Timothy Bertz

Tim was a lot of things to a lot of people. He was a son, brother, nephew, uncle & husband to his family. He was a “brother” to his teammates in the Navy and in the fire & emergency industry. He loved everyone & supported all of them with his words of wisdom from all the things he experienced in his life. He was tough not only physically but mentally. He had an all-in attitude. If he committed to do something, he did with such determination & tenacity. He joined the Navy to be a firefighter. He got sidetracked with what the Navy saw in him and went through the process of becoming a Navy SEAL. He was respected by many and has been called a hero by ones who served with him. He did courageous things, risking his life for his teammates & others that were in need. He was highly decorated with awards & metals while in the Navy, classified of course. As his life continued, he became a farmer, raising various animals for meat orders in a kind & thoughtful manner. He loved dogs & had 12 of them throughout his adult years. He was an avid hunter, fisherman & trapper. He spent many, many hours in the woods or on the water finding his peace. Lastly, he was able to achieve his dream job of becoming a firefighter by volunteering at Harris FD seeing a need to help & support his community on their worst days. He went back to school & got his EMT license in order to help others even more than putting out fires. He became a professional firefighter at Lino Lakes FD & in December of 2025, graduated from an intense eight-week academy to become a St. Paul Firefighter! The oldest to do so at 52 years of age! His family is extremely proud of his accomplishments & everyone who knows him dearly misses him. Donating his organs is his final contribution to others in need. There was nothing he couldn’t do except grow old with his adoring & loving wife.

Tim wanted to help others and saw a value in helping his community. He was there to help people on their worst day.