Vincent C. Stegner age 91, lifelong resident of Ortonville, passed away Monday, August 12, 2013 at Gil Mor Manor in Morgan.
A graveside service will be held Tuesday, August 27 at Mound Cemetery in Ortonville at 1:00 p.m.
Visitation with the family will follow from 2:00 -4:00 p.m. at the Ortonville Golf Club. Memorials preferred to the Big Stone Area Health Care Foundation or Mound Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Redwood Valley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Vincent Clifford Stegner was born June 24, 1922 on the original family homestead in Foster Township, Big Stone County, Minnesota to Benjamin and Sarah (Scholberg) Stegner. He was raised on the homestead near Beardsley, relocating to Ortonville in 1937. He resided there until 2011 when he moved to Morgan. Vincent graduated from Ortonville High School in 1941. He served in the Marines during WWII piloting F-4U Corsairs in the South Pacific. Vincent returned home after the service and began farming and working in his father’s farming and bull rental business. On December 29, 1945 he married Marguerite Pflueger in Ortonville. In the early 50s, in addition to his farm operation, Vincent started Farmers’ Service, Incorporated selling fertilizer, seed and feed, and farm implements. In the 1960s he purchased Appleton Farm Chemical and later added subsidiaries in Welcome and Odin. His favorite leisure activity was golf and he established Stegner Golf Cars on his 50th birthday. The company distributed EZ-GO golf cars in the 5-state territory of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Vincent’s philanthropic leadership assisted with many projects including the Ortonville golf course expansion, the Big Stone Area Health Care Foundation, and the Ortonville school playground. His favorite charities included the U of M Athletic Fund, Children’s Heart Link, Courage Center, Masonic and Zuhruh Shrine.
Vincent is survived by his wife Marguerite Stegner, living in Morgan; daughters Susan (Jim) Fergus of Racine, WI and Robin (Scott Larson) Stegner of Redwood Falls; sister Geneva Eschweiler of Fridley; sister-in-law Lois Pflueger of Ortonville; brother-in-law David Hesla of Decatur, GA; and special family friends Wayne and Ethel Schoon. He is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Jane Malmquist and Mary Hesla, brother-in-law Robert Pflueger, and nephew Thor Hesla.