Buddy Andrew Rydberg

Buddy Andrew Rydberg of Pine City, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at Welia, in Mora, on Friday, March 28, 2025, at the age of 90.

Buddy was born June 5, 1934 in Minneapolis, MN to Bertha Emma Heinlein and Paul Walter Rydberg. He grew up in Minneapolis, Danforth Township, and Pine City.

Buddy married Jeannie Marie Olson in 1953 and had three children. He met her in second grade, on the sidewalk in front of her house behind the mortuary. They ‘dated’ the first time in the 5th grade. They lived in Duluth for a few years, but moved to Pine City in the late 50’s and lived there ever since. Buddy loved to drive, and they both loved to travel, so they spent many years riding his Honda Goldwing and driving one motorhome or another to Alaska, Canada, West Coast and everywhere in between, spending several winters as snowbirds in Yuma, Arizona.

From the beginning, he had an affinity for driving or riding anything mechanical. At 11, he jumped the train to Minneapolis to spend the day running around the city and to the top of the Foshay Tower. At the end of the day, he caught a ride back to Pine City.

He had his first car at 14, and every story he told about his life, started with a list of cars that were involved. One time he was asked, “When did Stub build the house on Devil’s Lake?” He came back with, "He had a ‘52 Buick that he bought new, so it was 1952.” We might be remembering the wrong year and the make of car might be incorrect, but the story makes our point. He remembered every car he bought, who he bought it from, what it cost, who he sold it to, and what he got for it, and the mileage at purchase and sale…and he regretted selling every one of them, but some more than others: the ‘34 Ford three-window Coupe, the ’64-1/2 Mustang, and all of the diesel Rabbits (they got 50 mpg). He wasn’t interested in newer cars; they didn’t have enough chrome. We absolutely considered an obituary that was only a list of every car he’d ever owned. He and his brother Paul raced dirt track for a few years, with Buddy doing a lot of the mechanics while Paul did the driving. What did they race? A ’34 Ford 3-window Coupe.

The saddest day of his life was losing Jeannie, but losing his ability to drive, was a really close second. A day never went by where he didn’t try to get his keys back.

Buddy started skating in Minneapolis as a child, was a hockey player for decades, a coach for a few years, and a huge fan his entire life. He was an instrumental part of the Pine City Pirates hockey team starting in the late 40’s, and that hockey legacy lives on in Pine City and in his family. He always said the Wild would never win the cup while he was around, so this must be their year.

As a proud member of the 49ers Union, he worked for Johnson Brothers Construction on projects that required revisiting over the years: In Duluth; The Bong Bridge, the rebuild of the Blatnik Bridge, the sheeting along the Canal (1300 ¼” steel sheets, all 3 x 16), the ‘tunnel’ that runs I35 through Duluth to the North Shore, and several more bridges in Duluth and in ‘the Cities’. He also worked on the Devil’s Lake project in North Dakota.

He was a heavy equipment instructor at the Sandstone Prison for a few years, through what was the Pine City Vocational School at the time. He opened the O&R Sno Jet Shop with Dennis Odegard in the late 60’s. He was part of starting the Sno-Blazers club in Pine City around the same time, and raced in the first snowmobile oval races on the track they built on the north end of Pine City.

After his brother Paul was gone, he took it upon himself to keep watch over his nephew, Danny Sr…who I guess he thought needed some looking after. Later, he thought that Kip could use his advice, so stopped by the shop often. He also deeply missed his brother-in-law John Kozisek Sr…who he looked up to after Ruby and John took him in as a teenager.

Buddy was preceded in death by his parents: Bertha Emma (Heinlein) Rydberg Piel and Paul Walter Rydberg; his wife of 63 years, Jeannie; his siblings and their spouses Betty (Allen) Walberg, Ruby (John) Kozisek, Paul (Peg) Rydberg; sister-in-law Nomie (Ken) Wallin; niece Beth Gross; nephews Dan Rydberg, Sr. and John Kozisek, Jr.; and his ability to play hockey.

Buddy is survived by his three children Andrew (Jacqueline) Rydberg, Lauren (Hugh) Evans, and Julie (Ed) Schumacher; step-brother Bob Blazek; seven grandchildren Derek (Jennifer) Rydberg, Leah (Andrew) Ames, Michael (Sarah) Rydberg, Ashley Evans and Conor Evans, Erin (Christina) Schumacher, and Neal (Kevynn) Schumacher; 14 great-grandchildren Melinda, Hailee, Evelyn, Henry, Leonard, Meryl, Eleanor, Tilda, Bernard, Maverick, Sutton, Colt, Ernest and Luella, with one on the way; his 1946 International Pickup, his father’s 1966 Galaxy Custom 500, and his 1953 Ford F350 Dump Truck.

Memorial services for Buddy Rydberg are scheduled for 4PM April 12th, 2025; at the Swanson Funeral Chapel in Pine City. A time of visitation will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. before the service. Interment will be in Birchwood Cemetery next to Jeannie. The family invites you to a light dinner at the Pine City Country Club in Pine City following the service. 

Funeral arrangements for Buddy Rydberg are entrusted to the: Funeral and Cremation Service of Pine City, Swanson Chapel. www.FuneralAndCremationService.com