Obituaries 1/7/21
Violet Brown, 92
Violet A. Brown, age 92, formerly of Rockford, passed away on Friday, January 1, 2021 at Park View Care Center in Buffalo.
She was born on June 12, 1928 in Greenfield Township, the daughter of Adolph and Pauline (Kottke) Schleif.
Violet was baptized at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield. She was also instructed in the Lutheran Catechism and confirmed in the Christian faith at Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockford.
She attended rural school District #76 through the eighth grade and graduated from Rockford High School in 1946.
Violet is survived by her children, Kevin (Sharon) Brown, of Blaine, Lester Brown, of Arizona, and Darla Nelson, of Becker; five grandchildren, Derek Nelson, Walter Nelson, Brianna Nelson, Rick Brown, and Katrina Beadsly; three great-grandchildren, Mika Clements, Richard Brown, and Alexis Brown; other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by an infant sister, Ruth; her parents; and a sister, Rachel Pischel; and by a brother, Wilmar Schleif.
Funeral services for Violet “Vi” Brown will be held on Friday, January 8, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockford. Pastor Michael Barlow will officiate. Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in Rockford. A visitation will be held on Friday, January 8 one hour prior to services at the church.
Casket Bearers will be Brianna Nelson, Cody Clements, Derek Nelson, Kaylene Nelson, Walter Nelson, and Jo Thompson.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Ruth Goerke, 81
Ruth Esther Goerke, age 81, of Buffalo, and formerly of Chatham Township, Wright County, passed away on Thursday, December 31, 2020 at The Buffalo Hospital.
She was born on January 2, 1939 in Marysville Township, Wright County, the daughter of William and Esther (Uecker) Ladda.
Ruth was baptized on January 23, 1939. She was also instructed in the Lutheran Catechism and confirmed in the Christian faith on June 1, 1952. Her confirmation memory verse was II Corinthians 5:15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him, which died for them, and rose again.” Ruth graduated from Maple Lake High School in 1957.
On August 2, 1958, Ruth E. Ladda and Arnold W. Goerke were joined in holy marriage at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Middleville Township. God blessed their marriage with four daughters. She was a housewife, and formerly worked at Federal Cartridge and Cornelius Company.
Ruth enjoyed her family, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, especially when they came to visit. She was also fond of fishing, flowers, and feeding the birds on her deck. She was a faithful member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church where she served as Church organist, Sunday school teacher, financial secretary, and belonged to L.W.M.L.
Ruth is survived by her loving daughters, Deborah (Jim) Schaufler, of Maple Lake, Rebecca (Mark) Himmelspach, of Clearwater, Karla Walberg, of Buffalo, and Renee (Daren) Demarais, of Maple Lake; eleven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Arnold W. Goerke, on October 31, 2017; her parents; her sisters, Leona Ladda, Sadie Goerke, and Elsie Dalbec.
Funeral services for Ruth Goerke were held on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Middleville Township. Pastor Lynn Machula officiated. Interment followed at the church cemetery. A visitation was held on Monday, January 4 from 4-8 p.m. at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. A Prayer service was held at 7:00 p.m. Further visitation was held on Tuesday morning, January 5 one hour prior to services at the church.
Honorary Casket Bearers were Amber Knese, Ashley Remer, Heather Gulbranson, and Kaylee Walberg.
Casket Bearers were her seven grandsons, David Barstow, Ryan Remer, Spencer Wright, Steven Walberg, Jaret Demarais, Justin Demarais, and Jayce Demarais.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Elton Gruenhagen, 86
Elton Edward Gruenhagen, 86, a farmer and life-long resident of Howard Lake, was called to his eternal home on January 1, 2021.
Elton was born on August 3, 1934 to Herb and Helen (Reinmuth) Gruenhagen. Elton was reborn through baptism also on August 3, 1934. He confirmed his faith on April 10, 1949.
