Philip "Phil" Edward Maus

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A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in St. Joseph, MN for Philip “Phil” Edward Maus, 77, of St. Cloud, who passed away Wednesday, February 10 in his home, surrounded by his wife and children.  Reverend Jerome Tupa, OSB will officiate.  His final resting place will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, MN with full military honors. 

Phil was born and grew up on his family farm in Watkins, MN.  He attended St. Anthony Catholic School and graduated from St. Boniface in Cold Spring in 1961.  After high school, he joined the U.S. Army where he was stationed at Red Stone Arsenal in Alabama, Thule Air Base in Greenland and Ft. Hancock in New Jersey.  In 1969, he married Sandra (Klug) in Albany, MN.  In 1971, they moved to the Maus family farm where they raised their five children in Watkins, MN.  After retiring from farming in the 80s, he pursued his career of truck driving.  Phil truly loved being on the road.  He was proud to have achieved his goal in 2018 of having driven in all 50 states.  In 1996, they moved to St. Joseph, MN where he eventually transitioned into “retirement,” while still maintaining a variety of part-time jobs including student driver and load securement training, vehicle transport, and plowing snow for MNDOT, to name a few.  He maintained his CDL his entire adult life and drove up until a month before his death.  In March of 2019, they moved to St. Cloud.  In August of 2019, Phil and Sandy celebrated 50 years of marriage, when all of their children and grandchildren witnessed them renewing the vows that they honored throughout their entire marriage.  

Phil was an active member of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Watkins where he served on Parish Council, was an active member of the Catholic Order of Foresters, served as a Trustee, and volunteered his time in countless ways including mass lector and bingo caller.  Later they joined St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joseph, MN where he continued his active involvement by greeting, serving mass, ushering, washing dishes, and more.

Over the years, Phil enjoyed spending time traveling, playing cards with a network of friends, and spending time with his entire family.  He provided many lessons to his kids and grandkids, including how to play Euchre, the best route to anywhere in the US, how to maintain a well groomed yard, that there’s always room for ice cream, and that family and faith are most important.  His family remembers him for his nonstop sense of humor and his big heart.

He is survived by his wife Sandra, his children Wendy (Roger) Hansen of Sumner, WA, Krista (Brian) Furan of Hopkins, MN, Rebecca (Christopher) Nelson of Lakeville, MN, Gregory Maus of Minneapolis, MN and Ryan Maus of Salt Lake City, UT, and five grandchildren Benjamin, Nathan, Aydrien, Isabella and Eleanor.  He is also survived by his brother Richard, his sisters Ruth Rothschilds, Helen Grutkoski and Louise Maus.  Phil is preceded in death by two infant children, Randy and Jennifer, and his parents Benno and Lorrayne. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice