Edwin "Eddie" Deutsch, age 82, of Luverne, Minn., passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.
Deutsch was born on a farm near Ellsworth, Minn., to John "Joe" and Josephine (Gerardy) on June 24, 1932 – one of children to grow up on the family farm. Eddie quickly developed a love for people, fun times and being the center of attention. Even as a child, he enjoyed pulling good-natured tricks on people and telling jokes, and days without one or the other were few and far between for the rest of his life.
After graduating from St. Mary's High School in Ellsworth in 1950, Deutsch was drafted into the U.S. Army and served his country in Germany for 18 months during the Korean Conflict with the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). Joined by all five of his brothers in military service, Deutsch was honorably discharged from the Army in 1955 and began working at Rapp Motors as a mechanic before moving on to work at Phillips 66. In 1956, he began working at Terrace Park Dairy, delivering milk door to door.
Eddie married Donna Henning at St. Adrian Catholic Church in Adrian, Minn., on June 25, 1957 and the couple soon welcomed their two children – Joan in 1958 and Donald in 1960.
On March 9, 1960, Eddie was involved in a milk truck accident in Magnolia that left him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. While there were certainly a number of tough days in the years following the accident, the Deutsch family chose to view Eddie's accident as a blessing and set out to make a positive impact on the lives of others. In fact, Eddie and his family proudly celebrated the anniversary of his accident for the next 55 years.
Already active in the community in the years before his accident, Eddie invested even more of his time in civic duty in the years that followed. Among his military organizations, Deutsch was a life-long member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the Cooties, the American Legion, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the International War Veterans Alliance and the Disabled American Veterans. Eddie was also heavily involved with the Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus throughout his life.
Deutsch held numerous posts at the local, regional, state and national levels of each organization including serving as the Third District Commander, Third District Quartermaster and State Hospital Chairman of the VFW; Third Area Commander and Grand Commander of the Cooties; National Director, President, Vice President and Board Member of the PVA, North Central Chapter; District Governor and District Cabinet Member of the Lions Club; and the Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus #4487. Eddie was also a leading force in bringing the Minnesota Veterans Home to Luverne and worked tirelessly to promote the facility including serving on its Designated Committee.
For his decades of service, Eddie was the recipient of numerous honors including the State of Minnesota Act of Kindness Award, the WCCO Radio Good Neighbor Award, the Luverne Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, the Melvin Jones Award, the Lions International Presidents Award, and the Past District Governors Red Cap Award. Eddie was also inducted into the MD5M Lions Multiple Hall of Fame.
Eddie enjoyed fishing, hunting, cheering for his grandsons' sports teams, working in his print shop and traveling with Donna. He was particularly proud that they had visited all 50 states and many foreign countries after his accident. But above all else, Eddie enjoyed any opportunity to visit with people and have a good time, especially with his family and friends.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Donna, of Luverne; his daughter, Joan (Steve Rapp), of Sioux Falls; his grandson, Brian, of St. Paul, his daughter-in-law, Sharon, of Luverne; his brothers, Bill (Jean), Fabian (Sue), Walt (Betty), John (Trudy); his sister, Loretta Henning; and his sister-in-law, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Don; his grandson, Brad; his granddaughter, Rochelle "Shelly"; his brother, Lawrence; and his brother-in-law, Frank Henning
Visitation will be Friday from 4-8, with parish prayers at 7:30 pm, at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. Visitation also from 9:30 to 10:15 am Saturday at the church. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 am Saturday at St. Catherine Catholic Church, in Luverne, officiated by Fr. Thomas Jennings. Burial with full military honors provided by the Luverne American Legion & VFW will be in the St. Catherine Cemetery in Luverne.

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