Erwin Schwartz

Services for Erwin will be held at a later date after the COVID restrictions have ended. Erwin (“Erv”) Nicolai Schwartz was born on February 27, 1925 to Nicolai and Amalia (Adams) in rural Echo Township, MN. He passed away on December 2, 2020 at Granite Falls Municipal Hospital. Erv was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. Erv was baptized and confirmed at Peace Lutheran Church in Echo. He attended a one-room schoolhouse, graduated from Echo High School in 1942 and served in the U.S. Army during the second World War with a rail transportation unit in Frankfurt, Germany. After his discharge in 1948 – and an unsuccessful stint as a candy shop operator – Erv found his life’s work in insurance at the Great Northern Insurance Company in Minneapolis. While in the Twin Cities, Erv met June Davis, who was working as a bank teller in St. Paul. They wed at Grace Lutheran Church in Brownton, MN in 1955. Erv and June were dancing partners and companions for the next 65 years. In 1953, Erv purchased the Insurance Service Agency in Cottonwood, MN. He and June lived on a farm in nearby Echo, but soon discovered they preferred the “city life” and eventually built a home in town on Cottonwood Lake. In 1984, Erv sold his business and worked as the manager of Norwegian Mutual Insurance in Cottonwood until his retirement in 1994. In addition to raising four boys and working in the insurance industry, Erv served as city clerk of Cottonwood for 17 years; as an usher and trustee of Christ Lutheran Church; as a charter member of the Lions Club; and as an active member of American Legion and the V.F.W. where he served as adjutant, commander and drill squad member. And to stay busy, he was involved in his sons’ Boy Scout troop, prepared taxes, operated an apartment building, and volunteered on countless civic boards and committees. Always a champion for Cottonwood, Erv was instrumental in bringing a small cabinet company to town. That small cabinet company is now Mid Continent Cabinetry, one of Cottonwood’s largest employers. Erv enjoyed traveling with his wife and friends, gun collecting, baking family birthday cakes, raising cattle, and rooting for the underdog. But mostly, he loved the company of family and friends around the dining room table, visiting and drinking coffee – complaining about politicians and the weather. He was a farm boy at heart and loved talking about the crops, the height of the corn, the last rain, a drought in the 1940s, and the price of beans. Erv is survived by his wife, June; his four sons, Brad (Deb), Plymouth, MN; Jeff, Harrison, AR; Darrell, Sioux Falls, SD; and Tony (Molly), St. Paul, MN; three grandchildren, Stephanie, Dan, and Billy; three great-grandchildren, Spencer, Nolan and Myla; many nieces, nephews and in-laws; and many dear friends. Erv was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Elda (Rebers) and Minnie; and two brothers, Clarence and Ralph. In remembrance of Erv’s life and dedication to the city of Cottonwood, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, charitable donations be made to the Cottonwood Area Community Foundation (cottonwoodareacommunityfoundation.org; P.O. Box 432, Cottonwood, MN, 56229).