Edward Lorentz, age 88, of Cannon Falls, passed away on Saturday, January 13, 2024, surrounded by his family at the Mayo Clinic Health System Cannon Falls.
Ed was born on March 29, 1935, in Hastings, the son of Frank and Mathilda (Schaffer) Lorentz.
He graduated from Cannon Falls High School in 1954. On June 22, 1957, Ed was married to Mary Ries at St. John the Baptist Church in Vermillion. As a young man, Ed worked for the Roiger-Freeberg Grocery Store until 1963. He then worked a few years for St. Paul Ammonia plant. In 1968, Ed and Mary purchased the Bremer Locker and founded Lorentz Meats, which they ran until he “semi-retired” in 1998.
Ed was active in his community. He served over twenty years in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring in 1977 as a Command Sargent Major. Ed was a longtime member of St. Pius V Catholic Church. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Cannon Falls Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion. Ed served on the Cannon Falls School Board. He was active in the Minnesota Association of Meat Processors, serving as President in 1981. Ed and Mary served as Co-Executive Secretaries for this organization for 13 years. He was active as a
volunteer for the Cannon Falls Food Shelf and the Cannon Valley Fair. Ed enjoyed woodworking, sharing good food, and travel.
Survivors include his wife Mary, sons Tom (Beth) Lorentz, Rob (Julie) Lorentz, and Mike
(Brenda Myran) Lorentz; grandchildren Andrew, Katherine, Jill (Tommy), Jen (Dan), Maya, Simone, and Thomas; great-grandchildren Edsel, Alexi, Kaiya, and Katara; sister-in-law Kay Lorentz; as well as many nieces and nephews. Ed was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers and sisters Sr. Mary Bona, Nick (Martha) Lorentz, Jerome (Marie) Lorentz, Ann (Irvin)
Freeberg, Francis Lorentz, Joe (Mary Jane) Lorentz, Mary (Carl) Hoffman, and Peter (Pearl) Lorentz.
There was a visitation on Thursday, January 18, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. at St. Pius V Catholic Church, 410 Colvill St. W., Cannon Falls. There was a memorial service, also at St. Pius, on Friday, January 19, at 4:00 p.m., with a visitation one hour prior to the service. A meal followed the Memorial Service on Friday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the St. Pius V Catholic Church, the Cannon Falls Food Shelf, or Catholic Charities.
