Obituary of Bernard Raymond Cosgriff

Bernard Raymond Cosgriff “Bernie” (94) of Maple Plain, MN, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 8, 2021 due to complications from Covid-19. Bernie was born on June 18, 1926 to parents Stanley and Cecilia (Whalen) Cosgriff in the Worthington, MN hospital. He grew up during the Great Depression on a farm outside of Fulda, MN. He remembered walking to and from school in the cold Minnesota winters and making baseballs out of corncobs and rubber bands. They were an Irish Catholic family who were equal parts devout and boisterous. Bernie attended St. Gabriel Catholic School through 8^th grade and then graduated from Fulda public high school where he played baseball and basketball. Baseball was his passion as a young man pitching professionally for several Southern Minnesota Town teams including Windom, Brewster, St. James and Fulda where he was well known for his fastball.

In 1950 Bernie was drafted into the Army.  Before deploying to serve in the Korean Conflict he married Lorraine Marie Rostimily of Heron Lake, MN.  After returning from Korea, he and Lorraine settled in Bingham Lake, MN where they were blessed with 5 children.  During these early years Bernie worked as a brakeman for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad until being seriously injured from a fall from the train. Bernie and Lorraine divorced in the early 1970s and Bernie moved to Brownton, MN where he worked for local creameries in Brownton and Hutchinson.  It was in Brownton where he met Carol Pautz and they married in 1982. Bernie’s last job was at the 7 West Truck Stop in Hutchinson where he made many good friends. Bernie moved to Maple Plain, MN in 2003 where he lived independently until 2018 when, due to health reasons, he moved to Haven Homes Nursing Home in Maple Plain.

Bernie’s other pastimes included fishing and hunting duck and pheasant. He was a skilled carpenter building a large addition onto the family home in Bingham Lake. Until his final days he listened to sports on his decades old red transistor radio and followed news and politics closely. His Catholic faith was important to him and he kept a rosary with him always. He will be remembered for his Irish sense of humor, his wry smile and his quirky but endearing personality.

Bernie was predeceased by his father and mother Stanley and Cecilia, his 9 siblings Irene, Cecil, Stella, Marty, Stanley Jr., Vincent, Mary, Phillip and Patrica, his first wife Lorraine and second wife Carol.

Surviving him are his 5 children Rod (Janie Deisch) of Minneapolis, MN, Terry (Colleen Krahn) of Anchorage, AK, Peter of Tacoma, WA, Pat (Laura DeVries) of Layton, UT, and Carol (George Wood) of Evergreen, CO; 3 stepchildren Jan, Jodi and Nichole; 9 grandchildren; 8 greatgrandchildren; his and Lorraine’s 2 nephews Jerry and Bill Miller; and many friends, among them Scott Gosewisch and Julie Jacobs.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff of Haven Homes nursing home in Maple Plain and Park Nicollet Hospice for their care and love for Bernie. A celebration of life memorial service will be held later this year with interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN. The family suggests donations be made in lieu of flowers to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, a charity Bernie supported for years.