Obituary of Roland Sigurdson

Roland E. Sigurdson passed away unexpectedly at his home in Inver Grove Heights, MN on Wednesday April 30, 2014, with his wife Stacey by his side. Roland was 49 years old. Roland was born in Minneapolis, MN on April 2nd, 1965 and was baptized at Faith Lilac Way Lutheran Church in Robbinsdale, MN on May 9th, 1965. He was confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church-Weber. He resided in Maple Grove, MN until moving with his family to their farm in rural North Branch in 1973. He attended grade school in Isanti before moving to high school in Cambridge where is graduated in 1983. Roland married Stacey on September 16th, 2006 and they moved to Inver Grove Heights, MN. Their daughter Natalie was born April 19th, 2012. As Roland grew, so did his interests, hobbies, and passions that he pursued in life. As a farm kid, his interests in agriculture developed as he worked along-side the rest of his family. These formative years were also foundational in his love and care for the outdoors. In school, his wit and humor and musical talents began to be expressed in Theatre Arts and Choir. Following high school, Roland attended St. Olaf in Northfield, and later transferred to the U of M-St. Paul it was here that his interests in land and water stewardship began to formally develop. Upon graduation, he attended the U of M-Duluth and received his Masters of Science in Environmental Biology. Following graduation from U of M-Duluth, Roland lived in St. Pail for a couple of years then returned to rural North Branch. On the second farm property, "The Notre Dame Farm', he worked along-side his father, Stuart, and volunteered with the MN DNR until he was hired in 1999. Roland was employed by the MN DNR as an Aquatic Education Specialist where he implemented aquatic educational programs. The annual "Harvest Fest" occurred at his farm, where friends and family of all walks of life could get simple glimpse of the land, crops, and the animals that Roland took time to enjoy. Family was very important to Roland, both immediate and extended family. He was the oldest for four children, followed by Troy, Chris, and Tanya (Stading) Sigurdson. Big brother he was, he could be relied on and trusted; He regularly guided his siblings along in their lives love and encouragement. "BEST. UNCLE. EVER." is not to be taken lightly. His nieces and nephews simply adored him for his zest for life and for creating enjoyable, memorable times. He is "A son that any parent would be proud of," "The absolutely best imaginable, husband, spouse, and amazing father." Along with Stacey, the absolute joy of his life was his daughter, Natalie, whom he affectionately called "Pumpkin Nugget." His love was so, so very evident when you saw them together, as well as in the pictures of him and Natalie. They took trips to Fleet Farm and Tractor Supply in bib overalls, went to the Como Zoo, held and took care of their baby chickens, filled the bird feeders and learned who visited them, shared shakes and Blizzards, sang silly songs (which he made up on the fly, of course), and had an adventure in deep snow- Natalie in the retro-filled sled and Roland pulling her like of being a Daddy. Roland just loved being Roland. A truly genuine and passionate person. He had the gift of being present. When you talked to Roland, he would give you his full attention and always found a way to connect with you and make you feel welcome. His warm laugh always filled the room, and he never failed to deliver a funny story or joke. We are all thankful for knowing this kind, gentle, creative, humorous man; a kindred spirit, a thoughtful biologist, a steward of the land, a true friend. Roland looked to teach others about the wonders of our natural world. He was a mentor to many and his legacy will live on. He is survived by his wife Stacey and daughter Natalie of Inver Grove Heights, mother Renja Sigurdson of North Branch, brothers Troy and wife Sheila Sigurdson of Buffalo, Chris and wife Kristen Sigurdson of Sartell, sister Tanja and husband Bryan Stading of Lake Crystal, parents-in-law Ken and Ann Clark of Kalamazoo, MI, 12 nieces and nephews.