Marty Hemstad

Marty Hemstad of Montevideo died on Wednesday August 10, 2022 at Regions Hospital in St. Paul at the age of 87 with his family by his side.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, September 9, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Montevideo with Rev. Marie Eckberg officiating.

Visitation with the family will be one hour prior to services at the church on Friday, September 9, 2022.

Waldemar Martin (Marty) Hemstad was born to Waldemar and Prudence Hemstad on July 3, 1935 in Montevideo MN.  He was a graduate of Montevideo High School class of 1953.  On June 21, 1958 Marty married Jeanne Johnson at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Montevideo MN.  Together they carried on the Hemstad family greenhouse business, owning and operating Hemstad’s Greenhouse and Hemstad’s Garden Center until retiring in 2011.

Marty enjoyed spending time with his family at the lake, snowmobiling, raising cattle, playing poker with friends, and farming.  He was an avid reader, especially of World War II history and spy thrillers. He liked to cook his specialties and was known for making apple pies, strawberry-rhubarb jam, French toast and virtually anything grilled. He was fond of a big garden with a lot of tomatoes and green peppers, and always had several fruit trees in the yard, especially apple trees. He had a good sense of humor, and continued to crack jokes even when it was obvious he didn’t feel particularly good. In later years, Marty and Jeanne spent winters in Mesa Arizona. He and Jeanne frequently welcomed visiting children and grandchildren looking to escape the dark and frosty Minnesota weather, and it was hard to tell who was more delighted with the visits. He was kind to so many animals, from barn cats and drop-in deer to bottle-fed calves in the kitchen and horses in the backyard.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jeanne; his children Michael (Laurel) Hemstad of White Bear Lake, Joel (Deb) Hemstad of St Paul, and Marcia (Jerome) Haley of Waseca; his grandchildren Caitlin (Ben Davidson) Hemstad, Sean Hemstad, Christopher (Laura) Hemstad, Andrew (Matti Martin) Haley, Sarah Hemstad, and Kyle Hemstad; and his brother Peter Hemstad.

Marty was preceded in death by both of his parents and his sister-in-law, Greta Hemstad.