A much-loved husband, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, Hermann von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff peacefully passed away on Friday, July 24th, following a courageous fight against pancreatic cancer.
Hermann was born December 22, 1955 in Rochester to Ernst and Anneliese (Meyer) von Knobelsdorff-Brenkenhoff. He grew up in the Goodhue area graduating from Goodhue High School in 1974, and went on to study Industrial Machine Mechanics at Red Wing Vocational Technical College. In 1987, he married Suzanne Jeske and made their home at the family farm, Wells Creek Hitch, in Belvidere.
After working as a mechanic for fourteen years, Hermann began his law enforcement career at the Goodhue County Jail. Over his twenty-seven year career, he held numerous positions in the jail and on patrol before becoming Lieutenant Assistant Jail Administrator in 2007. In 2014, his colleagues honored him as the Employee of the Year in recognition of his dedication and service to the county.
Hermann lived out his love of the outdoors and commitment to helping others through his involvement in numerous organizations and activities, building lifelong friendships along the way. He has been an active member of the Goodhue County Sheriff's Posse since joining in 1983. He was a dedicated member of Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, the Wild Turkey Federation, and Frontenac Sportsman's Club. He also served as an ATV Safety Instructor and Firearms Safety Instructor for many years. For sixteen years, Hermann participated in the Friendship Wagon Train, raising scholarship funds for Camp Winnebago. He loved to go hunting with his family and friends. He especially enjoyed his South Dakota pheasant hunting trips and spending time with his German Shorthair Pointers. His horses brought great enjoyment to his life; riding Toby the mule, driving his team of Belgian horses, and giving rides for many charity and community events. After all of this, he still made time to be in the field bailing, combining, and other farming work that kept him outdoors.
In addition to his wife, he will be greatly missed and survived by step-children Roni (Steve) Cardell, Gary (Vanessa) Jeske; grandchildren, Jayson (Jess) Ward, Olivia (Nate), Charlie, and Anna Cardell, Tessa and Brock Jeske; great-grandchildren Jayda and Jordyn Ward; mother, Anneliese von Knobelsdorff; aunt, Gretel Meyer and aunts, uncles, and cousins in Germany; sister, Renate (Bill) Richardson; brother, Juergen (Char) von Knobelsdorff; nieces and nephews, Aaron (Molly) Roussell, Brian Roussell, Christa (Michael) Foss, Karl (Kim) von Knobelsdorff; great nieces and nephews, Riley and Kelsey Roussell, Jacob Roussell, Lilly, Arlyn, and Lewis von Knobelsdorff. He was preceded in death by his father.
Visitation will be 3:00PM to 7:00PM on Tuesday, July 28th at the Church of St. Joseph in Red Wing, MN. A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00AM on Wednesday, July 29th at the church, visitation one hour prior to service. Burial will be at the Belvidere Union Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the organizations Hermann was involved in, Mayo Clinic Hospice, and Pay it Forward at Mayo Clinic.
-Mach's Gut