Larry Herke, the former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, died Friday in Sauk Centre, a year after he resigned from the post following a diagnosis of ALS. He was 61.

Larry Herke, the former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.

Herke, who was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2019, had previously served for more than 30 years as a member of the U.S. Army and Minnesota National Guard.

“We met 30 years ago when we served together in New Ulm and I have thought of him as a friend and mentor ever since,” Walz, himself a 24-year member of the Army National Guard, said in a statement. “I’m still proud of the work he did back then to build a plan to make our armories a model for the country. It was an honor to work alongside him.”

“Minnesota is a better place because of Larry Herke. He was a dedicated, selfless leader who spent his entire life serving others,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan added in a statement.

During his tenure with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Herke promoted new approaches to end veteran homelessness and expanded access to state veterans homes.

In March 2023, Herke fired two top officials in the department two weeks after current and former caregivers spoke out publicly about allegations of a long-standing toxic work environment at the Hastings Veterans Home.

In December 2023, following Herke’s departure, Walz appointed Brad Lindsay to serve as commissioner of veterans affairs. Lindsay had been serving as temporary commissioner since Herke stepped down.

Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Herke graduated from Mankato East High School in southern Minnesota and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mankato State University.

After retiring from the Minnesota National Guard with the rank of colonel, Herke served as state director of the Office of Enterprise Sustainability, helping agencies to develop sustainability planning. He was later appointed veterans affairs commissioner.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for the New York Yankees legend whose career was ended by it.

Herke’s obituary noted that ALS affects military members and veterans at twice the rate of the civilian population.

Herke is survived by his sons, Jon, Joe and Justin; his father, Larry W. Herke; a sister, April Barton; and a granddaughter.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Debbie; his mother, Sheila Herke; and a granddaughter.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at the Grey Eagle United Methodist Church in Grey Eagle. Visitation will be  held from 9 to 10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls.

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