Motorcycle crash near outskirts of Cold Spring kills Albany man

ST. CLOUD — An Albany man died on Friday, Sept. 4, after he crashed his motorcycle while driving along County Road 50 in Wakefield Township. Stephen Joseph Gretsch, 64, was driving a 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcycle without a helmet with two other motorcyclists on County Road 50 when they approached a curve near Glenwood Road, according to information from the Stearns County Sheriff's Office. While the two other drivers turned, Gretsch continued straight and fell into a southbound ditch. Responding Cold Spring Police officers attempted life-saving measures, but Gretsch was declared dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation by the Stearns County Sheriff's Office and alcohol is not believed to be a factor. The motorcycle was heavily damaged during the crash, and a fiber-optic cable box and utility pole were also damaged. The Cold Spring Police Department, Stearns County Sheriff's Office, Mayo Ambulance Services and Cold Spring Fire and Rescue all assisted in the response. Gretsch and his wife, Patty Olmscheid, purchased KFLD Radio in 2005, where he voiced local sports and hosted a morning radio show, according to his obituary. A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Seven Dolors Church in Albany, with a private interment scheduled for a later date. A celebration of life ceremony will be held after the Mass at Shady's Sunset Bay in St. Anna. Instead of flowers, the family is requesting memorial contributions to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.