Joseph "Joe" William Lommel

Joseph William Lommel, 81, of Red Wing MN, passed away in his sleep on July 6, 2026. A sailor, musician, husband, father, machinist, electrician, Catholic, joketeller, and musician.

Born July 17, 1944 in St. Cloud MN to Joseph Henry Lommel and Louise (Oehrlein) Lommel, Joe had two younger brothers – Garry and Bob – and an older sister Mary. He attended elementary school in Luxemburg MN and graduated from St. Cloud Tech in 1962.

Joe enlisted in the US Navy on June 28, 1962 and served aboard the USS Dupont. The ship did an extensive tour of the Mediterranean, one of the highlights of his early years.

Soon after his active naval service ended, he got a summer job inspecting fallout shelters throughout Stearns Country and while investigating a local basement, met LaVonne Brunner. They were wed on September 14th, 1968 at St. Wendelin’s Church in his hometown of Luxemburg, MN.

Joe and LaVonne spent the early days of their marriage in Winona, MN where LaVonne worked as a nurse in the ER and Joe studied at Winona State University. They then moved to Minneapolis where Joe variously worked at a machine shop, at Conweb Plastics, and as a private security guard. Working private security didn’t keep him from pulling over a drunk driver and doing his public duty of escorting the man home.

During their time in Minneapolis, LaVonne gave birth to their two sons, Tom and Paul, but the hungry mouths of two young boys meant the family soon left the Twin Cities behind.

In 1973, Joe and LaVonne settled down in the place they would call home for the rest of their lives: Red Wing, MN. Joe began working on the maintenance crew at the nuclear power plant. Finally, they were no longer poor. Joe worked as a machinist and electrician for 31 years until his retirement in 2004.

Upon retirement, Joe gave back to the community by serving as the president of both the Library Board and the local food shelf. An active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, he played a central role in decorating that massive space each Christmas. He also made many trips to Cold Spring MN to help tend to his mother Louise as she suffered from Alzheimer's in her final years.

Joe was renowned among friends and family for having a joke at the ready, to the point where sometimes he’d start a serious story and people would be waiting for the punchline. He was also an avid musician, playing his accordion with his friends in the Boathouse Band or playing solo at various area nursing homes.

On his way home from one of these gigs, Joe stopped at the local 7-Eleven but left his accordion in the back seat of his car. When he came out he found the windows smashed in, and sure enough, when he looked in the back, someone had thrown two more accordions inside.

There’s always more to say, but Joe touched many lives and created so many happy memories for those fortunate to know him. He will be missed.

A visitation will take place from 5-7 pm on Jul. 9, 2026, at Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel in Red Wing. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am on Jul. 10, 2026, at The Church of St. Joseph with Father The Hoang presiding, with visitation an hour prior. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Red Wing. Memorials preferred to The Alzheimers Association - Lommel Family Tribute Page and Keys 4/4 Kids. Arrangements by Mahn Family Funeral Home, Bodelson-Mahn Chapel.