Thomas Earl Emmer, Sr. passed peacefully on Saturday, August 8, 2020, surrounded by his best friend and wife of 60 years Patsy, his children and all of his grandchildren. Born in Minneapolis on March 20, 1939, to Earl and Helen Emmer, the oldest of their seven children. Tom Sr. graduated from St. Thomas Academy and the University of Notre Dame. He and Patsy met while attending grade school at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, Minnesota. Tom had an amazing career with Emmer Brothers Lumber Company and Viking Forest Products, but the focus of his life was always his faith and his family. Tom was an avid golfer, a bookworm, a regular at Hoagie’s for breakfast, a hunter and a fisherman. Tom was humble. He loved his church and attended daily Mass, sometimes more than once a day. He had incredible patience and humor. His laugh made his never-ending stream of Ole and Lena jokes even more funny. He almost never missed an event or a game, for his own kids or his grandkids and he loved our Country. Our dad, our “Papa” and our brother was and always will be the definition of what all of us should aspire to every day of our life: Faith, Family, Self-Discipline.
While his family will miss his physical presence, we know that he passed through the pearly gates singing Mr. Bluebird and that he was welcomed with open arms by God and all the Angels in Heaven including his daughter Bridget, his brother John and his parents. Tom is survived by the love of his life, his wife Patsy, son Tom Jr (Jacquie), son Jack (Molly), son-in-law Tom (Paula) Greene, his siblings Patti Emmer, Marilyn (Mike) Sullivan, Jim (Nan) Emmer, Peggy (Greg) Gust, Drew Emmer and his grandchildren, Tripp, Jack, Emily, Bobby, Molly, Katie, Elizabeth, Joey, Katy, Lucy, Billy, Emma, Margaret, Johnny and Sara.
