Wallace "Wally" Sayles

Wallace “Wally” Sayles, age 91, of Ortonville, MN, passed away on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at Fairway View Neighborhoods.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at First English Lutheran Church in Ortonville, MN. Visitation will be held on Monday, June 26, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday. Reverend Denise Fossen will officiate the service and interment will be at Clinton City Cemetery.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of this page.

Wallace Ward Sayles was born on January 4, 1932, to Oliver and Greta (Bell) Sayles in Buffalo Lake, MN. He was the youngest of five siblings and the second son. The family soon moved to the Hutchinson/Cosmos area where Wally’s father took up farming and sold produce, and his mother worked as a schoolteacher. Wally and his siblings learned from a young age to work hard and helped their parents with farming and produce sales. He graduated from 8th grade. 

On March 15, 1956, Wally joined the Air Force and, after two cross-country trips for training and then deployment, was sent to Japan during The Korean Conflict to serve as a lead meat cutter at an air base near Tokyo. Wally enjoyed his time in Japan and spent time learning the language and culture. He also discovered a life-long love of sailing on Tokyo Bay and was part of a team of servicemen who came in third place in the Tokyo Bay sailing race. 

After his return to the States, Wally moved to Ortonville, MN, where he continued working as a meat cutter for National Foods. It was here he met Alice Fitzner, and on September 8, 1957, they were married. Together, they had five children. The family moved to Clinton, MN, where Wally and Alice started a repair and retail business called Sayles and Service. Wally also worked as a handyman and started an exterior painting company. He and Alice moved to the Meadowbrook area of Big Stone Lake in their retirement and lived there for many years where they both enjoyed fishing and spending time with family. They eventually moved back to Clinton before moving to Ortonville to live with their daughter’s family. In May of 2020, Alice moved into the Fairway View Neighborhoods in Ortonville, and she passed away in January of 2022. Wally continued to live with his daughter’s family until June 13, 2023, when he, too, moved into the Fairway View Neighborhoods.

Wally was well-known for his sense of humor, his love for dancing, his strong faith, and his commitment to both his community and his family.

Wally is survived by his children: Daniel (Casey) Sayles of Morris, MN; David (Lisa) Sayles of Clinton, MN; Brenda (Brent) Zahrbock of Ortonville, MN; Doug (Dianne) Sayles of Chaska, MN; and Barb (Chris) Goulet of Morris, MN; as well as 20 grandchildren; and 32 great-grandchildren.

Wally was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Alice (Fitzner) Sayles; parents: Oliver and Greta Sayles; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Leonard and Marie Fitzner; his siblings: Roger, Donna, Coral, and Beverly; his brothers-in-law: Don Fitzner, Dale Fitzner, and Jim Loeschke; sister-in-law, Patsy Fitzner; and grandson, Noah Sayles.