Richard Lee Fuerstneau

Richard Lee (“Dick”) Fuerstneau, age 86, passed away July 12, 2025. He was born in 1938 in Lake City, MN and attended school in Hammond and Rochester. Dick married Ardith Storing in 1958 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA and together they celebrated 63 years of marriage.

They farmed in the West Concord, Wanamingo, and Elgin areas for 10 years. In 1968, they moved to Plainview where they owned and operated Fuerstneau Sales and Service, Bou-Matic – Dari-Kool business until it was sold in 1992. In 2000, they moved to Elgin and resided in the Rolling Hills subdivision until they moved to Green Prairie Assisted Living in Plainview in 2021.

Dick and Ardith were active in the American Field Service (AFS) student foreign-exchange program hosting four students who became family. Dick was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, enjoyed hunting and fishing, woodworking, and traveling (favorites were Russia for work, Alaska, Hawaii, Switzerland to see extended family, and France to see Jean & Freddie). Dick also enjoyed going to the Minnesota State Fair for 61 continuous years with his wife Ardith spending time in the horse barns and watching the Draft Horse competitions which were his favorites, playing cards, spending time with family and friends, and fixing anything anybody needed help fixing.

Dick is survived by three children: Kevin (Cindy) Fuerstneau, Julie (Jim) Peschges, Sonia Fuerstneau (Al Cooper); four AFS children: Jean (from France), Isik (from Turkey), Maya (from Malaysia), and Bea (from Spain); four grandchildren: Jessica (Cole) McKean, Keith (Kayla) Fuerstneau, Elizabeth (Brant) Thornton, and Abby Peschges (Nick Stone); four great-grandchildren: Avery and Will Schumacher, Keegan and Kai Fuerstneau; sister Janet Fuerstneau, brother Glen (Carol) Fuerstneau, sisters-in-law Fran Fuerstneau, Kathie Mangan, and Kay Storing; brother-in-law David Schwirtz (Sue), and many much-loved nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Alden and Dorothy (Sprenger) Fuerstneau; spouse Ardith, one infant son, infant sister Ann, brothers Jon and Ron Fuerstneau, brothers-in-law Chuck and Eugene Storing, Raymond Schwirtz, and Tom Mangan, sisters-in-law Karen Fuerstneau, Carole Storing, and Jean Schwirtz.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to all of the Mayo Clinic healthcare providers who cared so compassionately for him literally his entire life, as his mother Dorothy was proudly one of the very first “travel nurses” for Mayo which was unprecedented at the time. The family is also very grateful for the care provided by Green Prairie Assisted Living / Rehabilitation Center in Plainview.

A Celebration of Life will be held August 26, 2025 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Plainview, MN at 11 a.m., with visitation 1 hour prior, followed by interment at Greenwood Cemetery and gathering at Copperfield Terrace Event Center, 24371 550th Street, Plainview, MN. For those unable to attend, the celebration will be viewable on the Immanuel Lutheran Church YouTube channel at youtube.com/@ImmanuelPlainview.   In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church of Plainview, MN or to the American Heart Association.