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Wilbert Lemcke Obituary
Wilbert "Bill" Dean Lemcke, 75, passed away Saturday, July 26, 2025, at his home, surrounded by his family, after a 10-month battle with brain cancer.
Bill was born Nov. 17, 1949, on a farm in Vesta to Wilbert and Flava Lemcke. He grew up in Marshall, and graduated from Marshall High School in 1968. After high school he enlisted in the US Air Force and served four years – three years in Germany before being honorably discharged in 1972.
Bill then moved to Brainerd where he attended the Brainerd Technical College and completed his two-year associate degree in Natural Resources.
During his 35 years working Department of Natural Resources Forestry he worked timber sales, educated local schools as Smokey Bear and had numerous trips all across the US fighting wild fires.
Bill married the love of his life, Sandra Mortensen, on Oct. 19, 1974. They moved to Laporte in December 1974, where they built their home on Garfield Lake and raised their family of four girls.
He is survived by his wife, Sandy; daughters Shannon (Jeremy) Sharp of Nimrod; Sara (Jason) Roos of Overland Park, KS; Stacey (Chad) White of Laporte and Brooke (Dustin) Helquist of Kettle River; grandchildren Wyatt, Tenley and Miles Roos, Courtney and Reid White, Isla and Finnley Helquist; brother Jerry (Karen) Lemcke; sisters Pearl Puls and Fern Kruse Kothe; brother-in-law Lewis Ratajczak; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, in-laws Lester and Grace Mortensen; sister Patricia Ratajczak; brothers-in-law Francis Puls, Alvin Kruse, Wayne Kothe; and nephew Brent Lemcke.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. July 31 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Laporte. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.
Interment will be at the Lakeport Cemetery in Laporte.
Condolences may be left at ceasefuneralhome.com
Arrangements provided by Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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Cease Family Funeral Home - Bemidji2807 Irvine Avenue NW, Bemidji, MN 56601
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