Nordica Ahsenmacher, 97

Nordica “Dixie” M. Ahsenmacher, 97, of Annandale died Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 at the Buffalo Hospital.

Funeral services took place on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Zion Lutheran Church, Annandale, with Rev. Thomas Queck officiating.  Burial followed at Woodlawn Cemetery. Friends called one hour prior to the service.

Nordica Martha Ahsenmacher was born on Sept. 2, 1914 in Belgrade, Minn. to Lewis and Jennie (Johnson) Mikkelson. She attended Warner Country School and graduated from Belgrade High School in 1932. She was united in marriage to Joseph Ahsenmacher on June 24, 1944 in Belgrade.  Together they farmed in Corinna Township on Clearwater Lake.

Dixie was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Camp Friendship Auxiliary and volunteered at the Annandale Care Center.  She enjoyed gardening and cooking. One of Dixie’s greatest passions was using her artistic abilities to create works of art.

She is survived by: her children, Becky Jancik of Buffalo and Bruce of Annandale; grandchildren, Ryan Jancik of Brooklyn Park, Robyn Jancik of Buffalo, Jesse Ahsenmacher of South Haven, and Travis Ahsenmacher of New Town, N.D.; and other family and friends.  Dixie was preceded in death by: her husband, Joseph, on July 13, 1994; her five siblings; and grandson, Jacob Ahsenmacher.

Pallbearers: Jesse and Travis Ahsenmacher, Robyn Jancik, David, Jon and Wayne Steffensen.

Music for the service provided by Julie Starke.

Arrangements entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care, Annandale.

Virginia Barfknecht, 89

Virginia Catherine Barfknecht, 89, of Watertown passed away on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 at the Howard Lake Good Samaritan Center.

She was born on July 15, 1922 in Ogema, Minn., the daughter of Henry and Minnie Imgrund Neises. Virginia graduated from Wadena High School in 1939.

On Sept. 11, 1948, Virginia Neises and Richard Barfknecht were joined in holy marriage at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Delano. God blessed their marriage with four children.

Virginia was formerly employed for 19 years by the Postal Service in Watertown. Her main interest in life was her family, and she enjoyed being with them and doing things for them. Virginia loved to travel.

She was a member of the Church of St. Francis in Buffalo and was a lifelong devoted Catholic who practiced her faith every day.

Survived by: two sons, Terry Barfknecht (Sharon) of Howard Lake and Kevin (Kelly) Barfknecht of Lester Prairie; two daughters, Mary Barfknecht of New York City and Ann Barfknecht of Waverly; five grandchildren, Jennifer (Michael) Dalton, Kristy Barfknecht, Lacy Christopherson, Rich (Sarah) Barfknecht, and Nick Nygaard; six great-grandchildren; nephews, James and Gerald Neises; a niece, Jean; and many other relatives and friends.

Preceded in death by: her husband, Richard Barfknecht in 1991; a granddaughter, Lauren Nygaard in 1987 at the age of five; parents; a sister, Helen in infancy; a brother, Robert Neises; and a sister-in-law, JoAnn Neises.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Virginia Barfknecht was held on Monday, Jan. 30, 11 a.m., at the Church of St. Francis in Buffalo. Father David Hennen was the Celebrant. Interment followed at St. Francis Cemetery. A visitation was held on Monday from 10-11 a.m. at the Church of St. Francis in Buffalo.

Casket bearers were: Terry Barfknecht, Kevin Barfknecht, Rich Barfknecht, Nick Nygaard, Brandon Kottke, and Kenny Dressel.

The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo served the family.

Abraham Cation, 69

Abraham P. “Abe” Cation, 69, of Becker, a longtime proprietor of Abe’s Upholstery, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 at his residence.

Funeral services for Abe are taking place on Monday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m., at the Evangelical Covenant Church in Buffalo. Interment with military rites is planned at the Swedish Mission Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church on Monday one hour prior to services.

A full obituary is forthcoming.

The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family.

Charlene Covietz, 43

Charlene Dawn “Charlie” Covietz, 43, of Buffalo passed away on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

She was born on May 22, 1968 in Minneapolis, the daughter of Donald W. and Laura P. Padyjasek Covietz.  Charlene graduated from Buffalo High School. She was formerly employed at Functional Industries and was recently employed at ATHC in Winsted. Charlene loved listening to music and loved animals. Her favorite restaurants were McDonald’s and Dairy Queen.

