Alan Gene Stimpert

Alan Gene Stimpert, age 89 of Sleepy Eye, MN died in Fargo, ND on the 9th of December 2025. Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 14, 2025, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm at Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. Visitation will continue on Monday, December 15, 2025, at 10:00 am at Redwood Alliance Church in Redwood Falls followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am. The clergy will be Pastor Micah Siebert. Interment will be at Home Cemetery in Sleepy Eye. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.

Alan was born on April 21, 1936, the son of Donald and Margorie (Sandmann) Stimpert. Alan attended numerous grade schools until he was 11 (New Ulm (K,2), Lakefield (1) & Jackson (2), MN, then Hayward (2) & Oakland (3,4), CA before returning to Alpha (4,5), MN and finally to Sleepy Eye for 6th Grade). He graduated from Sleepy Eye High School in 1954 and enrolled in the University of Minnesota. On December 21, 1957, Alan was united in marriage with Joan Lee Wilfahrt at the church in Evan. They lived in Minneapolis until he graduated from the U of M in 1959 with a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. He took a job with North American Aviation (NAA) in Columbus, Ohio working on airplane design, vibration testing airplanes, radio antenna design, and finally underwater sound, where he worked in designing, building and testing underwater sound equipment and wrote operating manuals for the sound equipment. The company changed names several times. It finally became Rockwell International after Alan's job moved to Anaheim, CA. Over the years he spent a lot of time testing equipment in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, Navy test facilities in Idaho and New York. He also spent weeks in Keil, Germany and on a German tower in the North Sea. He always said he enjoyed his job because he was always learning new things and the company pretty much let him do whatever he was willing to do to contribute to the work projects.

Alan was active and confirmed in the Methodist Church in Sleepy Eye. He sang in the choir and was President of MYF during high school. In Columbus he was active in the Methodist Church on the Building Committee, in Choir and in church sports. Once they moved to Corona, CA. he was in the choir, bell choir and head of finance at the Methodist Church. The family attended Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA. from 1979 until the return to MN in 1995. When the move was made back to Sleepy Eye, he became a member of New Hope Community Church (C&MA) and was the Treasurer for a number of years. Once New Hope closed, he and Joan attended Redwood Alliance Church (C&MA) and watched Harvest Christian Fellowship and Redwood Alliance on TV when weather or problems made travel difficult. He was thankful for being able to be a part of the grandchildren's lives as they were growing up and the great grandchildren's lives.

Alan is survived by his wife of 68 years, Joan Stimpert; daughters, Sandra Stimpert and Pamela (Curtis) Stimpert-Koenen; grandchildren, Dustin (Jessica) Wagenseller, Mallory (Justin) Evans, Craig (Brandi) Wagenseller, Daniel J. Wagenseller, and Abigail (Tony) Golombieki; 11 great grandchildren; sister, Rita (Donald) Billmeier; and nephews, Scott Billmeier, and Eric (Missy) Billmeier.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Douglas.