Timothy M. Bertz

Timothy M. Bertz, age 52, of Rush City, Minnesota, died Monday, December 22, 2025, following a serious medical incident. Tim was a lot of things to a lot of people. He was a son, brother, nephew, uncle & husband to his family. He loved everyone & supported all of them with his words of wisdom from all the things he experienced in his life. He was tough not only physically but mentally. He had an all-in attitude. If he committed to do something, he did with such determination & tenacity. He joined the Navy to be a firefighter. He got sidetracked with what the Navy saw in him and went through the process of becoming a Navy Seal. He was respected by many and has been called a hero by ones who served with him. He did courageous things, risking his life for his teammates & others that were in need. He was highly decorated with awards, classified of course. As his life continued, he became a farmer, raising various animals for meat orders in a kind & thoughtful manner. He loved dogs & had 12 of them throughout his adult years. He was an avid hunter, fisherman & trapper. He spent many, many hours in the woods or on the water finding his peace. Lastly, he was able to achieve his dream job of becoming a firefighter by volunteering at Harris FD seeing a need to help & support his community on their worst days. He went back to school & got his EMT license in order to help others even more than putting out fires. He became a professional firefighter at Lino Lakes FD & just recently on December 17, 2025, graduated from an intense eight-week academy to become a St. Paul Firefighter! His family is extremely proud of his accomplishments & everyone who knows him dearly misses him. Donating his organs is his final contribution to others in need. There was nothing he couldn't do except grow old with his adoring & loving wife. Survived by his loving wife, Andrea Bertz; parents, Richard and Sandra Bertz; sister, Katie (Andy) Karels; nephews and nieces, Josh Karels, Ryan Karels, Gracie Karels, Natalie Karels; many other family and dear friends.

A public vigil will be held at 6:00 p.m., Friday, December 26, 2025 at the Harris Fire Department, 43525 Gladstone Avenue, Harris, Minnesota 55032. A time of gathering will begin at 7:00 p.m.

A memorial service will be held at 12:00 p.m., Monday, December 29, 2025 at Maranatha Church, 24799 Forest Blvd., Wyoming, Minnesota. A gathering will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Private interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Saint Paul Fire Foundation.