Stephen Smestad

Stephen Smestad, age 65, of St. Clair, died suddenly on Sunday, February 2, 2014, at his home.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, February 7, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Clair, with Father Robert Schneider, officiating. Interment will be held at the church cemetery at a later date.

Visitation will be held at the church on Friday morning from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements are being completed by the Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home & Crematory of Janesville.

Stephen Eugene Smestad was born on May 26, 1948 in Minneapolis, MN to Leonard and Esther (Melom) Smestad. Their family moved to Park River, ND when he was a small boy and lived there until he was eleven. His family moved to Dawson, MN where he graduated from high school in 1966. He attended Augsburg College for two years and then served in the U.S. Marine Corp, stationed in Japan and Okinawa. He was united in marriage to Deloris Stine on July 21, 1973 in Cloquet, MN. Steve trained at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Minneapolis in Radiology Technology and Nuclear Medicine, completing his studies in 1976. They moved to Mankato in 1976 and have lived in St. Clair since 1977. He was employed at Immanuel-St. Joseph's Hospital and then Nuclear Radiology Inc. for 25 years, driving the mobile nuclear medicine camera to area hospitals and performing nuclear studies. He finished his career working locum tenens at hospitals in Sioux City, IA, Omaha, NE, Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, MN, Peoria, IL, St. George, UT, and Duluth, MN. Steve retired in 2008.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Deloris Smestad of St. Clair, MN; sons, Zachary Smestad of Haarlem, Netherlands, and Jacob (Sara) Smestad of Pengilly, MN; grandchildren, William, Joseph, and Maria Smestad, and Aidan and Gabriel Holland; special friends, Chandler and Nadine Holland of Mankato; sister, Karen (Clayton) Houff of Madison, MN; many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews; father and mother-in-law, Leonard and Lee Stine of Cloquet, MN; and many dear neighbors and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Julianne Johnson and Marilyn Rome; brother, Timothy Smestad; and brothers-in-law, James Rome and Robert Prestholdt.