion Company when starting his family, and then worked for the Cloquet School District in maintenance until his 1981 retirement. He also drove school bus for 20 years and was a locksmith for the Wood Service Company.

Roland was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Iris, in 1990; his second wife, Edith Kerr, in 2001 after five years together; brother, Sylvester; daughter Kathleen; and grandson Samuel.

He is survived by his children, Michael (Joan) Kunze of Cloquet, Mary (Glen) Lundberg of Kennedy, and Barbara (Randy) Reed of Kennewick, Washington; sister-in-law, Dorothy Roes of Moorhead; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A reader all his life, Roland made good use of the Cloquet Public Library. Should friends desire, memorials may be given to the Library at 320 14th St., Cloquet MN 55720 or to Duluth public television at WDSE-WRPT, 632 Niagara Court, Duluth MN 55811.

Visitation: 12 p.m. until the 1 p.m. service Monday, June 22 at Nelson Funeral Care. Private family committal will be held in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Duluth with Military Honors presented. To leave an online condolence, visit the guest book at http://www.nelsonfuneralcare.net.

Pine Knot News June 19, 2020