George Eugene Ziegler, 94 year old resident of Burtrum, passed away on Friday, April 10th, 2026, at Highland Senior Living in Little Falls. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15th, at Emblom Brenny Funeral Service in Little Falls with Chaplain Gregg Valentine officiating. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the hour of service at the funeral home. A private family burial will take place at a later date.
George Eugene Ziegler was born on February 19th, 1932, to parents George and Agnes Ziegler in St. Paul. He would grow up in St. Paul and graduate from Johnson High School in 1950. George joined the Navy in 1951 and would serve his country for four years. His talent for fixing things was put to good use in the Navy, where he was an aviation machinist mate assigned to service and operate B-26 bombers. George’s primary duty station was at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Cuba. He was then transferred to Patuxent River Naval Air Station Maryland for the remainder of his enlistment. While on leave, George attended a momentous ballroom dance where he met Lois, the love of his life. After dancing the night away together, the two fell in love and courted for only a short time before deciding to share their lives with each other. George was united in marriage to Lois McCallum on July 31st, 1954, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in St. Paul, MN. After their marriage, Lois would join George in Maryland while he finished his service. Upon his honorable discharge from the Navy, the couple returned to Fridley MN, where they would raise their four children.
After his discharge, George soon found work at Northwestern Bell as a lineman. He worked for the entirety of his career with the company and was eventually promoted to the role of telephone line technician. In this role, George would survey new sites and oversee the installation of phone lines. Working diligently for many years, George retired in 1986 and moved to Mound Lake. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of the lake community and would build a log home right on the lake to enjoy it in his and Lois’ retirement.
George enjoyed the outdoors, and most of his pastimes involved spending time outside. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing, and gardening with his wife. He and Lois loved to travel. For many years they would spend winters in Lake Havasu, AZ, making many friends in their snowbird community. They also traveled to visit their daughter in Anchorage, AK and vacationed in Hawaii.
As a founding member of the Fridley Youth Hockey Association, George would coach his children and many others. He cherished his children and grandchildren and introduced many of them to the outdoors, instilling a lifelong passion in them. A skilled huntsman, he got his last deer at age 84.
Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Lois Ziegler of Burtrum; children, Dan (Michelle) Ziegler of Otsego, Ron (Carol) Ziegler of Burtrum, Terri (Mike) Morganson of Anchorage, AK, and Will (Cindi) Ziegler of Circle Pines; 7 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.
George is preceded in death by his parents, George and Agnes Ziegler; sisters, Mary Merth, Ann Ziegler, Martha Rivet, and Beatrice Carr.
Emblom Brenny Funeral Service is Cherishing the Memory and Celebrating the Life of George.
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