Elton was a graduate of Howard Lake High School, Class of 1953. Elton was united in marriage to Joyce Marquette on March 29, 1958 at St. James Lutheran Church of Howard Lake. They shared 45 years together. Elton was a lifelong member of St. James Lutheran Church. He enjoyed a lifetime of dairy and crop farming with his wife, children, and grandchildren. When Elton was not working, he could be found watching sports, Billy’s (westerns), and Family Feud. Elton will be remembered for his faith, strong work ethic, and witty personality. He was fond of traveling, especially with his wife, Joyce.
Elton is survived by his children, Craig (Debra) Gruenhagen, of Howard Lake, Cheryl (Bill) Morris, of Saginaw, Michigan, and Brian (Rena) Gruenhagen, of Howard Lake. He is also survived by grandchildren, who meant the world to him, Nathan (Heidi) Gruenhagen, Amanda (Mark) Meddaugh, Ryan (Sara) Gruenhagen, Jessica (Jordan) Moberg, Daniel Morris, Tyler (Ashlee) Gruenhagen, and Gabrielle (Jake) Wurm. He is survived by his great-grandchildren, Hailey and Blake Gruenhagen, Grace and Jake Meddaugh, Kayley, Ryley and Paisley Moberg, Adelynn Wurm and Blythe Walbon. Also surviving is sister, Erla Mae Jackson, of Arizona.
Elton was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce, and son, Wayne. He is also preceded in death by his sister, Barbara, and brother, Victor.
Funeral Service will be at 2 p.m., Thursday, January 7, 2021 at St. James Lutheran Church of Howard Lake. Visitation was from 4-8 p.m., Wednesday at Church, 7 p.m. prayer service. Interment at Howard Lake Cemetery.
Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Cokato and Howard Lake, 320-543-3401.
Donovan Hayes, 97
Donovan Peter Hayes, Oct. 19, 1923 - Dec. 23, 2020, 97 years
Don was born on Oct. 19, 1923 to William and Mae (Matter) Hayes. He was the third of six boys and led an adventurous life in his youth. He once saved the life of a boy by diving into the Crow River to rescue him from drowning. Don had many nicknames during his lifetime: Rex, Joe, Pete, and Cuss, because he was such an independent cuss. He was the last survivor of the six boys. In 1941, he was part of the last class to graduate from Montrose High School.
Don met Etta Cyrus at the Howard Lake Strawberry Festival in 1942. He enlisted in the Merchant Marines in 1943 and married Etta later that year. They were married for 77 years. He said that she was the best wife ever. They had three children, Linda Tesch (deceased), Brad (Beth) Hayes, Kelso, WA, and Craig Hayes, Montrose MN. He had 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
Don had a variety of jobs throughout his life, including factory work. He ran an auto painting and cabinet building shop from his home. He coached youth baseball, hauling the gear and whole team in his ‘50 Plymouth Convertible. When he served on the Montrose City Council, it was his idea to establish Veterans Park.
He retired at age 63 and said that retirement was the best job he ever had. He enjoyed gardening, restoring Plymouths, feeding birds and wood working. He built three of the houses he lived in and did most of the work himself, including building the cabinets. He lived in Montrose, MN for all but eight years spent in Rose Valley, WA. He enjoyed picking his guitar and writing songs about riding the rails. His last goal was to live to 99, and he nearly made it.
A Celebration of Life will be planned at a later time.
Joy Hickman, 69
Joy Ann Hickman (Gallus), age 69, of Walla Walla, WA passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 following a brief illness. She was born November 8, 1951, the daughter of Ralph and Shirley Gallus.
Joy had spent most of her life in Minnesota working in the medical device field. Upon their retirement, Jim and Joy moved to Walla Walla to be near their youngest grandchildren. She loved tending to her beautiful flower gardens, and Hampshire sheep flock.
Joy was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Sandy, and Molly and daughter, Katie.
She will be greatly missed by her husband, Jim; children, Beau (Genevieve) and Charles (Denielle); grandchildren, Justin, Brenden, Sloane, and Shepard; as well as her brothers and sisters.
A private service will take place this summer 2021 in Minnesota. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your local food bank.
