Walt Gaul, 87, Owatonna
Walter “Walt” Gaul Jr., 87, of Owatonna, died Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.
Walt was born May 15, 1939, to Walter Freeman Gaul Sr. and Grace (Panzer) Gaul, on a farm near Ellendale, in Steele County. He had four sisters and two brothers.
As a young teen, he spent many days loading bales for four dollars a day. His brother Robert drove the tractor while Walt loaded the bales. The farmer they worked for had the only bailer around, so they bailed hay for every farmer in the area.
When Walt was about 16, he got a job farming for Cashman Nursery planting corn with one of the new six row planters. He continued to work for Cashman Nursery until he started working for Colins Produce in Medford.
He married Marlene Grubish in 1958. They had four children, Nancy, Scott, Russell and Joyce. They purchased a schoolhouse by Rice Lake, of which he remodeled into a home to raise their family. Walt and Marlene later divorced. He always maintained the utmost respect and admiration for his in-laws.
In 1959, Walt started a job as a mason tender for a local contractor, which was the start of his career. He worked there for 11 years before starting his own construction business in 1970. From that time until the early 1990s he built 200 plus homes in Owatonna.
In 1972, he purchased land east of Owatonna, on Rose Street, and in 1975 built a new, five-bedroom home. With the help of his family, he farmed, raised livestock and at the same time worked in construction.
In the early 1990s, he retired from construction and worked part-time jobs including being a garbage truck driver. Which seemingly sparked his love for “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” philosophy.
In 1996, he took over an auctioneering business in Geneva. Years later he moved the Walt Gaul Consignment Auction to the homestead he purchased, southeast of Owatonna. He remodeled a large building to accommodate his sales. Other than sales, it was a great place for socializing. Many friendships were made at the Walt Gaul Auction Barn. That’s where he met his fiancée, Oleeta, in 2013. They got engaged in 2017.
Walt is survived by his fiancée or as he said it “his better half,” Oleeta Rime; children, Nancy (and Tim) Sletten, Scott, Russell (and Mary), and Joyce Krell (and Phil Medes); 11 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Donna Gaul; longtime friend, Bob Chambers; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter-in-law, Sandy Gaul; infant sister, Isabelle; and siblings, Dolly (and Art) Johnson, Esther (and LaVerne) Vesely, Jean (and Ruben) Brocker, Ed, and Robert.
He will be greatly missed by his family, many friends, and his small special four-legged companion “Jingles.”
A visitation will be held on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, from 4-7 p.m. at Michaelson Funeral Home in Owatonna. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Michaelson Funeral Home in Owatonna with visitation one hour prior. Interment will be held at Lemond Danish Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Lemond Danish Cemetery or Allina Hospice.