Gerald “Jerry” John Stanislawski, 82

Gerald “Jerry” John Stanislawski, age 82, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2025. Jerry was born on July 1, 1942, in Roseau, MN. He was the fourth child born to Alex & Frances Stanislawski, along with siblings Georgine, Alice, Louise, John, and Kathy. They grew up in a home where more Polish was spoken than English, and until his final days, Jerry could still easily communicate in Polish.

Some of his best memories came from growing up on the family farm in Leo Township. Farming wasn’t easy work, but it was clear his daily work on the farm contributed to his strong work ethic.

Jerry graduated from Greenbush High School in 1960. After graduation he spent some time working on the farm before moving to the big city and finding a job in St. Paul. He lived with his second family, the Mrozeks. It wasn’t long after moving to the cities that he met the love of his life, Renee, who ironically grew up only 40 miles away from Jerry. Jerry and Renee married on October 12, 1963 in Leo, Minnesota.

Jerry and Renee built a wonderful life together. Michelle arrived in 1964 and Jodi followed in 1967. Douglas was born in 1970. The family then suffered a devastating loss when, at age 10 months, Douglas suddenly became ill and passed away. Lara was then born in 1972 and Kristi in 1974. Surrounded by women, Jerry and Renee decided to add to the family and adopted Troy from Korea in 1975. They had three children under the age of three, yet somehow made it look easy.

In their nearly 62 years together, Jerry and Renee were rarely apart. They enjoyed dancing together, playing cards, camping and traveling together, and being with friends and family. They attended nearly every sporting event, theater, concert, or recital for their children and grandchildren. Jerry was extremely proud of his family, and it showed. 

Jerry’s determination was apparent in everything he did. He taught himself to drive a semi-trailer and soon obtained employment driving truck. After working at Coast-to-Coast and Maybrothers, he got a job at SuperValu, where he remained until he retired after 32 years. He retired as the #1 driver and took so much pride in his work.

Jerry was well-known for his voice and sounded just like Don Williams. He taught himself to play the guitar and was good. At most family functions and occasions, he would take center stage, singing and playing his guitar.  He wrote songs while spending many hours driving in his truck, including one about the adoption of their son Troy and another about “Lil’ Lara Beth”. He was once asked to perform for the entire campground after the owners heard him singing around the campfire.

Jerry was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church for nearly 50 years. He was a proud member of the North Suburban Whist card club and loved playing card games including cribbage. He loved camping with his family, and attending the Larson Family Campout, and the North-South outing. He looked forward to his yearly fishing trips with his friends and relatives. From cars to carpentry work, there was nothing he could not fix or create.

Jerry is preceded in death by his son, Douglas, his parents, Alex and Frances, his mother and father-in-law, Petra and Roy Larson, sister, Georgine (John) McMartin, sister-in-law Myrna (Daniel) Gajeski, and brothers-in-law, Leland Larson, Floyd Blawat, and his closest friends, Cleo Rud and Jerome and Barb Mrozek.

Jerry is survived by his loving wife, Renee, his children, Michelle (Darrell) Roering, Jodi, Lara (Darrell) Peterson, Troy, and Kristi; grandchildren, Chelsea (Bryan), Matthew (Francine), Lexie (Jake), Alex (Kala), Nik, Asher, Taysia, Ellie, Austin, Leah, Colton, Ayden, William, Elliott, and Amelia; great-granddaughter, Stella; siblings, Alice Blawat, Louise (Dennis) Brekke, John (Connie), and Kathy (Tim) Timm; Renee’s siblings, Wayne (Janice) Larson, Delray (Janice) Larson, Linda Larson, and Lynette (Cal) Lunemann; along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 11:00 am at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Brooklyn Center, MN. Visitation will be before the funeral beginning at 9:30 am. In lieu of memorials, donations preferred to the Saint Aloysius Cemetery in Leo, Minnesota or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.