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Kelly Netsch, 66, of Lakeside died Dec. 7, 2025, at his residence.
Funeral Mass will take place Friday, Dec. 12, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Storm Lake. Burial will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6-8 p.m. with Rosary at 8 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake.
Kelly Ray Netsch was born May 9, 1959, to Dwane and Peggy (Anderson) Netsch in Spencer. He grew up attending school in Laurens, graduating from Laurens-Marathon High School in 1977. Kelly went on to attend Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, graduating in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
On Sept. 18, 1982, Kelly was united in marriage to Judy McGowan at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sioux Rapids. To this union, three children were born: Jessica, Nicholas and Tyler.
In 1985, Kelly started as an assistant supervisor at Bil-Mar. Bil-Mar eventually became Sara Lee Foods, then Tyson Foods. In July 2023, Kelly retired from Tyson as a production manager after 38 years working for the company.
Kelly was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. In his free time, he loved fishing and looked forward to the annual South Dakota fishing trip with family and friends. He was a true handyman and there wasn’t a project he couldn’t tackle. If he couldn’t find a replacement part, he would craft one himself. He could turn “junk” into something useful. He loved spending time with his grandkids and attended as many of their activities and sporting events as he could. Kelly will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
Left to cherish Kelly’s memory include his mother Peggy Netsch of Spirit Lake; beloved wife Judy Netsch of Lakeside; children: Jessica (Jim) Yoch of LeRoy, Minn.; Nick (Jess) Netsch of Urbandale; Tyler Netsch of Sac City; grandchildren: Chloe O’Bannon of LeRoy, Minn.; Harper and Nolan Yoch of LeRoy, Minn.; McClain and Leighton Netsch of Urbandale; brother Neal (Deb) Netsch of Newport, Minn.; sister Stephanie (Jeff) Morrison of Spirit Lake; siblings-in-law: Bob (Fran) McGowan, Karen (Monte) Leiting, Sharon Weitl, Rich McGowan, Ron (Jing) McGowan, Bill (Barb) McGowan, Mike (Janet) McGowan, Larry (Wendy) McGowan and Jan Nelson; numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.
He was preceded in death by his father Dwane Netsch; parents-in-law, Vince and Marge McGowan; siblings-in-law: Pat McGowan, Howard Weitl and Richard Nelson.
