Marlin A. Fritz
Marlin A. Fritz, age 90, of Kearney, passed away Sunday, October 9, 2022, at Rose Lane Home in Loup City. Memorial services were held Friday, October 14, at O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney.
Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh. com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services.
Marlin was born April 7, 1932, in Lewiston, Minnesota, the son of Otto and Dora (Haake) Fritz. He is the oldest of seven siblings. He graduated from Winona High School in 1949. He joined theArmy in 1953 and served during the Korean Conflict. He received an honorable discharge in 1955. That same year he enlisted in the Army National Guard where he served until his retirement in 1992 as Major with the Nebraska National Guard.
He was united in marriage to Donna Braatz on August 13, 1960. They made their home in Dubuque, Iowa, where Marlin began his career at Swift and Company as a cattle buyer.
They spent the early years of the marriage taking their team of black Percheron draft horses and their Dalmatian dog (Queenie) to participate in local parades and various state fairs where the horses won numerous championship accolades.
In April 1967, the couple welcomed their only child, daughter, DeeAnna (Dee Dee). The family relocated to Nebraska, and in 1971 he began his career as the head cattle buyer at Gibbon Pack, in Gibbon.
Marlin and his family continued their love for the horses and continued raising and caring for them for endless years.
Marlin was an incredible and giving dad and his generosity and kind spirit to others will be remembered by all who knew him.
Marlin spent 40+ years in the cattle industry for various companies and then he started a new career path in the trucking industry driving for Broadfoot, Sand and Gravel, Farewell Trucking and other companies in the surrounding area. In 2011, Marlin miraculously survived a train collision while drivingsemi. Afternumerous surgeries and months of physical therapy for injuries sustained in the accident, Marlin was once again back out and “on the road again.”
Marlin was a member of Holy Cross Church in Kearney, the VFW, American Legion, The National Draft Horse Association, and Percheron Horse Association.
He is lovingly survived by his daughter, Dee Anna Fritz, of Grand Island; two brothers, LaVern, of Minnesota City, Minnesota, and Lyle (Joyce) Fritz, of Winona, Minnesota; sistersin- law, Lou Fritz, of Goodview, Minnesota, and Joanne Fritz, of Winona, Minnesota; and many nieces and nephews and countless friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Roger and Eldon; sisters, Doris Doebbert and Elaine Johnson; brothersin- law, Stanley Doebbert and LaVerne Johnson; sister-in-law, Jaye Fritz; and many close relatives.