Spencer Olson, 49, of Spring Grove
Spencer Clyde Olson, 49, of Spring Grove, died Friday, Jan. 5, 2001, in a work related accident.
He was born June 5, 1951, in Spring Grove to Raymond and Ethel (Storlie) Olson. He was a Spring Grove High School graduate and attended Waldorf Junior College. He also attended Mankato State University.
In August of 1976, he married Debra Czmun, and they had two children, Faith and Nathan, but were later divorced. He then married Carolyn (Esse) Solum, on April 8, 1995.
He worked in bridge construction, as a special education teacher for Faribault Public Schools and farmed the home farm from 1975 to 1990. He also sold water systems, seed corn and worked as a dairy nutritionist for Farmer’s Cooperative Elevator until his death.
He was very active in his church and community. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove.
He is survived by his wife; his parents, Raymond and Ethel Olson of Spring Grove; a son, Nathan Spencer Olson of Spring Grove; a daughter, Faith Ellan Olson of Caledonia; two stepchildren, Kelly and Peter Solum of Spring Grove; two grandchildren, Collin and Ethan Matzke; three brothers, Gary (Rosaaen) Olson of Sioux Falls, S.D., Adrian (Jean) Olson of Deerwood, Minn., and Jeff (Marsha) Olson of Maple Grove, Minn.; four brothers-in-law, Loren (Cathryn) Esse of Des Moines, Iowa, Steven (Pat) Esse of Dublin, Calif., Jon (Mary) Esse of Herndon, Va., and Alan (Jane) Esse of England. Although Spencer was not blessed with sisters of his own, he loved his seven sisters-in-law as sisters. His nieces and nephews, Tim, Eric, Chris, Lars, Kjersti, Laura and Julie, each held a very special place in his heart.
Memorial services will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove on Friday at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Jim Arends officiating. Friends may call Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove. Roble Funeral Home of Spring Grove is in charge of arrangements.
Clara Onsgard, 88, of Spring Grove
Clara Charlotte Onsgard, 88, of Spring Grove, died June 22, 2001, at the Tweeten Health Services in Spring Grove.
Clara (Moen) Onsgard was born Nov. 2, 1912, to Oscar and Julia (Gran) Moen in Spring Grove. She was baptized and confirmed at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove. After high school graduation from the Spring Grove School in 1930, she attended teachers training and taught in various local country schools, and also was a substitute teacher at the Spring Grove School.
She was married to Burnell Onsgard on Aug. 10, 1935, and together they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last year.
She worked a number of years at Mansfield Industries, and also many years at the Onsgard State Bank and the Spring Grove Herald newspaper office. She has been active at the Trinity Lutheran Church, serving many years as primary Sunday school superintendent. She was also involved in the Spring Grove PTA and was active in Scouts as a den mother. She also was a Pink Lady at Tweeten Lutheran Health Services.
She and her husband were honored by being chosen as grand marshals of the Spring Grove, Syttende Mai parade in 1999.
Surviving are her husband, Burnell; one son, Fred (Pam) Onsgard of Spring Grove; three grandchildren, Brian (Mary Ellen) Onsgard of Rochester; Ginny (Dean) Hanenberger of Eyota, and Lisa (Todd) Bornholdt of Spring Grove; and two great-grandchildren, Blake and Autumn Bornholdt.
She was preceded in death by one son, Blayne, who died in 1963; a brother, Palmer Moen, and a sister, Jeanette (Moen) Deeney.
Funeral services were held Tuesday at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove, with the Rev. Jim Arends officiating.
Norman Opsahl, 72, of Mabel
Norman "Dempsey" Opsahl, 72, of Mabel, died Thursday, May 3, 2001, at his home.
He was born Oct. 12, 1928, in Preble Township of Fillmore County and attended Grindeland and Tawney schools near Mabel. He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Seattle, Wash., and San Diego. After the Army, he returned to the Mabel area. He married the former Helen Johnson and they later divorced. He drove truck for Roverud Construction and hauled milk for Lou Torgerson Trucking.
He is survived by a daughter, Diane Ferring of Lansing, Iowa; a son, Dale (Dorene) Opsahl of Mabel; two brothers Clinton (Neva) Opsahl and Donald (Dorothy) Opsahl of Mabel; and four sisters, Lydia Johnson of Spring Grove, Sylvia (Arden LaDue) Olson of LaCrescent, Opal (Alfred) Nelson of Rochester and Florence (Richard) Johnson of Minneapolis. He was preceded in death by a grandchild and an infant brother.