Charlene is survived by: her mother, Laura LaZarre, of Nevis; a sister, Donna (Kent) Knacke, of Rockford; brothers, Wally Covietz of Waconia (and loving companion, Erin) and Steve (Tammy) Covietz of Cologne; two nephews and a niece, Reid and Krislyn and Vaughn; and other relatives and friends.

Preceded in death by her father, Donald W. Covietz, and by her step-father, Jack LaZarre.

A Memorial Mass for Charlene Covietz was held on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 11 a.m., at the Church of St. Francis in Buffalo. Father David Hennen was the Celebrant.  A time of gathering was held on Tuesday at the church one hour prior to Mass.

The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo served the family.

Sharon Ann Freese, 62

Sharon Ann Freese, 62, of Rockford, Minn. passed away on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 at the Buffalo Hospital.

She was born on Jan. 11, 1950 in Wabasha, Minn., the daughter of Benedict C. and Cecelia Schwirtz Giesler.  Sharon graduated from Lake City High School in 1968. She later attended Winona Tech for accounting.

On June 12, 1971, Sharon Giesler and Robert Freese were joined in holy marriage at Saint Mary's of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake City, Minn. Sharon and Bob moved to Rockford six years ago from Winona.

She was formerly employed at Choates Department Store in Winona. Through the years, Sharon also worked part time as a machine operator and most recently in the produce department at Walmart in Maple Grove.  She enjoyed attending dirt track races, shopping and cooking.

Survived by: her husband, Robert F. "Bob" Freese; her mother, Cecelia Giesler of Lake City, Minn.; a sister/cousin, Virginia “Jennie” Anderson of Bloomington; and other relatives and friends.

Preceded in death by her father, Benedict C. Giesler, in 1981.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Sharon Freese will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, 10:30 a.m., at Saint Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake City. Father Daniel Dernek will be the Celebrant.  A visitation is taking place Saturday from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church.

The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo, Minn. is serving the family.

Alvera Honebrink, 102

Alvera Martha Honebrink was born April 11, 1909 to George and Johanna (Lambrecht) Westermann in Camden Township near New Germany, Minn. She passed away on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 at the age of 102.

Alvera was united in Holy Wedlock to Wilfred Honebrink by Pastor Theo Rolf in New Germany. To this union two children were born, Wille and Mavis.

Alvera was preceded in death by: her husband, Wilfred; her daughter, Mavis; her parents; 8 sisters; 6 brothers; and her great-great-granddaughter, Michaela. She is survived by: her son, Wille; 6 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral services took place on Monday, Jan. 30 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Montrose. Visitation was in the church one hour prior to the services. Pastor Robert Hellmann officiated, with interment in the East Mt. Olive Cemetery in Delano. Memorials preferred to the Cancer Fund.

Arrangements by the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.

Clifford Hudek, 86

Clifford J. Hudek, 86, of Maple Lake died Monday, Jan. 30, 2012 at the Annandale Care Center.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3 at St. Timothy Catholic Church, Maple Lake, with Fr. Michael Izen as the Celebrant. Burial will follow at the parish cemetery. Friends may call from 4-8 p.m. Thursday and from 9-10 a.m. Friday, both at Dingmann Funeral Care Chapel, Maple Lake. A prayer service is taking place at 7 p.m. Thursday in the funeral home.

Clifford James Hudek was born Feb. 2, 1925 in Maple Lake to Thomas and Grace (Pavlik) Hudek. He graduated from Maple Lake High School. Cliff served his country in Italy as a medic in the U.S. Army during World War II.

On Oct. 7, 1948 he was united in marriage to Lois Marie Fouquette. Cliff owned and operated the family farm until becoming the district manager for American Breeders Service.

Cliff was a past commander of Maple Lake VFW Post 7664, past chair of the Maple Lake School Board, recipient of the Minneapolis Aquatennial Commodore Award, Wright County Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year, Maple Lake Grand Marshal, as well as Grand Marshal of the North Shore 4th of July Parade, member of the Hasty Silver Creek Sportsman's Club, and member of the Maple Lake Community Theater. In his later years, his passion was making sure that every veteran received an honor guard at their funeral. Cliff enjoyed woodworking, fishing, driving his Gator, entertaining family and friends at the lake, attending his grandchildren's activities, and lending a helping hand to any community organization that asked.

He is survived by: his children and their spouses, Mary Jo and Larry Schulz of Fergus Falls, Carol and Larry Zeman of Ramsey, and Alan and Julie of Buffalo; daughter-in-law, Barb of Buffalo; brother-in-law, Frank Fouquette of Buffalo; sister-in-law, Dolores Fouquette of Annandale; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.  He is preceded in death by his wife, Lois, sons, David and Andrew, and brother, Ralph.

