William John 'Bill' Vidmar

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Vidmar, William "Bill" John 82, of Lakeville, MN formerly of Bloomington, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on August 18, 2017, after a brave and courageous battle with cancer. Visitation will be held at Gill Brothers Funeral Home in Bloomington, MN on Thursday, August 24, 2017, 5:00-8:00 pm. A celebration of life/funeral service will be held at Nativity of Mary Catholic Church in Bloomington, MN on Friday, August 25, 2017, 10:00am with visitation 1 hour prior to the service. Born in Chisholm, MN on August 1, 1935 to Anthony and Mary Vidmar - He graduated from Chisholm High School in 1953. Bill enlisted in the Army and honorably served the country from 1953-1955. He continued his education at the University Minnesota-Duluth and graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Bill started his career in 1959 as a pharmacist, store manager, and district manager for Walgreens. He continued a very successful career with Target, Gambles, and Snyder Drug. At Snyder Drug, Bill was a Vice President and partner until 1999 when the company was sold and he retired. Bill married Elizabeth (Beth) Smrekar on September 13, 1958 & have celebrated 58 years of marriage. Bill is the proud father of nine children: Mary Vidmar; Robert (Betsy) Vidmar; Michael (Sue) Vidmar; Kathleen (Tom) Niederkorn; Carolyn (Tony) Haider; Laurie (Chris) Olson; Nancy (Mark) Brodin; Steven (Rose) Vidmar; David (Toni Luschen) Vidmar. A beloved grandfather to 26 grandkids: Kelley (Blake Roseen) Oman, Chris Oman, Jessica & Allison Vidmar, Alec, Brett & Justin Vidmar, Nick, Danielle & Rachel Niederkorn, Joe, Billy & AJ Haider, Nate, Erin & Megan Olson, Sydney & Ryan Brodin, Zachary (Audrey) Vidmar, Brianna (Kevin) Homola, Jacob (Katrina) Vidmar, Victoria (Taryn) Wendling, Bryce, Janessa, Keegan & Aleena Vidmar; great grandchildren Kaiden Vidmar, Bentlen Homola & Sage Vidmar. Bill is survived by his sister - Marianne (Lou) Prebil of Ellicott City, MD; sister-in-law Patricia Vidmar of Baltimore, MD; along with nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by Anthony Vidmar (father), Mary Vidmar (mother), and James Vidmar (brother). Bill was a faith driven person that lived his life by the guidance of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. He lived each and every day with enthusiasm, energy, and a love for people. Bill was actively involved in various Catholic Church programs, U of MN Foundation Presidents Club, the U of MN College of Pharmacy, MN Pharmacists Association, U of MN Century Mortar Club, U of MN Alumni Association, MN Retail Merchants Association, the Knights of Columbus, & the American Legion. In lieu of flowers memorial donations would be appreciated to the parishes which offered spiritual guidance Nativity of Mary Catholic Church of Bloomington, MN and/or All Saints Catholic Church of Lakeville, MN. The family of Bill Vidmar wishes to "Thank" St. Croix Hospice (Georgia & Megan) and Baywood Home Care (Lena) for their loving care and support as well as the amazing medical providers that provided the care in this journey. GILLBROTHERS.com BLOOMINGTON, MN 952.888.7771

Published on August 23, 2017