Edwin ‘Shorty’ Kappers, 91, SV
Edwin "Shorty" Kappers, 91, of Spring Valley, died Friday, June 29, 2001, at the Spring Valley Care Center.
He was born Sept. 10, 1909, in rural Cherry Grove, the son of John and Louise (Cloutier) Kappers. He married Marian Elfrink Sept. 25, 1935, in Greenleafton, where they made their home with her family until moving to Spring Valley in 1945. In the 1930s, he started with one dump truck hauling gravel, expanding to a rock crusher and quarry which later became Kappers Construction Co. Kappers Construction was also involved in the blacktop business and agricultural liming, employing up to 75 people. He retired in 1976. His wife died Oct. 18, 1995. He enjoyed his family, grandchildren, hunting and fishing.
He was a longtime member of the Greenleafton Reformed Church and the Root River Country Club in rural Spring Valley.
He is survived by one son, Larry (Marilyn) Kappers of Spring Valley; two daughters, Arlys (Donald) Gehrke of Rochester and Sharon (Roger) Lowe of Lake Zumbro, Minn.; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; four brothers, Floyd "Ted" Kappers, Vernon "Barney" (Judy) Kappers, Melvin "Tim" Kappers, and Clayton "Sie" (Arlene) Kappers, all of Spring Valley; and three sisters, Edna Vikse of Spring Valley, Bess (Harlan) Berg of Ostrander and Betty (Harold) Westphal of Spring Valley.
He was preceded in death by one brother and two sisters.
The funeral was Monday at the Greenleafton Reformed Church with the Rev. Jonathan Loper officiating. Burial was in the Greenleafton Cemetery.
Thauwald Funeral Home in Spring Valley was in charge of arrangements.
Karen Kiehne, 56, of Harmony
Karen Theresa Kiehne, 56, died Friday, June 15, after a two year struggle with cancer.
Karen Sage was born in Waukegan, Ill., on May 28, 1945, and grew up in the Chicago area. She completed high school at Warren High School in Waukegan.
She met her future husband, Kenneth Kiehne, at Great Lakes Naval Training center and they married on June 13, 1964. They lived in California, Florida and Illinois before returning to Harmony in 1977. In Harmony, they raised their three children on their farm.
Mrs. Kiehne worked outside the home for 14 years as a secretary at Harmony Elementary and owned and managed the Selvig Guest House for three years. Most recently, she had joined her husband in the cabinetry business and was a part-time employee at Grandma’s Garden in Lanesboro.
Her hobbies included reading, knitting and being an avid Vikings fan. She was a devoted grandma and enjoyed spending time with her three grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Kiehne; her mother, June Sage of Florida; a brother, Terrance Sage Jr. of Florida; three children, Douglas (Cindy) Kiehne of Rochester, Terisa (Devin) Scrabeck of Harmony and Melissa (Shannon) Onsager of Harmony and three grandchildren.
Her funeral was at Greenfield Lutheran Church in Harmony on Tuesday, June 19, with the Rev. John Hagen officiating. Burial was in Big Spring Cemetery in rural Harmony.
Ronald Kiehne, 64, of Harmony
Ronald Wayne Kiehne, 64, of Harmony died Tuesday evening, Jan. 2, 2001, due to a farm accident.
He was born Nov. 10, 1936, at the family farm, the son of Ethel and Emil Kiehne of Harmony. He graduated from Harmony High School in 1955. He served in the U.S. Air Force and worked for many years at IBM in Rochester before taking over the Kiehne family farm in 1973. He was united in marriage to Betty Tepoel on Nov. 23, 1973, at Rochester. He was an avid sportsman and conservationist. Other hobbies included collecting antique rifles, along with restoring and showing vintage John Deere tractors.
Survivors include his wife; his mother of Harmony; three sons, Scott of Oakdale, Minn., Randall (Margaret) of Oakdale, Minn., and Steven (Lauree) of South St. Paul; one daughter, Marsha Kiehne, of Minneapolis; three stepdaughters, Jane Garbisch of Portland, Ore., Sue (Eric) Torgerson of New Ulm, Barbara (Mark) Hermanson of Lanesboro; one stepson John (Mary) Garbisch of Rochester; 10 grandchildren; and two brothers, Kenneth Kiehne of Harmony and Allan Lange of Bryant, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his father who died on Aug. 9, 1999.
Funeral services were held on Saturday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Big Spring, rural Harmony. Burial was in the Big Spring Cemetery with military honors by the Gustav Berg American Legion Post of Harmony. Lindstrom Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Ruth Kjome, sister of Spring Grove men
Ruth Ambjor Kjome, 81, of Minneapolis died on June 27, 2001.
She was a graduate of Fairview Hospital Nursing program and was a dedicated nurse.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thor, in 1967.
She is survived by two sons, Norman (Penny) of Sundance, Wyo., and Donald (Darcy) of Victoria, Minn.; six grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; three step-great-grandchildren; two brothers, Elling Solum and Alden (Lorraine) Solum of Spring Grove; and relatives Oren Ellingson of Spring Grove and Ethel Thoresen of Bloomington, Minn.
A mass of Christian burial was held Monday at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Interment was Tuesday at the Spring Grove Cemetery.
Washburn-McReavy South-east Chapel, was in charge of arrangements.
Ilot Klomstad, 78, once of Preston area
Ilot Klomstad, 78, of Rochester, a retired police captain, died Thursday, June 21, 2001, at Season's Hospice in Rochester.
