Dateline: New Ulm
Stan Freking ,77, of New Ulm left for heaven at 4:30 Monday afternoon, April 13, 2015, after a two-year battle with cancer. He died peacefully at home with his wife and close friends present.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM Saturday, April 18, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Ulm with Monsignor Douglas Grams celebrating the Mass. Burial will follow in the St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Jordan.

Visitation will be 3 – 6 PM Friday and 7:30 – 10 AM Saturday at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home NORTH CHAPEL in New Ulm.

Stan is survived by his wife, Marge; his daughter Sheila Mueller of Victoria; sons, Craig (Nikki) Freking of Cypress, Texas, Scott (Micheale Devore) Freking of Mankato, David (Ellie) Ryan of St. Louis, Missouri; grandchildren Samantha, Jacob, Maggie, Lucas Freking, Taylor, Madalyn Mueller, Jade Devore, Jaxon Freking, and Christian Ryan; brothers and sisters Jim (Joan) of Forest City, Iowa, Don (Jeri Collins) of Detroit Lakes, Patricia (Duane) of Long Prairie, Chuck of New Ulm, Mike (Aurora) of Buffalo Lake, Suzi (Stephen) of Minnetonka; brother-in-law, Tom (Eve) Donnelly of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas and many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alois and Cora (Morley) Freking; grandparents, August and Rosa Freking, Fergus and Bergena Morley; sisters, Joan Freking, Janet Reitter; sisters-in-law, Marcy Freking and Ardyce Freking; father-in-law, T. Phillip Donnelly Sr.; mother-in-law, Annette Gibson .

Stan was born in Heron Lake on January 5, 1938, to Alois C. and Cora (Morley) Freking. He graduated from Heron Lake High School with the class of 1956. He attended Worthington Jr. College and served in the Army. Afterward, Stan attended Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University, Mankato). On February 4, 1967, Stan was united in marriage to Margaret Lou Donnelly at St. Olaf Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis.

During high school, Stan worked for the Red Owl grocery store in Heron Lake. Later, he worked at Red Owl in Knollwood Plaza in St. Louis Park, and Red Owl in Crystal. In 1972, Stan opened Stan's Red Owl in New Ulm and worked there until 1986. He built the Country Store, but passed the ownership to his partners before it opened. In 1990 he went to work for HyVee in New Ulm, retiring in 2010.

Stan enjoyed building remote-control model airplanes, but his passion was watching and cheering for his children and grandchildren as they played sports, danced in recitals, or acted in school plays. His family, immediate and extended, were the most important blessings in his life. He gave thanks to God for all of them and prayed the rosary daily for them and their needs.

He was a member of the Church of St. Mary where he served as an usher, Eucharistic Minister, altar server at funeral Masses, assistant with the Adoration Chapel and jack-of-all-trades. He was also one of the leaders of the Charismatic Prayer Group in the 1980's.