Obituaries 04/09/26
James Anderson, Sr., 79
James Alfred Anderson, Sr., age 79, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away suddenly on March 31, 2026, due to natural causes. Services were held April 7 at North Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was a devout member for many years. James, who was also affectionately known as “Big Andy,” was born in Buffalo, Minnesota, to Alfred and Anna Anderson. After graduating from Buffalo High School in 1964, he served in the United States Navy until he was honorably discharged. He then worked for many years for the Duval County School District until his retirement.
James is survived by his wife, Breita; his daughter, Erica (Scott) Sutek, his daughter Ellen (Kevin) Smith; and 12 grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Karin (Mike) Carter; and several nieces and nephews who adored him.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Jessica; his brother, Dave Anderson, of Buffalo; his sister, Mary Ann and her husband, Jack Jerred, of Madison, Wisconsin; and his son, James Jr., also known as “Little Andy.”
He looked forward to returning to Buffalo every year for his Class of 1964 reunion. He loved reuniting with his classmates, his family, and his many friends. He will be dearly missed by so many people.
Thad Ashwill, 87
Thad L. Ashwill, age 87, of Annandale, died Thursday, April 2, 2026, at the St. Cloud Hospital.
Memorial Services will be held 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 10, 2026, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Buffalo with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. Pastor Ryan Clark and Pastor Chris Ryan will officiate. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, Annandale.
Thad Leonard Ashwill was born December 10, 1938, in Kingston Township, to Leonard and Mabel (Jacobson) Ashwill. Thad was a graduate of Kimball High School and pursued further education at the University of Minnesota, focusing on agriculture. He met the love of his life, Diana Hawkinson, and they were united in marriage on September 8, 1962, at Zion Lutheran Church in Annandale. They lived a short time in Minneapolis before building a home in Annandale in 1964, where they would raise their three children, Tab, Trent, and Tracy.
Thad devoted 30 years of his career to the Ford Motor Company in St. Paul. Even after his retirement, his passion for agriculture remained strong as he farmed for Doug Triplett for 25 years. Thad found joy in farming, fishing, hunting, playing cards, listening to old country music, watching old history documentaries, drinking his daily coffee with friends, driving around town to see what is new, touring the crops, and talking with farmers. His greatest joy came from spending time with his children and grandchildren. Thad was active in his faith, a former member of Zion Lutheran Church in Annandale and a current member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Buffalo.
Thad is survived by his wife of 63 years, Diana Ashwill; children, Tab (Rhonda) Ashwill, of Bloomington, Trent (Jennifer) Ashwill, of Plymouth, and Tracy (Gary) Schill, of Clearwater; grandchildren, Meghan (Alex) Peters, Molly (Danny) Dougherty, Hannah Ashwill, Ryan (fiancée Ali Brower) Nicholas Ashwill (Mary Rolfes), and Patrick “Willy” Ashwill; great-grandchildren, Alba, Kieran, Michael, and Mina Dougherty; Brady, Joanna, and Abigale Peters; sister, Nancy Harbinson, of Buffalo; and many cherished friends and family members.
Thad was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Mabel Ashwill; and siblings, Don Ashwill, Janet Adams, Gary Ashwill, and Gladys Ashwill.
Thad’s grandchildren will serve as urn bearers for the service. Arrangements entrusted to Dingmann Funeral Care Burial and Cremation Services of Annandale.
Obituary, Guestbook, Video Tribute and Service Webcast online at www.dingmannfuneral.com
Arnold Bechtold, 73
Arnold Robert Bechtold, age 73, of Becker, and formerly of Rogers, passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.
He was born on May 15, 1952, in Minneapolis, the son of Erwin H. and Margery (Klebsch) Bechtold.
Arnie graduated from Buffalo High School in 1970.
He married Mary Ellen Kohnen on May 20, 1972, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Buffalo. Together, they had five children, Mike (Valerie), Dean (Jen), Steve (Julie), Matt (Anne), and Kati (Chris) Grabrick; 18 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild; other relatives and many friends.
He was welcomed to heaven by both his parents; his only brother, Charles; and a grandson, Zack.
Arnie enjoyed farming and woodworking. He was also a recycler, too. Arnie had a great sense of humor and was fond of motorcycling.
He belonged to Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield.
Funeral services for Arnold R. Bechtold will be held on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 2:00 P.M. at The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home. Pastor Paul Schuler will officiate. Interment will follow at Salem Lutheran Cemetery in Greenfield.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, April 11, from 4-7 P.M. at the funeral home. A Prayer service will be held at 7:00 P.M., Saturday evening.
Honorary Casket Bearers will be Devin Bechtold, Olivia Bechtold, Ruby Bechtold, Karrissa Bechtold, Justin Bechtold, Cayden Bechtold, Jeweleah Bechtold, Hailey Bechtold, Colton Grabrick, and many step-grandchildren.
Casket Bearers will be Arnie’s four sons; son-in-law, Chris Grabrick; and eldest grandson, Tyler Bechtold.
