Gary Lee Van Watermulen, 47, of Perham, MN, passed away May 25, 2012 in Mesa, AZ. A Memorial Mass will be held Saturday, June 9, 2012, beginning at 11:00 a.m., at St. Henry's Catholic Church, Perham, with Father Joseph Herzing officiating. A time of gathering of family and friends will take place Friday, June 8, from 4-8 p.m., at Schoeneberger Funeral Home, Perham, with a prayer service at 7 p.m.
Gary was born on December 27, 1964, the son of Larry and Sharon (Wegscheid) Van Watermulen. Gary was married to Carrie Wogokoski (Schultes) and together they had a daughter, Tiffany.
Gary worked with heavy equipment his whole life which led to the purchase of Van Watermulen Excavating about 15 years ago. Gary enjoyed spending his winters, first in California, until he bought his house in Arizona. He loved spending time with his granddaughter Eleahna; spoiling her, his niece, and nephews. His wonderful companion Simba (St. Bernard) enjoyed riding around in the back of his pickup while going from job to job. He also had many hobbies including camping, hunting, fishing, and grilling. Going fishing in Alaska with family and many other vacations is something that he looked forward to. He enjoyed working on small wood projects. While living in California, he became certified in scuba diving, which he looked forward to doing with friends.
He is deeply missed by his loving family, his daughter, Tiffany Van Watermulen and fiancé Kodey Wheelright of Moorhead, MN; granddaughter, Eleahna; parents, Larry and Sharon Van Watermulen of Perham, MN; sister, Deb (Jeff) Palubicki of Perham, MN; brother, Dan (Stacie) Van Watermulen of Moorpark, CA; sister, Cindy (Jeff) Heinlen of Brainerd, MN; nephew, Tony Palubicki; niece, Ashley Palubicki; and nephews, Tyler, Riley, Logan and Garrett Heinlen. Also surviving Gary is his St. Bernard, Simba.