Cornelius Steffl
Cornelius C. Steffl, 97, of Sleepy Eye died Sunday, September 20, 2015, at his farm south of Sleepy Eye.
Visitation will be on Thursday, September 24, from 9 to 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sleepy Eye. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 a.m. with The Rev. Mark Steffl officiating. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Cornelius C. Steffl was born June 16, 1918, in Sleepy Eye, Brown County, Minnesota, to John and Alma (Hartnick) Steffl. He attended country school and was united in marriage on September 1, 1941, to Mildred Lucille McWilliams in Sleepy Eye. He was a lifetime member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Love of God, family, working on the family farm, his country, playing cards and fishing were his priorities. He taught his children the value of work and education. He was unable to attend high school as he was expected to do arduous and strenuous work shocking large grain fields, picking sweet corn and field corn by hand, pitching hay, chopping and sawing wood, milking cows, farrowing hogs and cleaning barns all without electricity. He walked hundreds of miles behind horses planting, cultivating and harvesting using horse drawn farm equipment. This was true manual labor. He started farming on his own, married Lucille and they rented a farm east of Sleepy Eye, until their house burned down. They moved to the present farm where he raised cattle, hogs, chickens. He also grew oats and hay, field corn, soybeans, sweet corn and peas for Del Monte.
Mr. Steffl is survived by his children, Pat Steffl, Kathy Robinson, Neil (Nancy) Steffl and Tim Steffl; 11 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren and one great-great- grandchild; Siblings, Jerome (Ruth) Steffl, Monica Hertling and Phyllis Garry; and sister-in-law Mary Steffl. He was preceded in death by his wife Mildred Lucille Steffl; brothers Paul Steffl, Leslie Steffl, Louis Steffl, John L. Steffl; sisters, Beatrice (Edward) Ganske, Bernice (Norbert) Zchetzsche; and brother-in-laws, Sylvester Hertling and Richard Garry.
Arrangements are with the Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.