Roland Duane Hellquist

He is preceded in passing by his siblings, Betty, Dorothy, Marilyn, and Elaine.

Roland is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Lillian; son, Paul; grandchildren, Luke (Andrea) and Bo; great-grandchildren, Halle and Scottie; brother, John; and many other family members and friends.

Roland was born in Rosewood, MN to Emil and Marie Hellquist, and grew up on the Hellquist Farm, which remained his favorite place to be for the rest of his life. He attended a one room schoolhouse, Rosebank, where he would get there before the teacher to get the school ready for the day by getting the fire started and water pumped. After High School he served his country in the Army from 1956 to 1958 and was stationed in Korea.

After fulfilling his service he moved to Roseau, MN, where he met Lillian Lee at a dance in Roosevelt, MN. The two were married October 26th,1963, and they just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past October. They moved to the Twin Cities shortly after being married and their son, Paul, was born in September of 1964.

Roland was a man of service in his community and at his church, Peace Lutheran, in Coon Rapids. He ushered countless services over years, drove the church van, and volunteered whenever needed there. After his retirement he delivered Meals on Wheels and served meals weekly for the Loaves and Fishes organization in North East Minneapolis into his 80’s.

Roland’s hobbies included Bowling where he carried over a 200 average, was very accomplished at Horseshoes and loved Deer Hunting every November. He started deer hunting at an early age and continued that well into his 80’s. His favorite days in the field were when his grandsons Luke and Bo started to hunt - making 3 generations of Hellquist in the woods.

Roland was a huge fan of the MN Twins, MN North Stars/Wild and enjoyed watching them on TV. But his favorite teams were the teams his son Paul played on growing up, and then Luke and Bo’s teams as they grew up. He went to so many games over the years. He also was a part of their development as ball players, by throwing thousands of pitches of batting practice to the boys when they were old enough to swing a bat only to be on the receiving end of many a line drive up the middle and more than once getting his glasses or hat knocked off.

Roland will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure” - Anonymous

Special Thanks to family and friends that offered so much support and prayers during Roland's time in hospice. We also appreciate the Allina Hospice team and the Good Samaritan Society of Waconia.