Father Gerald Thaar

Obituary for Fr. Gerald Thaar, OSC, to be run in the St. Cloud Times on Tuesday, February 21st:



Thaar, Fr. Gerald, OSC. Age 79. Born September 7, 1937, in Detroit, Michigan, to William and Adeline (Polin), the middle brother to William and Dan who both preceded him in death in 2016.

Jerry entered the Crosier Order on August 27, 1958, making First Profession of Vows on August 28, 1959. He was ordained a Catholic priest on May 22, 1965. His ministry assignments were to the Crosier missions in the Diocese of Agats in Asmat, Papua, in the rain forests of Indonesia for 27 years. Following his return to the United States, he served the parishes of St. Dennis in Royal Oak, MI, as a member of the Crosier Community of Riverview, and Blessed Sacrament in Scottsdale, AZ, as a member of the Crosier Phoenix Priory. He was also chaplain at Vi Grayhawk Senior Living Community in Scottsdale.

In 2014, Fr. Jerry moved to the Crosier Priory at Onamia, residing at the neighboring Lake Song Assisted Living. He died unexpectedly on Saturday, February 18, at the Mille Lacs Health System hospital. He is survived by a small extended family and by his Crosier confreres in Onamia and Phoenix.

Funeral Services will be celebrated at the Crosier Priory Church in Onamia, MN, with the Reception of the Body on Wednesday, February 22, at 2:30 PM followed by the Office for the Dead. The Funeral Mass will begin at 4:00 PM with burial in the Priory cemetery to follow. Dinner will be served following the burial.

Memorials are preferred to the Crosier Fathers and Brothers, PO Box 500, Onamia, MN, 56359.