Pallbearers will be his grandchildren: Chad Hudek, Jonathan Schulz, Rachel Erger, Elizabeth Schulz, Adia Zeman, Nick Hudek, Kendra Zeman, and Danielle Hudek.

Arrangements are entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care of Maple Lake.

William Jenson, 86

William John “Bill” Jenson, 86, of Buffalo, Minn., formerly of Loretto and Minneapolis, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 at the Lake Ridge Care Center in Buffalo.

He was born Jan. 25, 1925 to William and Clara (Heyn) Jenson in St. Paul.

“Bill’s gone fishing.”

He is survived by: his loving wife, Margaret; siblings, Shirley Swenson of Little Falls, Minn. and Vernon (Deanna) Jenson Robbinsdale, Minn.; and sister-in-law, Evelyn Burns of Richfield, Minn.

Memorial services were held on Monday, Jan. 30, 2 p.m., at Lake Ridge Care Center in Buffalo.

Arrangements by the Iten Funeral Home in Delano, Minn.

Lloyd Larson, 81

Lloyd G. Larson, 81, of Naples, Fla. passed away Jan. 23, 2012 with dignity and courage at his home.  Lloyd was a retired member of the United States Marine Corps and served from 1951-1954.

He was a proud Marine who always said "Once a Marine, always a Marine."  He retired to Naples in 1988 after working for NSP (Xcel Energy in Minneapolis) after 32 years of service.

He is survived by: his wife of 59 1/2 years, JoAnn; children, Sherri (Richard) of Minneapolis and Cynthia of Naples, Fla.; along with grandchildren, Kurt, Derek (Sarah), Emily Anderson of Minneapolis, Brittany (Reid) Antonacchio of Indianapolis, and Bryce Haaland of Orlando; and one great-grandchild, Avery Antonacchio of Indianapolis. Lloyd is also survived by his identical twin brother, Gerald (Dolores) Larson of Annandale, Minn.

Lloyd enjoyed volunteering for various projects within the community, especially for his beloved Unity churches. He loved helping people in need and also designing and building. He felt it was his duty to help those who are less fortunate. "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it," was his philosophy.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m., at The Unity of Bonita Springs Church. In addition, at a later date a service will be held in Annandale. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorials to be made to the Building Fund of The Unity of Bonita Springs Church, 28285 Imperial Parkway, Bonita Springs, Fla. 34135.

Helen Matter, 94

Helen Elizabeth Matter, 94, of Delano, Minn. passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 at the Golden Living Center in Delano.

She was born Jan. 28, 1918 to Albert and Anna (Wandersee) Adickes in Franklin Township, Minn.

Helen was preceded in death by: her husband, Armand; children, Janet Krause, Jane Giese, Armand Matter Jr., and Sharon Stoneburner; sons-in-law, Clement Farniok, Kenneth Giese, Jerry Mortensen, and Jeff Stoneburner; as well as her six siblings and parents.

Helen is survived by: her children, Carol Mortensen, Carmen Farniok, David (Linda) Matter, Dennis Matter, and Judith Sericola; 32 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, Feb. 3, 11 a.m., at the West Pointe Church in Delano. Visitation is on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.  Visitation will continue on Friday one hour prior to the service. Pastor Tyler Grant will officiate at the services, with interment at the Calvary Cemetery in Delano.

Arrangements by the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.

William Miller, 50

William C. “Billy” Miller, 50, of Buffalo passed away on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 at the Fairview University Hospital in Minneapolis.

He was born on Dec. 5, 1961 in St. Cloud, the son of Albert and Wanda Clark Miller. Billy grew up in Clearwater and graduated from Buffalo High School in 1980.  He was a former beautician. Later he was employed as a nursing orderly at the Wright County Retirement Center in Buffalo and Ebenezer in Minneapolis.  He loved his dogs and animals. Billy also enjoyed family, friends, gardening, and carpentry.

Survived by: four siblings, Ann (Mike) Clark of Hoover, Ala., Keith Jancik of Brooklyn Center, Bertie (Bernard) Lindstrom of Buffalo, and Debbie (Charles “Chuck”) Stegmeier of Salt Lake City; and nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Preceded in death by his parents, infant brother, Charles, and by an infant sister.

A Celebration of Bill's Life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, 1:30 p.m., at the Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Pastor Gary Palermo will officiate.

Madge Osterbauer, 97

Madge Osterbauer, 97, passed away at Sunrise Cottages on January 30, 2012, with her family by her side.