He was born June 17, 1923, in Fountain. He attended Watson Creek School and Preston and Chatfield schools. In 1940, he joined the CCC Camp in Tofte, Minn., and later at Lanesboro and Winona. He drove caterpillar tractors at the Bomber Base in Sargeant Bluff, Iowa, and helped build a power plant in Rosemount, Minn.
In 1943 he joined the U.S. Army. He completed basic training at Camp Roberts and served in the South Pacific as a Browning Automatic rifleman with the 81st Infantry Division. He served on Pelilieu and Layte and later in the occupation of Japan.
In 1956 he joined the Rochester Police Department and in 1965 attained the rank of captain, which he held until his retirement in 1987. On March 14, 1986, he married Lois Whipple at Grace Lutheran Church in Rochester. He was a member of the Eagles and American Legion and he played his keyboard in nursing homes and for birthday parties.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Stan of Frederick, Md; a daughter, Sharyn (Al) Harter of Stewartville; a stepson, Scott Deden and a stepdaughter, Renae Hemker, both of Rochester; 14 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a sister, Elvera (Ray) Johnson of Chatfield; and a half-sister, Irene Austin of Lanesboro. Two brothers, two sisters and two sons preceded him in death.
The funeral was held Monday at Homestead United Methodist Church in Rochester. Burial was in Oakwood Cemetery.
Vine Funeral Home, Rochester was in charge of arrangements.
Doris E. Hoff Koonst, 71, once of Mabel
Doris E. Hoff Koonst, 71, of Hastings, Minn., formerly of Mabel, died of cancer Monday, April 23, 2001, at Regina Medical Center.
She was born Oct. 23, 1929, in Mabel, and later lived in St. Paul and Tucson, Ariz., before moving to Hastings. She was a court attendant for Dakota County for nine years.
Survivors include a daughter, Jean (Ed) Lockhart of Glendale, Ariz., a son, Dennis (Jackie) Skarstad of Maplewood, Minn.; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a sister, Stella Stensgard of Harmony; and a brother, Milton Hoff of Amiston, Conn. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Koonst.
Funeral services were held on Friday at Scheie Lutheran Church in Mabel with the Rev. Carrie Tokheim officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Dorothy E. Kopperud, 69, of Peterson
Dorothy E. Kopperud, 69, of Peterson, formerly of Rochester, died Saturday, June 16, 2001, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
Dorothy Elizabeth Knutson was born Nov. 19, 1931, in Winona. On Sept. 12, 1953, she married Ernest A. Kopperud in Winona. They lived in Rochester for 35 years, and she was employed at the Post-Bulletin. In 1988 they moved to Amaco Lake, Wis., and to Peterson in 1993. Mrs. Kopperud was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Peterson. She enjoyed searching for and collecting antiques.
Survivors include her husband; a son, Craig of Rochester; and two brothers, Norman (Betty) Knutson of New Auburn, Wis., and Marion Knutson of Fountain City, Wis. A sister preceded her in death.
A memorial service was held Wednesday, June 20, at Grace Lutheran Church in Peterson, with Peter Huggenvik officiating. Interment in West Grace Lutheran Cemetery.
Hoff Funeral Homes-Cook Rushford Chapel was in charge of arrangements.
Rita A. Kratz-Olson, 68, of Canton
Rita A. Kratz-Olson, 68, of Canton, died Sunday, May 13, 2001, at the Green Lea Manor Nursing Home in Mabel.
She was born May 7, 1933, in Winona, to Edward and Mary (Brady) Kratz. She graduated from the Jefferson High School in Winona. On Feb. 5, 1957, she married Lyle Olson in LaCrosse, Wis. The couple lived in several places in southeastern Minnesota before moving to Canton in 1993 where they had resided since. She had previously worked at Winona Industries and Suncorp. She enjoyed oil painting, cats and flea markets.
She is survived by her husband of Canton; one sister, Patricia Green of Akron, Ohio; four nieces and a nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents.
The funeral was held Wednesday at the Assumption Catholic Church in Canton with the Rev. Steven Peterson officiating.
Mengis Funeral Home in Mabel was in charge of arrangements.
Marjorie Kuehn, 80, of Rochester
Marjorie Kuehn, 80, of Rochester died Monday, Aug. 13, at the nursing home in Ostrander.
Marjorie Bartels was born Sept. 11, 1920, in Zumbro Falls, the daughter of Gust and Anna Bartels. She was raised in Zumbro Falls. She married Charles Kuehn on March 16, 1943, at the Lincoln Lutheran Church in Gillford Township, Wabasha County. For two years the Kuehns lived in California and Utah. They moved to Austin, Minn., in 1953. Eventually they moved to Spring Valley and opened Kuehn Motors. In 1977 they moved to Lake City. She moved to Rochester following the death of her husband in 1982. She was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Rochester.
She is survived by her sons, Charles Kuehn Jr. and his wife, Vickie, of Rochester; Richard Kuehn and his wife, Judy, of Rochester; Tom Kuehn and his wife, Connie, of Spring Valley; Jon Kuehn and his wife, Dana, of Spring Valley; and Mark Kuehn and his friend, Karen, of Oronoco; 11 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; a brother, Virgil Bartels of Zumbro Falls; and a sister, Ruth Luhman and her husband, Donald of Fergus Falls.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Aug. 16, at 11 a.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Rochester. The Rev. John Schleicher will officiate. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ranfranz Funeral Home in Rochester. Burial at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery in Lake City.
If so desired, memorials may be given to the Alzheimer's Association at 1001 - 14th St. NW in Rochester, Minn. 55901.
Ranfranz Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