The funeral was held Monday at Mabel First Lutheran Church. Burial was in the Riceford Cemetery with military rites by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Mengis Funeral Home, Mabel, was in charge of arrangements.
Verna Otterness, 77, formerly of Spring Grove
Verna Jeneva Otterness, 77, of Rochester, formerly of Spring Grove and Austin, died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001, at Saint Marys Hospital.
She was born March 12, 1923, in Whalan and attended Spring Grove High School and Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Riceford in rural Spring Grove. On Dec. 20, 1944, she married Iver K. Otterness and they farmed in rural Spring Grove. Following their retirement in 1991, they moved to Austin and later to Rochester. Her husband died March 13, 1995. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and Buds and Blossoms in Spring Grove and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Rochester.
Survivors include two sons, LaDean "Sonny" of Byron and Rick of Spring Grove; three daughters, Darlene Dinger of Decorah, Lynda (Ed) Luczak of Chicago, and Dawn (Jaime) Brabbit of Minnesota City; 11 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; four brothers, Raymond (Carol); Earling (Martha), and Milford (Janice) Opsahl, all of Austin, and Elmer (Tove) Opsahl of Rochester; and two sisters, Gladys Opsahl of Dorchester, Minn., and Idella Bailey of Little Rock, Ark. Two grandchildren, three sisters and a brother preceded her in death.
The funeral was held Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Roble Funeral Home, Spring Grove, was in charge of arrangements.
Emma M. Overland, 84, of Mabel
Emma M. Overland, 84, of rural Mabel, died Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001, in Denver, Colo.
She was born Nov. 25, 1916, in Rush City, Minn., to John and Alma (Salmo) Mohr. She attended the Choice School in Preble Township, Fillmore County. On Nov. 22, 1937, she married Lloyd J. Overland in Preble Township. The couple lived and farmed in Preble Township for seven years and Yucatan Township, Houston County, for five years before moving to Newburg Township in Fillmore County. They had resided on that same farm since 1948. Her husband died Aug. 1, 2000. She was a member of the Garness Trinity Lutheran Church in rural Mabel and its WELCA, and enjoyed quilting, crocheting, Ladies Aid, and church activities.
She is survived by a daughter, Jan (Mrs. John) Lacher of Denver, Colo.; two grandchildren, Kria Lacher of Portland, Ore., and Steven (Sybil) of Denver; a granddaughter, Sylvia Lacher; a sister, Marge Johnson of Mora, Minn.; and a brother, Albert Mohr, of Superior, Wis.
She was preceded in death by nine brothers and sisters.
Funeral services will be held Friday at the Garness Trinity Lutheran Church with the Rev. Mary Waudby officiating. Burial in the Garness Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today (Thursday) at the Mengis Funeral Home in Mabel and one hour prior to services at the church.
Helen Palmer, 89, Grand Meadow
Helen Alene Palmer, 89, of Grand Meadow, formerly of Austin, died Saturday, May 19, 2001, at Grand Meadow Health Care Center, where she had lived a short time.
Helen Alene Boe was born April 12, 1912, in Clayton Township, Mower County, and attended Clayton Township schools and Marshall Lutheran Church in rural Adams. On April 13, 1932, she married Everett Palmer in Preston and they farmed north of Grand Meadow. Her husband died in 1970. From 1971 until returning to Grand Meadow in 1973, she lived in Austin and was employed at the YMCA. She was employed at Grand Meadow Public Schools for many years.
Survivors include a daughter, Ramona (Lloyd) Swenson of Austin; three sons, Norman (Patricia) of Rochester, Curtis (Patricia) of Chandler, Ariz., and Leslie (Nina) of Tucson, Ariz., a sister, Nona (Willis) Erie of LeRoy; and two brothers, Harlan (Maggie) Boe of LeRoy and Donald (Bonnie) Boe of Austin.
She was preceded in death by a son, an infant daughter, five sisters and four brothers.
A private graveside service was held Monday at Grand Meadow Cemetery with the Rev. Glenn Monson officiating. There will be a memorial service at a later date.
Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home in Grand Meadow was in charge of arrangements.
