Gaylord Fred Kube Jr

Gaylord Fred Kube, Jr, 78, of Oakdale, Minnesota, passed away on June 16, 2025. He was born January 31, 1947 in Wabasha, MN to Gaylord F. Kube, Sr. and Ethel Pugh Kube (later Alpert), and was raised by his grandparents Henry and Lucy Kube on a farm in rural Arcadia, Wisconsin, where he was surrounded by many beloved aunts, uncles and cousins. He married Irene Tweeten on June 7, 1969 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Whitehall, WI. Gaylord was a devoted husband to Irene for 56 years, and a loving father to Karen (Randy) Bielefeldt, Tina (Jim) Thompson, and Christel (Dan) Jensen.

After graduating from Arcadia High School in 1965, Gaylord served for three years in the 2nd Army Infantry Division and was deployed to Stanton Army Airfield in Korea during the Vietnam War. He remained proud of his years of service throughout his life. After working at 3M for three years, he attended Dunwoody Institute’s auto body repair program and graduated in 1974. Gaylord worked for Scanlan International as a surgical instrument repair manager until his retirement in 2013. At Scanlan, he co-invented a surgical instrument closing guide for which a patent was granted in 2012. He enjoyed forming close business and personal relationships with his colleagues. It was a highlight traveling to Europe many times to meet with artisans in Germany and Belgium.

Gaylord especially enjoyed fishing, camping, construction projects, traveling with Irene, deer hunting with his cousins, and coaching Tina and Christel’s softball teams, often spending his weekends on these activities and working around the house on Irene’s Honey-Do List. Gaylord enjoyed his many fishing trips with Irene and Christel’s family, early mornings out on the lake with brother-in-law Patrick LaBelle and friend Dave Dalzell, and his annual trip to Canada with Harlan Tweeten and Arlo Tweeten. No amount of rain deterred him and regarding one particularly unfavorable forecast, Gaylord responded that, “Plan B is Plan A with a raincoat!” This strategy worked especially well when visiting Niagara Falls with Tina’s family. 

After a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease, Gaylord’s free time activities turned to less physically- demanding activities such as playing Minus Five and Partner Euchre with Irene and Dave and Becky Dalzell, attending his grandchildren’s many games and events, watching Packers’ games and TV show Jeopardy, and exercising with Margie’s Parkinson’s group, which he enjoyed so much. 

Gaylord is survived by his wife, Irene, three daughters and sons-in-law, and grandchildren Emma, Samuel, Alexander, and Annika Thompson, Joshua and Jacob Jensen, and Kari Bielefeldt, great-grandson James Schwahn, brothers Vincent Hoffman, Jeffrey (Marie) Kube, and Dennis Kube, sister-in-law Mary Jo Alpert, a large Kube and Tweeten extended family, and many close friends who will miss him dearly. He has been reunited in Heaven, with his beloved grandparents, parents, siblings Jerry Hoffman, Lucille Hoffman, Joseph Alpert, grandson Christopher Weiss, and many other special people. We will remember him for his quiet consistency, willingness to help others, and ability to fix just about anything 

A visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Sunday, June 22, 2025 and again on Monday, June 23, 2025 at 10:00 am, followed by a celebration of life service at 11:00 am. All events will be held at House of Prayer Lutheran Church - 6039 40th Street N, Oakdale, MN 55128, where Gaylord and Irene have been members for 54 years and where Gaylord served many roles on church council, including head usher, property committee, and youth group leader. The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA) or to House of Prayer Lutheran Church in memory of Gaylord. Interment will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.