John Gerald Gruber

John Gruber, 70 year old resident of Little Falls, passed away on Saturday, December 28 at the St. Cloud Hospital. A grave side service will be held February 3rd at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery north of Little Falls. 

John Gerald Gruber was born on November 29, 1954 in St. Cloud to the late Wallace and Tannis (Wimmer) Gruber. He grew up in St. Cloud with his three siblings, Terry, Pam and Gayle. He attended St. Cloud Cathedral High School and graduated with the class of 1972. John loved sports and as a child played both hockey and baseball. His love for sports led him into many years of playing adult softball where he would often come home with blood dripping down his leg from yet another slide in shorts, always refusing to wear pants while he played. 

John was in the United States Army where he was an electric lineman in Germany for a short period of time. Though only a short service in the Army, John served from December 22, 1975 until he was honorably discharged on September 9, 1975. He didn’t say much about his time in the military except that he served in Germany and that he hated guns. He worked for the State of Minnesota for over 35 years assisting and caring for disabled adults. He was good at his job and was often seen bringing his clients with him to watch his kids play sports. He had a good sense of humor but this meant he was rarely able to have a serious conversation. He loved to talk about memories from his kids’ childhood, which often made him laugh and sometimes cry. John had a soft spot and would easily come to tears. He loved his children deeply but in his humor would often tell them that he loved his dog more which would be followed by endless laughter. Before John’s legs gave out on him he enjoyed hours and hours of golfing. He would often ask his kids if they wanted to go with him. This was met with some hesitancy and joking about how far he would throw his clubs when he didn’t hit the ball well. He also loved watching, cheering, and yelling at his beloved Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins. He rarely missed watching his teams play. Proof of his love for those teams and his soft spot to cry, his kids remember getting phone calls when his favorite Twins player, Kirby Pucket, passed away. 

Left to cherish his memory are his son Drew (Amber) Gruber and their children, Rylan, Brecken and Kaden; daughter Tanna (Brett) Huber and their children, Josiah, Brynnly, Emma and August; the late Jeremiah Gruber and his children, Paige, Payton and Tannaka; siblings, brother Terry (Iris) Gruber, sister Pam (the late Bob) Thienes, and sister Gayle Gruber-Bengtson. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Wallace and Tannis Gruber.

Emblom Brenny Funeral Service is cherishing the memory and celebrating the life of John.