Willard "Bill" Burlet

Willard L. “Bill” Burlet, age 85 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on Friday, June 5, 2026 at his home in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 11 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Kevin Soenneker officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the church. Parish prayers will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday evening at the funeral home.

Willard Llewellyn Burlet was born December 3, 1940 in St. Cloud, Minnesota to Milo and Pearl (Brandsma) Burlet. He graduated from Tech High School in St. Cloud in 1959. On January 2, 1965 he was united in marriage to Janice Korte at St. Augustine Catholic Church in St, Cloud, Minnesota. Bill worked for the Minnesota Highway Department and the Minnesota Department of Corrections until his retirement in 2003. Bill and Jan have been residents of Sauk Centre for the last 58 years.

He was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre since 1968 and the Light of Christ Community since 1975. Bill was an avid reader and a handyman and loved taking family trips to Leech Lake. Bill worked as pit crew at Golden Spike Speedway in St. Cloud where he met his future wife, Jan.

Survivors include his loving wife of 61 years, Jan Burlet of Sauk Centre; children, Jennifer (Steve) Wordekemper of Nebraska, Andrew (Teresa) Burlet of Sauk Centre, Christine Line of Rockford, and Dayna (Chad) Kluver of Lake Lillian; 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Carol Burlet of Elk River.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; infant sister, Vicky Burlet; sister, Marilyn Hughes; and brother, Robert Burlet.