Galen Schwartz, 73, of Centuria, passed away Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, with his loving family at his side. Galen was born on March 6, 1950, in Osceola, Wisconsin, the son of John Schwartz and Marie (Christianson) Schwartz. He lived on the home farm for all his 73 years.
Galen was the youngest of seven children. He attended the South Milltown School before going to the Milltown School, later attending Unity High School, graduating in 1968. Galen was active in the farm operation from an early age, milking cows, baling hay, harvesting corn and working in the garden. He enjoyed talking to neighbors. This is when he met Alice. She worked at Weyerhaeuser in Marshfield and loved going to dog shows with her Irish wolfhounds and Chihuahuas. They were married in 1986. Together they operated the home dairy farm in rural Centuria with their two boys, Galen and Kevin. Galen and Alice were always two peas in a pod. They would make one another laugh and finish sentences for one another, too.
Galen loved trains. He was good at fabricating things like taking some old steel and making repairs to his equipment. He was good at thinking outside the box. A jack of all trades when it came to fixing things on the farm, he could fix just about anything. More recently he took up the hobby of taking pictures around the area, including some phenomenal sunset pictures. He was hoping to exhibit some of those photos at the Polk County Fair. He loved going to the flea market to get fresh produce and deals at Wayne’s Discount Foods.
Animals were Galen’s best friends. He loved cats. He helped Alice raise Chihuahuas after her dog show career. They also loved birds, an Amazon parrot and a cockatiel. Family always came first for Galen, working side by side and sharing his work ethic with his boys. They raised a variety of cows from Holsteins to Linebacks to crossbreds.
Galen leaves to celebrate his memory his sons, Galen Jr. and Kevin of Centuria; siblings, Ramona Anderson of Grantsburg, Lois Berglund of Spooner, Geraldine Seaberg of Hopkins and John (Olga) Schwartz of Centuria; in-laws, Harriet Sadauskas of Elgin, Illinois, Ted (Kim) Sadauskas of Marshfield, Wisconsin, Helen (Mark) Malowski of Everett, Washington, and Sonya (Robert) Burke of Vernon, Florida; and cousins, nieces, nephews, other loving family, friends and neighbors.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Alice; parents, John and Marie Schwartz; and siblings, Gloria Larsen and Marjorie Boertjens.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Galen in the spring at the Milltown Community Center. The date and time will be posted when available. The family invites guests to join them for lunch and to share memories.
The Kolstad Family Funeral Home of Centuria has been entrusted with arrangements for Galen.