The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Keith Conzet, 51
Keith Conzet, age 51, of Maple Lake, passed away unexpectedly on March 29, 2026.
Keith enjoyed fishing, making others laugh, going on road trips, knowing random trivia, singing his heart out in the car, and spending time with his children.
Keith is survived by his two children, Kayle and Josh; his father, Steve; and his two siblings.
There will be a Celebration of Life on April 17, 2026, at the Maple Lake Bar and Grill from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
The Chilson Funeral Home in Winsted is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.chilsonfuneralhome.com.
Amber Gunderson, 48
Amber Gunderson, of Buffalo, MN, died unexpectedly at her home February 25, 2026. She was born on May 27, 1977, in St. Cloud, MN; she was 48 years old. Amber was a gifted track athlete. She ran the 400- and 800-yard dashes and saw major success in both events. She won multiple state championships in high school and in college, she won the Big 12 800-yard dash. She attended Texas Tech, St. Thomas, and St. Cloud State. She was a member of the Coon Rapids High School Athletic Hall of fame.
Amber was currently working at Brooklyn Center High School teaching special education and also teaching driver’s education for Anoka Hennepin School District.
Amber loved attending her children’s athletic events, caring for her fun and silly dogs, teaching special needs students, scrap booking, and making fun posters for people to have. She was a very talented artist.
Amber was very proud of her children’s life accomplishments and was looking forward to seeing them grow and moving into adult lives after college. Amber was very devoted to her grandmother, Shirley Affeldt, who she cared about and loved very much.
Amber was a beautiful and caring woman that worked very hard at many aspects of her life. She is survived by her husband, John; and her two children, Luke and Brooke; mother, Denise Timm; and brothers, Mitchel and Nate Timm.
Memorials are preferred to the family of Amber Gunderson.
Celebration of Life for Amber Gunderson will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. at The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home, 300 North Main Street, St. Michael, MN.
Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Robert Polsfuss, 86
Robert G. Polsfuss, age 86, of Maple Lake, died Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Society in Howard Lake, after a long battle with cancer.
Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 16, 2026, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Maple Lake with Rev. Culynn Curtis officiating. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the church. Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.
Robert “Bob” Guy Polsfuss was born on October 1, 1939, in Princeton, Minnesota, to Arthur and Laura (Hamilton) Polsfuss. Bob proudly served his country in the United States Air Force from 1957-1970. On May 26, 1962, while stationed in England, Bob married Jennifer Reeve. After Bob’s honorable discharge, he and Jenny settled in Maple Lake where they raised their two children.
His commitment to service continued throughout his life. He dedicated 33 years to being a firefighter with the Maple Lake Volunteer Fire Department and was an active member of both the Maple Lake VFW and American Legion. Bob spent some time in the construction industry before he got a job delivering fuel and fertilizer for Cenex for 18 years. He went on to be a delivery truck driver for Lohse Transfer for 27 years, retiring in 2002. It was at Lohse where he gained the nickname “Bubba.”
Bob cherished his time spent with family and friends. He loved a good game - dice, cards, especially cribbage, and shooting pool. He was always up for a quick trip to the casino with the Wright County Travel Club, but he appreciated longer trips, too. He and Jenny took many trips, including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks and an 11-day voyage in Alaska.
Bob enjoyed spending time with his brother, Dick, collecting scrap and buying ice cream with the payout.
His grandchildren brought a special light to his life. He spent many hours watching softball and basketball and was proud to tell his friends about their accomplishments.
A child-at-heart, he made it his mission to find fun bikes and scooters for his younger grands to ride during their special visits to Minnesota. No matter what else was going on, you could always find him at the Cenex in the morning having coffee with his friends or at the Legion on Tuesday nights; Bingo was the highlight of his week!
Bob is survived by his wife of 64 years, Jenny, of Maple Lake; children, Sharon (Scott) Mantz, of Omaha, NE, and Steven (Laura) Polsfuss, of Medina, OH; grandchildren, Evyn Polsfuss, Carson Shanks, Lillian Brock, Jacy (Andy) Ruwe, and Justin (Katie) Mantz; great-grandchildren, Andyn, Aynzli, August, Jeptha, Judson, and Josiah Ruwe, and Boedy Mantz; brother, Richard “Dick” (Linda) Polsfuss; sister, Julie (Leo) Waschek; and many nieces, nephews, friends and family.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Laura; brothers, Raymond “Ray” and Clifford “Cliff” Polsfuss, and Roger Rowland; sisters, Lorraine Kaz, Phyllis Stebbins, and Darleen Simmonsmeier; and great-granddaughter, Aibilene Ruwe.
The Maple Lake Fire Department will serve as urn bearers. Arrangements are entrusted with Dingmann Funeral Care Burial and Cremation Services of Maple Lake.
Memorials to Maple Lake Fire Department, Maple Lake Library, or Howard Lake Good Samaritan Society.
Obituary, Guestbook, Video Tribute and Funeral Webcast online at www.dingmannfuneral.com.
