Dr. Peter T. Vedell

Peter Vedell passed away  Friday, November  25, 2022 at the Homestead Hospice House in Owatonna at the age of 53 following a courageous battle with brain cancer.

Funeral services will be held Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2 PM at Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN with Pastor Jason Burggraff officiating. Burial will be at Hawk Creek Lutheran Cemetery in Sacred Heart, MN, with Pastor Dan Bowman officiating.

Visitation will be held Friday, December  2, 2022 from  1:00-2:00 PM  at Bethel Lutheran in Rochester, MN.

Peter Thomas Vedell was born December 19, 1968 the son of Robert and Janet Vedell. He was baptized at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Milton, Kentucky. He was confirmed at Bethel Lutheran Church in Hoffman, Minnesota. He graduated from Hoffman-Kensington High School in 1986. After high school he graduated summa cum laude, obtaining his Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics  from Augsburg College. While attending Augsburg, Peter enrolled in an urban studies program  in which he studied in Bogotá, Colombia for a semester. He returned to the United States as a proficient Spanish speaker. In 1992, he received his Masters in Statistics from the University of Minnesota. Peter worked at Allianz of Minneapolis, MN and Health Partners of Bloomington, MN in various  actuarial roles  from  1993 -  2001. Before transitioning to more education, Peter  traveled to Central America and Cuba. Peter then entered the Bioinformatics program at Iowa State University, earning his PhD in 2007. Peter worked as a researcher at Jackson Labs in Bar  Harbor, Maine and later at Medical College of Wisconsin. While in Wisconsin, Peter enjoyed spending time with his pet rats and was passionate about giving them the best care. Peter  started working at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 2012 and continued to work there most recently as a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist. Peter was passionate about his work. He was  blessed with great co-workers.

Peter loved playing many sports. Peter’s first sport was hockey, which he learned at a young age while living in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan. He also played tennis with his family from a young age. He played football, basketball, baseball and golf in high school. He played some college basketball at Augsburg and continued to play with co-workers and community members  post-college. Playing basketball with Uncle Pete was a highlight of family gatherings for Peter’s  nephews. In the late 90s, Peter  had successful experiences  competing in Jiu Jitsu. More recently Peter returned to both tennis and hockey. He was especially close to the Rochester  hockey community. He made friends with athletes everywhere that he played. Lastly, music was  important to Peter. He played the piano and the trombone.

Peter  is  survived by  his  parents, Robert and Janet Vedell of Sacred Heart, MN; sisters, Kathleen Froland (Eric) of Sacred Heart, MN and Kirsten Hanninen (Christian) of Shakopee, MN; nephews  and niece: Thomas, Tony  and Tyler  Froland, Calista, Caden and Bodie Hanninen; and other extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents: Elmer & Myrtle Vedell; Harold & Arvilla Anderson; his Aunt Ruth Villarreal; his Aunt Arlene Luke and his cousins Thomas Anderson and Kenneth Vedell.