Phyllis Marie Holzbauer

Phyllis Marie (Dauer) Holzbauer, age 81, of Breckenridge, MN, passed away on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at St. Francis Nursing Home, Breckenridge. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 29, 2023, followed by the prayer service and recitation of the rosary at Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home in Breckenridge. The funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 30, 2023, with a visitation beginning at 9 a.m., at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Breckenridge. Father Leo Moenkedick will be officiating the services. Burial will be held at a later date in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Breckenridge. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests all memorials to be made to either St. Mary’s Catholic School or CHI-Heath at Home and Hospice, both of Breckenridge, MN. Arrangements have been entrusted to Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home.

Phyllis Marie Dauer was born in Breckenridge, MN, on June 12, 1941, to Joseph and Mary (Schrieber) Dauer. When Phyllis was young, the family moved from Galchutt to Breckenridge, where she began attending St. Mary’s Catholic School and, later, Breckenridge High School. After graduating in 1959, she worked as a switchboard operator for Northwestern Bell.

On April 10, 1961, Phyllis was united in marriage to Alfred “AJ” Holzbauer at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Breckenridge. They made their home in rural Breckenridge, where they raised their five children. Phyllis tended to many facets of the family farm, including raising and butchering chickens, mowing, gardening, and canning. When the farming season came to a close, she and AJ enjoyed trips with the family to Wisconsin Dells, the Black Hills, and Itasca State Park. They stopped farming in the mid-1980s, and at that time, Phyllis began working in the office at Primewood for nearly 15 years. Later in life, Phyllis and AJ traveled to Florida, Texas, and Arizona.

Her faith was the cornerstone of the family, and Phyllis diligently attended mass with the family. She was faithful to St. Mary’s School and Church and spent many years working and volunteering in the Hot Lunch Program, front office, and participated in Christian Mothers and Homemakers clubs. More often than not, Phyllis was the proud recipient of many door prizes at the Homemaker's events.

Most recently, due to health complications, Phyllis was a resident at St. Francis Nursing Home in Breckenridge, where AJ would visit her daily. She adored spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was known for her fantastic cooking that she passed along to them. She was especially known for her potato salad which the family would tirelessly try to recreate; Phyllis didn’t write down recipes; she measured by memory and love. Throughout the years, Phyllis was content and abided in peace and fulfillment, watching the legacy she and AJ weaved meticulously.

Phyllis will be deeply missed by her son, Steve (Sue) Holzbauer of Breckenridge, and their son and his family, Skyler (Megan) Holzbauer, and their children, Korbyn, Kade, and Kinley, and their daughter, Bailey (Tanner) Thompson; daughter, Cheryl (Rick) Groenwold of Norcross, MN, and their sons, Sullivan, Sawyer, and Shayzen Busch; daughter, Jean Holzbauer of Breckenridge; son, Douglas (Berdine) Holzbauer of Breckenridge, and their son and his family, Chandler (Alicia) Holzbauer and their children, Raelyn and Kane Holzbauer, and their daughter, Laken (D’Angelo) Burns, and their son, Kyren Burns; and daughter, Paula (Todd) Hayward of Lincoln, ND, and their sons, Travis and Alex Hayward; siblings, JoAnne (Kenneth) Ness, Rodney (Cheri) Dauer, Teresa Grammond, and Bruce (Joan) Dauer; sister-in-law, Judy Dauer; and many nieces, nephews, and other family members.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband, AJ Holzbauer; parents, Joseph and Mary Dauer; sister and brother-in-law, Lorraine and Jack Batten; brothers, Richard and Brian Dauer; and brother-in-law, Ed Grammond.