Steve Gartzke

Steven Richard Gartzke was born in San Diego, CA on November 8, 1954, and passed away in his home, with his wife of 40 years by his side in Hastings, MN on May 29, 2020. He died from heart failure and had been going through treatment for stage IV pancreatic cancer. Above all, Steve was a strong person of faith, a devoted husband, brother, father, grandfather, and friend. He found joy in helping others, seeing a job done right, and enjoying the outdoors. In 1973, he founded a construction company that became Gartzke Construction, Inc. A few years later, he was joined by his brother Chuck as a partner, and throughout the years has employed many family members including siblings, sons, and nephews, and demonstrated the value of hard work, in a hot ditch. He married his wife Becky in 1980. She was his partner throughout the rest of his life, and they raised two sons Rob and Paul. He became a grandfather in 2014, again in 2016, and 2019. That is a role he cherished and handled with his trademark enthusiasm and generosity. Steve’s first job was mowing Lakeside Cemetery when he was 13 and taking care of the cemetery became an important part of his life. He went from mowing, to serve on the Board of Directors, to ultimately become President. His last act of volunteer service was to place the standards at the graves of veterans for Memorial Day, a task that he took great pride in. Steve earned his private pilot license when he was 19 years old and had a lifelong love of aviation. He loved being active and enjoyed sharing his appreciation of nature with those he loved. He introduced many people to the activities that he enjoyed, including skiing, fishing, canoeing and camping in the boundary waters, biking, and generally having a “hoot” in the mountains. He is survived by his wife Rebecca, his sons, Robert (Cameron), and Paul (Hannah); sister, Jody (Charlie); brothers, Chuck (Katie), and Chris (Michele); uncles, Bruce (Darlene), and Richard (Joan); nieces and nephews, Beau (Katie), Zach (Mackenzie), Sam (Tori), Meghan, Paige, Jake, Gabrielle and Madeleine; and grandchildren, Lydia, Everly, and Walter. He is preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Ardean Gartzke (Kabe); and brother, David. A private memorial service will be held on Tuesday, June 2 at Starkson Family Life Celebration chapel. To sign the online tribute page, go to www.hastingsmnfuneral.com. Memorials preferred to Lakeside Cemetery, Hastings Family Service, or PanCan.org.