Montevideo Veteran’s Home gets boost from former Clarkfield resident

The Montevideo Veterans Home, currently in the planning stages, is getting a big boost from a former area man. During a community meeting scheduled Wednesday (Dec. 5), a presentation from the Wold/Perkins/Eastman Architectural Firm highlighting the preliminary concept of the new home will be presented in Montevideo.

At that time, a major donation from the family of late Vietnam veteran Steve Williams, formerly of Clarkfield, is helping make possible the Montevideo Veterans Home. Details of the donation have not been announced at this time.

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the City of Montevideo will announce the major gift from the family of the late Steve Williams at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the American Legion Club in Montevideo.

Williams’ brother, Jim Williams, wrestling referee well-known in this area, will announce the details of the gift.

Jim Williams, who referees many Minnesota, state and even Minnesota Gophers wrestling matches, said, “This is God working in a mysterious way.” Officials of the proposed Veterans Home also found it an exciting development.

“Very exciting,’’ said Marv Garbe, of the Montevideo Veterans Home Committee, concerning the donation.

The home’s concept was announced this past year, but with the donation and with the architectural drawings to be announced, it’s coming one step closer to reality.

It will be a 72-bed home developed on a 13.5 acre site at the intersection of William Avenue and Chippewa County Road 15. According to Jim Williams, the donation came about when he suggested to brother Steve he include it in a trust fund.

Steve Williams specified five Veteran’s Organizations to be the beneficiaries of his trust fund.

Steve Williams, 70, who died unexpectedly on March 14 in Nevada was a 1966 graduate of Clarkfield High school and he served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

During his time there, he served in the Mekong Delta and earned a bronze star.

Upon his return home, he got his degree at Southwest State University in Marshall and worked for Hormel Foods in several different areas.

According to Jim Williams, his late brother had been a frugal man and had invested wisely. He had been married only briefly.

The surviving family is hoping to make possible the trust fund donations to all of the organizations chosen by Steve Williams before the year’s end, with the Montevideo Veterans Home project being the first to be named, said Jim Williams.