Earl LaMoyne Gildemeister

Earl Gildemeister, 86, of North Mankato, passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Faribault with his family by his side.

A funeral service for Earl will be held at GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, 110 N 4th St, Mankato, at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 27, 2026 with Pastor John Odegard presiding. Burial will be held at Tivoli Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Friday.

Earl was born on June 8, 1939 in Gaylord to Arthur and Bernice (Ostermann) Gildemeister. He was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church of Gaylord. The middle of three children, Earl was fascinated by how things worked. This led to a life-long love of all things mechanical: cars, motorcycles, boats, even computers. Earl graduated from Gaylord High School in 1958 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in mathematics instruction, followed by a Master’s Degree, from Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University, Mankato).

On June 14, 1964, Earl married Elfriede Graser at Centenary United Methodist Church in Mankato. They enjoyed over 60 years of marriage and were each other’s best friends and life partners, going everywhere and doing everything – together. They were blessed with two children, David and Kristine, raising both in the Mankato community. Earl participated in and led the local German Club for many years, and enjoyed travelling to Germany with Elfriede to visit relatives and friends.

All his life, Earl was a problem solver who loved helping people and who was fascinated by machines. Growing up on a farm, he had a gift for fixing things, able to take apart and rebuild a tractor or a motorcycle while still a teenager. He discovered his love of motorcycles when his mom bought him his first one; later, his beloved BMWs gave him many years of enjoyment and adventure. Any car Earl owned, or that his nearby family owned, was sure to last years longer than anyone expected.

Earl was a quiet but active pioneer in introducing people to new technology. He was integral to the establishment of the original computer center at Mankato State University and joined the Computer Science department, teaching thousands of students throughout his decades there and retiring as Professor Emeritus. He was also a co-creator of an early and highly successful Computer Assisted Instruction curriculum that was used for years, not only by the university, but by local public schools as well, where he’d help with installation and management.

After retiring from MSU in 1998, Earl devoted time to Meals on Wheels, working with billing and delivering meals together with his wife, Elfriede, for many years. He was very involved in church activities, joining Grace Lutheran Church when he moved in Mankato in 1962. He helped record the church services for TV viewing, assisted the church office with its first use of computers, served as a youth mentor, as well as serving on the Church Council and various other committees.

Above all, Earl loved his family dearly and was a proud husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and brother. His love of Jesus was reflected in his generosity, gentle spirit, humility and selflessness. In his last weeks, he made a point of reminding people about the miraculous gifts from God, the importance of family, the need for all people to learn to love each other, and Jesus’ suffering and death for us. He would always put someone else’s needs before his own and did not hesitate to do what was needed to care for and help others. Once, when asked what he thought it meant to be successful, he answered: “If you love going to work and you love coming home.” He found contentment in the simple things and recognized that blessings could be found in difficulty. Always curious about the world, he could talk to anyone about anything with genuine interest and would say, “it’s helpful to know a little about a lot” and “anything can be interesting if you allow it to be!”

Earl is survived by his beloved wife, Elfriede; children, David (Sherrian) and Kristine (Glenn) Duerr; grandchildren, Elizabeth, Jessica, Michael (Megan), Trevor (Myranda); great-grandchildren, Hudson, Nathaniel; brother, Morris; sister, Diane Shoemaker; as well as many nieces, nephews and dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Bernice; brother-in-law, John.

Memorials are preferred to either Grace Lutheran Church in Mankato or VINE Faith in Action https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z5Y1/campaign/C-12M5V 

Though we will miss him greatly, we trust that Earl is with Jesus and rejoice that he is resting safely in the arms of his beloved Savior, who loves him like no other.