Allan J. "Al" Kastanek

1947 - 2025

Allan (Al) J. Kastanek, 77 years old, passed away on Monday, April 28, 2025 at his home in Coon Rapids, MN, surrounded by the love of his family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:30 A.M. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Pierz, MN with Father Aaron Nett officiating. Burial will take place in the St. Joseph's Parish Cemetery in Pierz, MN. Visitation will be held from 9-11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at the Shelley Funeral Chapel in Pierz, MN. Allan was a contractor and a small business owner, a pilot, a restorer of antique tractors, a historian, and a cornerstone of the family. Caring for Alan and his family is the LeMieur Funeral Home in Pierz, MN.

Allan was born on July 23, 1947, in Portland, OR, to Cathryn Marie Gulden and Cleo Clifford Philippi. Cathryn and Allan relocated in 1948 to Minnesota, where he lived with his maternal grandparents and later with his mother and adoptive father, Jrwin A. Kastanek. He attended St. Joseph's Grade School, Father Pierz Memorial High School, the University of Minnesota, and Dunwoody Institute. In 1987, he founded Triple C Technologies in Minneapolis, which specialized in designing and equipping convenience stores and restaurants throughout an eight-state area. With the help of a tremendous team of associates, employees, and friends, Allan grew the company into a widely respected contracting firm that later added a cutlery service center and retail outlet (Eversharp) to its business plan. Allan will be remembered for his humility and kindness, a handshake that was as strong as his word, his love of all things mechanical, and a missing finger that was a quiet testament to his hardworking nature and roots on the family farm.

He had abundant pastimes, not least of which centered around his children and grandchildren, who always brought the brightest smile to his face. Allan enjoyed flying his Cessna and Luscombe, helping to restore the Kastanek Century Farm, metalworking, collecting and repairing old tractors and machinery, and deer hunting every November with friends and family.

Allan was a member of several organizations, including the Morrison County Historical Society, the German Bohemian Heritage Society, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), the Greater Minnesota 2 Cylinder Club, the Minneapolis Moline Collectors Club, the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association, and the National Rifle Association.

Allan is survived by his wife, Linda Lund; sisters, Colleen Kastanek and Charlotte (Dan) Gruber; son, John (Jana) Kastanek; daughter, Andrianna Kastanek (Chris Buzachero); stepdaughter, Stacie (Peter) Urban; and grandchildren, Jakob, Mitchell, Laura, and Camille Kastanek, Luca, Emilia, and Nicolas Buzachero, Delaney (Jeremy) Janssen, and Liam Urban. Also surviving him are his nieces and nephew, Ligeia and Stephanie Cholensky, Nick (Anna) Gruber, and Tammy (Travis) Becker; aunts, Leora Gulden Wilkes and MaryAnn Hoheisel Gulden; and former wives, Deborah Lind and Susan Stuckmayer.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother; adoptive father; grandparents; uncles, Leroy Gulden, Richard Wilkes, Laurence Janski, Jack Peterson, and Richard West; aunts, Melvina Kastanek Janski, Jerrine Philippi West, Bonnie Philippi Peterson; and brother-in-law, Jim Cholensky, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association).