Emil Sowieja, 100, Dodge Center
Emil Sowieja, 100, of Dodge Center, MN passed away on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at Mayo Clinic Methodist Hospital in Rochester.
Emil was born on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1923, at the family farm home in Holdingford. Emil was the sixth child out of ten to be born to John and Anna Sowieja. In 1940, his family moved the farming operation to Dodge Center. The family farm operation continues today.
Emil married Dorothy Hulbert at St.John’s Catholic Church in Rochester on December 17, 1945. The couple celebrated 68 years of marriage until her death in 2013.
Emil was passionate about flying, earning his private pilot’s license in the early 1950’s. He went further on to achieve his IFR rating along with his Commercial Pilot’s License and Flight Instructor License. He flew commercially for over 28 years and was a member of the National Pilots Association along with the Minnesota Flying Farmers Association.
A lifetime member of St. John the Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church, Emil was active in the choir along with numerous men’s activities. He served on several boards including the rural school board for the Ashland Township one-room schoolhouse which is now a Dodge County Museum in Mantorville.
He enjoyed flying, hunting, fishing, boating, dancing, snowmobiling, traveling, and gathering with family and friends.Vacationing with his family at Pelican Lake in Orr was a long tradition.
Emil is survived by his four children, Charita Kubat of Owatonna, Jay (Mary Jo) Sowieja of Dodge Center, Barbara (David) Kubat of Rochester, and Roger (Sue) Sowieja of Dodge Center; 15 grandchildren; 39 great-grandchildren; 11 great-great-grandchildren; brother, Emery Sowieja; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife and co-pilot, Dorothy Sowieja; son-in-law, Raymond Kubat; parents, John and Anna; sisters, Rose, Patricia, Helen, and Mary; brothers, Leonard, Lawrence, Edward, and Jerome.
Emil’s family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to Prairie Meadows and Mayo Hospice for all of their care, especially during the challenging Covid times.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to Prairie Meadows and Mayo Hospice.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at St. John Baptist de la Salle Catholic Church, 20 2nd St NE in Dodge Center with Father John Lasuba officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in Dodge Center.
To share a special memory or condolence please visit www.czaplewskifuneralhomes.com, Czaplewski Family Funeral Homes, 25 South St SW Dodge Center, MN 55927 (507)374-2155. Blessed be his memory.