Gladys Peterson, 100
Gladys K. Peterson, age 100, of Howard Lake, died Monday, December 28, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Society in Howard Lake.
A Private Memorial Service was held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 5, 2021, Rev. Alex Becker officiated. Burial followed at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery near French Lake. Services were live streamed on the funeral home website.
Gladys Katherine Walberg was born February 7, 1920 in French Lake Township to Gustav and Amanda (Opsahl) Walberg. Gladys attended school in Annandale. She was united in marriage to Edwin Larson, Adolph Johnson and Clifford Peterson; all three preceded her in death.
Gladys was blessed with four children. In addition to caring for her family, Gladys worked at a canning factory in Cokato and in the laundry room at the care center in Howard Lake. She was a member at Immanuel Lutheran Church near French Lake. Gladys enjoyed garage sales, thrift stores and going to the casino.
Gladys is survived by her daughters, Winnie LaVine, of Annandale, Judy (Paul) Giese, of Lanesboro, and Patty (Steve) Janey, of Becker; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren; sister, Elsie (Ed) Sund, of Silverdale, WA; and numerous nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by her son, James Larson and three infant children; husbands, Edwin Larson, Adolph Johnson, and Clifford Peterson; siblings, Russell Walberg, Clifford Walberg, Ernold Walberg, John Walberg, Milton Walberg, Alden Walberg, Bernice Johnson, Celeste Lange, Pearl Fobbe, and Arlene Buranen.
Arrangements were entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care Burial & Cremation Services of Annandale.
Obituary, Tribute Wall and Funeral Webcast online at www.dingmannfuneral.com.
Walter Pruitt, 68
Walter Eugene Pruitt, age 68, of Buffalo, Minnesota died on Monday, December 21, 2020, of natural causes quietly at home. “Gene” was born on September 12, 1952 in Farmington, Minnesota to William Turner Pruitt and Esther Elizabeth Pruitt (Rabe). He led an energetic and passionate life, always looking for something new to learn, understand, and conquer.
Gene had a wide variety of interests and hobbies and was a talented thinker and meticulous problem solver with a knack for being able to do whatever he set his mind to. He had a wide range of natural gifts, with a special talent for repairing engines, both large and small. He had an innate drive to understand, master, fix, repair, and put things in order with his mantra, “If you’re going to do something, do it right the first time” as his guiding principle.
He was a loving father, stern in his reproach, but always wanted what was best for his kids and did his best to provide for his family. Never more than a phone call away, he would drop what he was doing to come to your aid, regardless of time of day or night. If you had needed it, he would have given you the shirt off his back or the last five dollars in his pocket.
As a people person, he touched the lives of many through his acts of service, his easy-going charm, charisma, and love of good conversation. He had the ability to command a room and enthrall those he captured in his orbit with his wit and multitude of stories. At the core of that easy-going charm were his varied life experiences making him acutely aware of the fleeting quality of life, the passage of time, and his own flaws. His deep understanding of life, with both its wins and losses, made him more genuine, more human, to those who knew him best.
Gene had a great love for the outdoors and felt a special connection with nature and the natural world. Whether he was enjoying a sunny summer day working on a project outside, spending an evening watching Nova or Nature on public television, reading National Geographic, or standing on the apron of his shop watching a storm roll in, he was completely enthralled with the world around him.
He was always in awe of the power of nature, the natural world, and the vastness of the universe and all things within it. His hunger for learning and drive to understand the essence of all things is something he instilled in his two sons and for which they will always be grateful.
Gene is survived by his wife, Mary (Barnard); daughter, Amber; his two sons, Russell and Spencer; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A small memorial service will be held in the fall of 2021 to honor his legacy and all he gave to those around him.
“Now cracks a noble heart - Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to the rest.”
Serving the family is The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo, 763-682-1363, www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Dr. George Robertson, 88
On December 31, 2020, Dr. George W. Robertson, father of five daughters and grandfather to eight grandchildren, passed away at the age of 88.
