Greg Roach

Greg Roach, 61, of Breckenridge, MN, passed away on Thursday, September 2, 2021, at St. Francis Nursing Home, Breckenridge. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, from 12 PM to 2 PM, at Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge, followed by the funeral service at 2 PM at the funeral home. Father Joseph Backowski will be officiating the service. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Breckenridge. A livestream of the funeral service will be available on his obituary page at www.josephvertinandsons.com, and a recording of the service will be uploaded after it’s completed. Arrangements have been entrusted to Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home.

Greg was welcomed into the world with his twin brother, Gary, on April 23, 1960, in Breckenridge, MN, to Greeley and Lois (Kegley) Roach. Greg grew up in Brushvale, MN, and attended District 2536 Country School through the 5th grade before graduating from Breckenridge High School. During his high school years, Greg was active in sports, especially tennis.

Greg had a strong work ethic, he started working at the Wahpeton Daily News after graduation but quickly was called to fulfill his love of farming.  Greg worked seasonally for Blaufuss Farms and Wilrich, Wahpeton.  His passion for farming became a reality when he went to work full time for Blaufuss Farms and he never looked back.  Greg was more than an employee and took great pride in all that he could contribute to the farming operation.   When the farm wasn’t calling his name, he stayed busy removing snow. In 1990 Greg was married to Coral Hiedeman in Campbell, MN, and became a stepfather to her four children, Mindy, Sandy, Todd, and Ty. They later divorced.

Greg did find time to have some fun, he balanced work with fishing trips to Canada, Sunday golf adventures with friends and city league basketball. With his quick wit and rolodex full of jokes and funny stories, Greg was easy to get along with and loved meeting and making new friends at Casey’s Bar. Greg was an avid sports fan, he followed the Breckenridge Cowboys, Minnesota Twins, and enjoyed attending North Star hockey games.  Its possible years of working on the farm created a deep appreciation for the weather- or just his love for rain, but Greg always treasured a good thunderstorm.

Greg will be forever missed by his siblings, Diane (Jay) Fenske, Jean Robbins, Gary Roach, and Gail (Chuck) Campbell; many nieces and nephews; the farm family, Mark & Peggy Blaufuss, Kathy & Keith Kutter, Christie & Lars Bergmann, and the rest of the Blaufuss family; and every friend at Casey’s Bar in Breckenridge.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Greeley & Lois Roach; sister, Karen Wagner; nephew, Nathan Anderson; and farm family, Jim, Jackie, and Mike Blaufuss.