Obituaries 4/23/20

Helena Fullerton, 82

Helena “Helen” Aganetha Giesbrecht was born on September 21, 1937 in Big River, Saskatchewan to Jacob and Aganetha (Nettie Bueckert) Giesbrecht.

She grew up on a farm in the Lake Four District. She accepted Jesus as her Savior at Vacation Bible School when she was 10 years old. Ella Heppner was the leader. In her teen years, she helped Ella teach VBS in the surrounding area.

Helen went to Prince Albert, SK to work in the TB Sanatorium. The Youth Group from the church she attended met with students from Covenant Bible Institute, and she became interested in the school. She enrolled in the two-year program, and that is where she met Larry Fullerton, who would later become her husband. During the two summers between school, she and a friend led VBS in different churches in Washington State and northern Minnesota, as well as worked in Bible Camps. On December 3, 1960, Helen’s girlhood dream of becoming a pastor’s wife became a reality when she married Larry (Alfred Laurence) Fullerton in Durban, Manitoba.

They served Covenant Churches in Prince Albert and Norquay, SK; a circuit of four churches in Alberta – Warburg, Breton, Winfield and Alder Flats; International Falls, MN; Erickson, BC; Wallace, MI; and Portage, IN. Then, after retirement, they served interims in Park Falls, WI and Off Lake Covenant Church in Emo, Ontario. She enjoyed serving the Lord and people alongside Larry and was sometimes affectionately called ‘Pastor Helen.’

She loved being a mom to Greg, Colene, and Lori. For some years she and a friend had a Christian Book Store in the basement of the Norquay parsonage. Spring tulips and flowers were a delight, as well as the garden – perhaps to the chagrin of the kids when it came to weeding, pea shelling, etc.

It was her joy to see the family grow as Sue, John, and Nick joined the clan. When the grandchildren came along, there were fun baking times – especially “Grandma’s Buns” and jams and pickles. Then the great-grandchildren came along, and the family continued to grow and bring joy.

Larry and Helen purchased a retirement home in Minnedosa, MB but due to taking the interim pastor position in Emo, Ontario, they didn’t spend much time there. In 2008, they finally moved to Big Lake, MN to retire close to family.

Although the preceding words were written by Helen, we, her children, would like to add the following: Our mother loved life and loved the people around her, plunging whole-heartedly into both work and play. She was mission-minded, heavenly-focused, and extremely practical. She was a life-long learner interested in many things. Her laugh and smile were infectious and people were drawn to her friendly, selfless disposition. She loved us, despite our short-comings and missteps, and was a prayer warrior for us and our families. Her life was characterized by kindness and grace to her very last days. She truly fought the good fight and finished the course well! Her death on April 16th, 2020, marks the end of a life well-lived but leaves us an excellent example to follow.

Survivors include: her husband, Larry Fullerton, of Big Lake; children, Greg (Sue) Fullerton, of Hopkins, MN, Colene (John) Stenberg, of Big Lake, MN, and Lori (Nick) Panske, of Saskatoon, SK; 10 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; siblings, John Giesbrecht, of Lac La Biche, AB, Martha Rempel, of Borden, SK, and Anna Mumma, of Elida, OH.

She is preceded in death by: her parents, Jacob and Aganetha; and siblings, Peter, Jake, Maria Bergen, and Margret Newton.

Due to the recent events, the family will be having a memorial service at a later date.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Williams Dingmann Funeral Home, Big Lake.

Gary Weege, 71

On Monday, April 13, 2020, Gary Wayne Weege passed away at the age of 71. He passed away at the St. Cloud Hospital due to the complications of cardiac arrest, along with many other medical issues. He resided in Buffalo, Minnesota, at the time of his passing.

He was born on March 3, 1949, in Richmond, California, to Eleanor Weege. Through his childhood, Gary was raised along with Sandra (nee Weege) Kottke on the farm of Alfred Weege. Gary graduated from Buffalo High School in 1967. Gary was drafted in the United States Marine Corps in 1969, where he served in the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in 1971. Gary was a member of the American Legion Post 270 for 49 years. 

On August 2nd, 1977, Gary and Cheryl (nee Johnson) were joined in holy marriage in Watertown, South Dakota. Gary worked for Nortronics in Golden Valley and then transferred to Dassel, where he worked as an engineer. While he was working, he attended Concordia College out of St. Paul. Nortronics eventually became Spectralytics, which is who he worked for until he could no longer work due to becoming an amputee in 2010.

Gary lived a full life, where he enjoyed the outdoors. He loved to hunt and fish. He went deer hunting for many years up North with his relatives. He enjoyed duck hunting in his backyard pond, while living out in the country in Buffalo.  He loved to talk about his trophy fish, a Northern that weighed 30 lbs. 6 oz. that he caught on June 1, 1980, on April Lake in Canada, which he mounted and hung as proof for all to see. He loved to ride his four-wheeler on the dirt roads with his children and grandchildren. When his children were younger, he supported them in all of their sporting events, accomplishments, and was truly their biggest cheerleader. In his recent years, his grandchildren were everything to him. He was the rock of the family. Even though he was a grandpa, he impacted his grandchildren in a fatherly way where he was the best role model. He was consistently strong, encouraged smiles, and made all the children feel the utmost support at all times, even when he wasn’t feeling the best. He was so proud of all they did.

Gary is survived by: his wife, Cheryl, of Buffalo; children, Tom (Angela Mager), of Australia, Monique Dannewitz, of Buffalo and fiancé, Ryan Krall, and Shannon Weege, of Buffalo; grandchildren, Kasja, Payton, Alexa, Hannah, Lucia, Avea, Aiden, Finn, and Jameson. Gary is also survived by many dear nieces, nephews, in-laws, relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by: his parents, Eleanor and Ernie Rick and Alfred and Ruby Weege; and his grandparents, Fred and Elsie Weege.

A Memorial Service for Gary Weege will be held at a later date at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo, with private interment at the Dassel Community Cemetery. The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.