Stephen Kulzer

Stephen Kulzer, age 57, of Mahnomen, MN, died Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the Sanford Palliative Care in Fargo, ND. Stephen Albert Kulzer was born January 15, 1956 in Crookston, MN, the son of Melvin and Anna Mary (Sand) Kulzer. He grew up and attended school in Bejou and graduated high school from Mahnomen with the class of 1974. He continued his education with a degree from Staples, MN, in heavy equipment operating. In 1975, Steve was united in marriage to Cindy Hextell. The couple later divorced. In July of 1989, Steve became a husband to Teresa Sorgaard and father to Kelsey. They lived in Bejou for a time before moving to the Sorgaard family farm, where he and his daughter and granddaughter lived together. For only a short amount of time, Steve was Grandpa, but he treasured every moment spent with Kelsey and Lyla. The past 30+ years, Steve has worked at the feed plant, starting at the elevator in Callaway, MN, and then to Mahnomen. A true outdoor enthusiast, Steve loved hunting and fishing as much as possible. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of his home in the country and that he was able to see the lake from his kitchen window. Steve was a man of routine, hardly ever taking a day off from his job at the elevator. He also kept a clean and organized house and his yard was immaculately trimmed, almost obsessively! In his spare time, Steve liked to tinker in the garage and listen to old time rock-n-roll, especially the Beatles. When he was younger, he played softball, but as his knees gave out, he was only able to watch and base coach his nieces, which he loved. Steve also enjoyed watching the MN Vikings, MN Twins and the NDSU Bison. Steve is survived by a daughter, Kelsey Sorgaard and granddaughter, Lyla Vedbraaten of Mahnomen; six brothers: James (Marg), Detroit Lakes, MN, Michael, Moorhead, MN, Joseph (Lynette) Beltrami, MN, David (Candace) Bejou, MN, Mark, Bejou, and Matthew (Lindi) Detroit Lakes; six sisters: Marlene (Sal) Ligamaro, San Jose, CA, Diane (Laurance “Sonny”) Osenga, Bejou, Patricia Vanderklaauw, Miami, FL, Clara (Ron) Pottle, Indiana Trail, NC; Donna (Lynn) Hewitt, South Jordan, UT and Laura (Gene) Bendickson, Bejou; many nieces; nephews and cousins. Preceding Steve in death were his parents; a sister, Elizabeth Gillette, a brother, Peter Kulzer; a nephew, Jacob Kulzer; and a great-niece, Lily Korra Hintze. Funeral Services were held Thursday, January 31 at 2:00 pm at St. Michael's Church in Mahnomen. Visitiation was held one hour prior. Rosary was held on Wednesday, January 30th at 6:30 pm at Anderson~Mattson Funeral Home in Mahnomen.

Stephen Kulzer

January 15, 1956 - January 26, 2013