Henry Maynard Fast, 91, Hayfield

Henry Maynard Fast, 91, of Hayfield, formerly of Kasson, passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2022, at Field Crest Care Center in Hayfield.

Henry was born on August 7, 1930, on their large family farm in Onida, S.D. to Gerhard and Mary (Unruh) Fast. He walked several miles every day to country school. He enjoyed his childhood on the farm.

They had two family pets, a German Shepherd named Keno and a goat named Billy. Billy was a very extraordinary goat – he played hide and seek with Henry. But the day Billy got into Grandma’s garden and ate it – that finished both the garden and Billy. The neighbors inherited Billy.

When he was seventeen, he and his parents moved to a farm by Bingham Lake, Minn., where he attended Windom Public School.

Henry was saved at the age of about five or six years old. After his sister Tillie passed away, he thought that the only way he would see her in Heaven was to be saved. He went by himself to a shed and asked Jesus to be his Savior. He attended the Open Bible Church in Onida with his parents.

After he moved to Minnesota, he was baptized and became a member of the Gospel Mennonite Church in Mountain Lake.

In 1948, Henry first saw Bernice Duerksen and her friend standing at Ross’s Corner. They were engaged by 1949 and were married August 19, 1950, in the Gospel Mennonite Church. They lived on a farm for one year and then moved to Rock Island, Ill., where Henry worked for the John Deere Company. From there they moved to Grand Meadow, Minn. He then started to work for Libby’s Farms. In 1955, they moved to Rochester, and eventually purchased their first house in 1958.

Henry was employed by Guest House, Inc. as an engineer and maintenance supervisor for more than 23 years. He got his engineering certification at Rochester Vocational School. He learned his mechanical talent from his brother, Ed. After both Henry and Bernice retired, they moved to Kasson.

Henry taught Boys Brigade at Church and sang in the choir. He loved baseball and putting jigsaw puzzles together. He also liked working on crossword puzzles. Life for Henry was precious, and he treasured every minute.

Henry is survived by his wife, Bernice Fast of Hayfield; children, Rodney Fast of Kasson, and Sherrill (Stephen) Kautz of Seattle, Wash. and four grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Adolph, Edward, Rudolph, Peter, Arnold, and John; sisters, Mary, Agnes, and Tillie.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 15, 2022, at Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes with Chaplain Dan Mrakovich officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will be in Pleasant Prairie Cemetery in Rochester.

To share a special memory or condolence please visit www. czaplewskifuneralhomes.com, Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes, 801 7th St SE Kasson, MN 55944 (507) 634-6510.

Blessed be his memory.