Obituary of Fred Sulzbach

Fred Sulzbach, 79, of Minneapolis, MN died on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 surrounded by family. Fred grew up in the inner city of Minneapolis in a close knit family with 6 siblings. He was a jack of all trades -- beginning his career as a high school drafting teacher, and later gravitating to co-owning a rodeo equipment business (CLG or Custom Leather Goods) with his brother John, driven in part by his lifelong love of horses. This business led to offshoots including manufacturing Duluth packs for canoe trips and installing hillside lifts for lake homes. Through it all, Fred volunteered to support myriad organizations and interests, and managed to spend quality time with his children. He served on the board of directors for Minnesota High School Rodeo as well for TruStone Financial Federal Credit Union, where he was recently recognized for 50 years of service. In recent years he also led the MN Multiple Myeloma support group, educating and instilling hope in others dealing with their diagnosis and treatment. Fred coached numerous sports teams for his three children, including hockey, baseball and softball. He and his daughter Sara were active in a YMCA dads and daughters group for over a decade, and Fred remained good friends with his “Aleut” brothers until his death. Camping trips, and especially canoe trips to the BWCA, were a highlight for Fred and his family.

Fred is survived by his wife, Marie, children Sue (Lowell) Erickson, Tim (Sonia) Sulzbach, Sara (Dave) Sulzbach, his former wife, Clarice, their shared grandchildren Rafael, Claire, Lars, Kesiah, Ingrid, Siri and Diego, Marie’s children Greg (Karen) Geiselhart, Marc Geiselhart, Anne (Andy) Iwanin and grandchildren Sandra, Tess, Ellie and Ollie.

A service will be held at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55407 on Saturday February 2, 2019 at 2pm. Visitation will start at 1pm, with a celebration of life and refreshments immediately following the service in the fellowship hall. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony on Sunday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the International Myeloma Foundation or to Mount Olive Lutheran Church are preferred. Fred was an avid supporter of the Myeloma Foundation, and his family has deep roots with Mount Olive, given his Uncle Theo served as pastor for 40 years, and that he and his siblings were baptized at the church, as were his children.