Madge was born in Flanders, So. Dakota to David and Mary Collins on June 5, 1914. She was baptized in Flanders, and confirmed at a catholic church in Willmar, Minn. She grew up in Raymond and Murdock, Minn.

Madge married James Commerford January 23, 1935. They were blessed with two children. Jim passed away in 1984. Madge then married Rudy Osterbauer and lived on a farm south of DeGraff. After Rudy’s death, she moved to Buffalo to be near her son’s family where she lived at Sunrise Assisted Living and then Sunrise Cottages for Memory Loss.

She was preceded in death by her two husbands, son Jerry Commerford, daughter Karen Lauder, grandson Troy Commerford, parents, brothers Vince, Tom, Dave, Pat, and Jim Collins, sisters Sally Fredine and Winnie Dineen, and stepson Bobby Osterbauer.

Survived by sister Ronnie (Evan) Olson; grandchildren Jaime (Chip) Sueker, Shawna (Kurt) Fadden, Corey (Becky) Commerford, Laurie (Rock Lewandowski) Lauder, Lynn Lauder (John Bryant); great-grandchildren Steph (Theron) Pemberton, Nikki Anderson, Jake Kenmir, Jana Kenmir, Jessa Fadden, Kailey and Connor Commerford; great great-grandchildren Devin and Kinzie Anderson, and Nora Pemberton; daughter-in-law Marge Commerford; son-in-law Jim (Kathleen) Lauder; stepchildren John (Eileen) Osterbauer, Roxanne (Warren) Nehring, and Jerry Osterbauer.

Funeral services for Madge will be at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Murdock, Minn. on Saturday, February 4, at 11 a.m. with visitation 2 hours before the service.

Casket bearers: Grandchildren Jaime Sueker, Shawna Fadden, Corey Commerford, Laurie Lauder, Rock Lewandowski, and Lynn Lauder.

Honorary casket bearers: great-grandchildren Steph Pemberton, Nikki Anderson, Jake Kenmir, Jana Kenmir, Jessa Fadden, Kailey and Connor Commerford; great great-grandchildren Devin and Kinzie Anderson, and Nora Pemberton, sister Ronnie (Evan) Olson, stepchildren John (Eileen) Osterbauer, Roxanne (Warren) Nehring, and Jerry Osterbauer.

E. Lorraine Tacheny, 83

E. Lorraine Tacheny, 83, of Albertville, Minn., formerly of Brooklyn Park, Minn., passed away on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 at North Memorial Medical Center Hospice in Robbinsdale, Minne.

Lorraine was born Oct. 28, 1928 in Minneapolis, the daughter of Abrham and Mary French. Lorraine was preceded in death by husband of 60 years, William J. “Bill” Tacheny, her parents and her five brothers. She is survived by: her loving children, Marsha (Mike) Oberg, Steve (Joanna) Tacheny, Gwen Tacheny, Jill (Maynard) Walker, Beth Block, and Michael (Shawna) Tacheny; twelve grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two sisters; special friends, Tom and Maryann Sexton; and other family and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial for E. Lorraine Tacheny was held on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 3 p.m., at St. Albert's Catholic Church in Albertville. A Visitation took place on Wednesday from 1 p.m. until the time of Mass at the church.

The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home served the family.

Robert Vandermey, 84

Robert “Bob” Vandermey, 84, of Delano, formerly of St. Paul and Genola, Minn., passed away last Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Golden Living Care Center in Delano.

Funeral service Tuesday, Feb. 7, 10:30 a.m., Light of Christ Lutheran Church, Delano.  Visitation Monday, 4-8:30 p.m., with Prayer Service, 8 p.m., Iten Funeral Home, Delano. Interment Ft. Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis.

A complete obit is forthcoming.

Arrangements by Iten Funeral Home, Delano.

Carl Zachmann, 81

Carl Joseph Zachmann, 81, of Blaine, Minn. passed away in Jan. 25, 2012.

Preceded in death by parents, one sister and two brothers. Survived by: wife, Virginia; daughters, Linda (Larry) Mozdzyn, Joyce (Larry) Swanson, Patricia (Brent) Pobuda, and Barbara (James) Murphy; son, Jeffrey (Deborah); 13 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren; sister, Sr. Mary Alice, SSND of Mankato; and brothers, Paul of Baker, Mont. and Frank of St. Michael.

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Blaine, Minn. on Saturday, Jan. 28, with interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Arrangements with Kozlak-Radulovich Blaine Chapel.