Walter George Rarer Obit

WALTER GEORGE RARER, 81, of Bullhead City, AZ, formerly of Annandale and Dassel, died on March 17, 2021, in Bullhead City, AZ.  
Rarer, the son of Donald and Esther (Fleischfresser) Rarer was born on Jan. 23, 1940, in Logan Township, Grant County.  He grew up in the Crosby-Ironton area where he attended school for his education.  He was baptized in the Christian faith.
On Nov. 1, 1958, he was united in marriage to Elaine Knutson at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church Parsonage in Bordentown, NJ.  Together they made their home wherever he was stationed while in the Navy. On Feb. 16, 1957, he was inducted into the Army National Guard before changing branches of service and enlisted into the United States Navy where he served from May 1, 1957 until his discharge in 1970. They resided in New Jersey, Rhode Island, Hawaii, California, and in 1970 they moved back to Dassel.
He was employed by Storms Systems in Dassel for many years as a machinist before becoming employed by Malco Products in Annandale.  He owned and operated Walt's Snowmobile Service fixing and selling parts for snowmobies.  He also owned and operated the "Crow Bar" in Kingston for many years.  For many years he was employed by park and transit to clean rest stops and had also worked as a caretaker at the St. Cloud Campground.
He was united in marriage to Mabel Leona Ziebart at Buffalo. Together they made their home on the shores of Big Swan Lake until her death in 1988.
On Feb. 1, 1995, Walter was united in marriage to Cathie Lee Kelley in Clark County, NV.  Together they resided in their home by Big Swan before they moved to Annandale and wintered in Bullhead City, AZ.  In 2017, they made the decision to make Bullhead City, AZ their permanent home.
He enjoyed spending time, boating, waterskiing, fishing, hunting ducks, pheasants, and tinkering.  He was a fantastic machinist who could make many items and tools.  He had made his own guns, collected duck stamps, decanters, and signs.  He loved to go camping and had camped in many of the National Parks in the lower 48 states.  He had even built a boat trailer for his daughter that was pulled behind her bicycle.  He enjoyed spending time with his family and was proud of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mabel Leona Rarer in 1988, an infant son, James Timothy Rarer, daughters, Dawn Rarer, Yvonne Brandel and Barb Rarer and his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Cathie Rarer, daughter, and son-in-law Sandra and Timothy Benoit of Dassel, seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Paulette Knutson. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 24, at 11 a.m. at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel with Rev. Hollie Holt-Woehl officiating.
There will be a time to gather with the family one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel.
For those who wish to attend we ask that mask and social distancing be observed.