George was born on September 14, 1932 in Chicago, IL to George M. and Alice K. (Brabec) Robertson. In 1943, the family moved to Buffalo, and George attended St. Francis Xavier grade school, and then went to St. Thomas Military Academy where he graduated in 1950. He then went to St. Thomas College, and later transferred to Northern Illinois College of Optometry where he graduated in 1956. George married Phyllis (Breig) in 1955. George and Phyllis moved to Buffalo in 1956 to raise their five daughters and assumed his father’s optometric practice and retired after 45 years.
George was an active volunteer both professional and on a community level. He served both on the Minnesota Optometric Association and the North Central States Optometric Council for over 15 years where he took on many leadership roles. His passion was education and served eight years as the Education Chairman of the nine-state regional conference. He was instrumental in changing the scope of the practice of Optometric, in both Minnesota and other neighboring States. In 1978, he was elected President of the Minnesota Optometric Association. In 1980, he was honored as the Optometrist of the year, and then went on to serve as President of the N.C.S.O.C. in 1988. In 1999, he was presented with a special Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Optometric Association in recognition and appreciation of his years of dedicated service.
George had many leadership roles in service to his community. He was a loyal member of the Lions for nearly 60 years. He was the club’s President and elected District Governor in 1963. He was President of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce and helped put Buffalo on the map with the whale watching week in 1975. He also served on the Buffalo Days Committee and was instrumental in make the Buffalo Days parade one of the largest in the state. He received an Honorary Commodore Award from the Minneapolis Aquatennial for his many years of service to the Buffalo community. He also served on the Library board and help raise money to open up the new library. George was a faithful member of St. Francis Xavier Church as served on the finance committee, as a Lector, Eucharist Minister, and fundraiser at King’s House Retreat House. He also served on the board of directors at the Guthrie Theater and was responsible for entertaining the actors that came to town. He was an active member in both Toastmasters and the Rotary Club.
George was passionate about his family, reading, golfing, fishing, bird hunting, the Vikings, and flying his small engine aircraft. He was known for his quick wit, intelligence, kindness, and ability to make friends wherever he went.
George was preceded in death by his father, George; mother, Alice; and wife, Phyllis with whom he had five daughters.
He is survived by his wife, Jan; his daughters with Phyllis, Victoria Robertson, Melissa Robertson (Leo Wang), Stacy Robertson, Laura Olson (Chris), and Emery Page (Michael); eight grandchildren, Sophia Page, Claire Page, Luke Page, Michaela Page, Matthew Page, Madeline Olson, Emma Olson and Edward Wang. He is also survived by his sister, Carol (Jim) Jacobsen; and cousins, Walter Roberts and Maxine Kostiak.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later time.
Eugene Zachman, 92
Eugene G. Zachman, age 92, of Albertville, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 28, 2020. Born June 26, 1928, to Henry and Susan Hackenmueller Zachman in Albertville, MN.
Eugene was preceded in death by his parents, infant daughter, Catherine, and ten siblings.
He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Lois; children, Trudy Zachman, Bruce (Jolene) Zachman, Ted (friend Michelle) Zachman, Doug (Roxy) Zachman, Phil (Deb) Zachman, Anne (George) Busse, Ruth (Ed) Robeck, Ray Zachman, Sara (Eric) Dehmer; grandchildren, Mitchell, Nolan, Marshall, Luke, Jodi, Tiffany, Tonia, Amy, Katie, Kara, Grace, Sister Mary Pietrina, Sam, John, Jane, Paul, Liz, Kelly, Terese, Luke, Lauren, Matthew, Noah; 17 great-grandchildren; brother, Jerome Zachman; in-laws, Marlene Zachman, Beverly Kessler, Kate (Ray) Daleiden, Paul (Joyce) Kessler; and many other relatives and friends.
A visitation was held on Monday, January 4, 2021, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the St. Michael Catholic Church, 11300 Frankfort Parkway NE, St. Michael, MN 55376. Mass of Christian Burial followed at 11 a.m.
Our family wants to extend our special thanks to the staff at Guardian Angels – Engel Haus and Guardian Angels – Elim Care Hospice for their compassionate care of our Father.
The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
