Terry Gerten, an Inver Grove Heights fixture who owned and ran Gerten’s Farm Market for more than three decades, died in his sleep Saturday. He was 69.
“His business was absolutely everything to him,” said Katie Gerten, Terry’s daughter. “He worked six months straight without a day off from January to June for the last 35 years. Hardest working man you’d ever meet.”
Terry Gerten was a lifelong resident of Inver Grove Heights who had family ties to the larger Gertens garden store. He grew up on a farm with his parents and nine siblings, where they grew vegetables and sold them to local grocery stores.
He later served in the Air Force and worked as an air traffic controller. In 1981, Gerten was among more than 11,000 air traffic controllers who were fired by then-President Ronald Reagan for going on strike.
“After that, he didn’t know what else to do but get back to growing. That’s when he found the land at Inver Grove and bought the acre that the farm market sits on now,” Katie Gerten said.
He opened Gerten’s Farm Market on April 14, 1983 — the day a historic blizzard dumped 13.6 inches of snow on the Twin Cities.
“There weren’t very many customers,” joked Inver Grove Heights City Council Member Rosemary Piekarski Krech, who drove Gerten to the store that day with her husband.
The icy opening didn’t deter Gerten, who would go on to dedicate his life to the business.
He started Gerten’s Farm Market as a traditional farmers market, selling fresh produce such as berries and eggs. As years passed, Gerten converted the store into a garden center, mainly focusing on flowers and vegetable and perennial plants.
Gerten built a loyal customer base in Inver Grove Heights. He was known for selling a quality product at a reasonable price and for his kindness and quick wit.
“He was a very hardworking, honest businessman,” Piekarski Krech said. “And (he) was always willing to help people with their gardening issues and give advice on what needed to happen.”
In his free time, Gerten enjoyed golfing, gambling and playing card games with his family.
Katie Gerten said she’ll miss her father’s guidance and “no-nonsense attitude” most. She and her two siblings, Tony Gerten and Melissa Goski, will now run Gerten’s Farm Market. The three worked the business with their father since they were children.
“We definitely want everyone to know that the store lives on in his memory. We’re going to do everything we can to take everything he taught us and run with it,” Katie Gerten said. “In our dad’s honor, we want to give it a go.”
Terry Gerten is survived by his children Katie Gerten, Melissa Goski, Tony Gerten, Krista Tessier and Sarah Tessier; siblings Kathy Tlougan, Mike Gerten, Jean Rolow, Peg Hill, Phil Gerten, Mark Gerten, Rose DeGuilo, Joe Gerten and Lori DeLong; former wife Paulette Gerten; and seven grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was planned for Friday morning.