Hans C. Paulsen, 90, of Ostrander
Hans C. Paulsen, 90, of Ostrander, died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, at the Ostrander Nursing Home.
He was born Nov. 14, 1910, in Denmark, to Nels Paulsen and Christina Christianson. He traveled to America with his family at the age of 4.
He grew up in Iowa and Minnesota and attended school through the eighth grade. Prior to his marriage, he worked for Reed and Murdock. On Dec. 25, 1937, he was united in marriage to Alice Howard at the home of her parents. They moved to their farm near Ostrander in 1941 and farmed until the mid 1980s. He served on the rural Sample School Board and also the LeRoy-Ostrander School Board, where he was named Board Member of the Year. He served as Fillmore County Commissioner for several years and also worked for the ASC office in Preston. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing and hunting.
He is survived by two daughters, Carol (Marv) Lenz and Sue (Tom) Fowler, both of Spring Valley; a son, Kenneth (Chong OK) of Tucson, Ariz.; a daughter-in-law, Lydell Reinardy of Cannon Falls, Minn.; 11 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren and five stepgreat-grandchildren; one sister, Anna King of Adams, and a sister-in-law, Ruth Paulsen of Ostrander.
He was preceded in death by his wife in February of 1999; two sons, Paul and Earl; and a brother, Henry.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday (today) at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ostrander, with the Rev. Norman Bauer officiating. Burial will be in the Ostrander Cemetery.
Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mary E. Paulson, 68, former area resident
Mary E. Paulson, 68, of Rochester, formerly of Mabel and Grand Meadow, died Thursday, May 24, 2001, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
She was born July 11, 1932, in Minneapolis to Bruno and Laura (Milbert) Yetzer. On Aug. 22, 1953, she married Fred Paulson.
She is survived by her husband of Rochester; a son, Tom (Julie) of White Bear Lake, Minn.; four daughter, Deb Anderson of St. Louis Park, Minn., Judy (Jeff) Kampa of Woodbury, Minn., Teresa (Tom) Krafft of Shorewood, Minn., and Sarah (Tim) Wagner of Eagan, Minn.; 10 grandchildren; three sisters, Marge (Gib) Marso of Eagle Bend, Minn., Dorothy (Jack) Leffler and Pat (Gordy) Maenke both of Richfield, Minn.; three brothers, Bill, and Jim (Sandy) Yetzer, both of Bloomington, and Walter Yetzer of Los Angeles, Calif.; and a sister-in-law, Jan Yetzer. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Pauline; grandson, Jonathan Anderson; and brothers, Charlie and Father Ben Yetzer.
A prayer service was held Tuesday during visitation at the Mengis Funeral Home in Mabel. A private family burial is planned.
Mengis Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Dale O. Pederson, 75, once of Mabel
Dale O. Pederson, 75, died Sunday, July 29, 2001, at the Bethany St. Joseph Care Center in LaCrosse.
He was born June 3, 1926, to Oscar and Hilda (Flattum) Pederson in Lanesboro. He attended school in Newburg and was confirmed at the Garness Lutheran Church in 1940. In 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country during World War II, for which he was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Battle Stars, Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal-Germany. After the war, he went to Alaska, where he worked on construction of airfields.
On June 11, 1955, he married Beverly Engler of Romance Valley. They lived in LaCrosse most of their married life. He had worked for LaCrosse Footwear and for the City of LaCrosse until his early retirement due to numerous medical conditions.
He is survived by his wife of LaCrosse; three daughters, Vicki Pederson (partner Nancy) of Arlington Heights, Ill., Diane (Rodney) Huhn of Galesville, Wis., and Debra (Patrick) Riordan of Dresser; one son, Kevin of LaCrosse; six grandchildren; his twin sister, Deloris (Harold) Blagsvedt of Spring Grove; and one brother, Carroll (Gladys) Pederson of LaCrosse.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Elsie Ehrsam and Lucille Loken, and three brothers, Francis, Carlyle and Morris Pederson.
The funeral was Friday, Aug. 3, at the Thorson Funeral Home in Viroqua, Wis., with military burial at the Walnut Mound Cemetery in rural DeSoto, Wis.
Thorson Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mildred G. Pekkala, 90, once of Preston
Mildred G. Pekkala, 90, of Superior, Wis., formerly of Preston, died Feb. 10, 2001, at Villa-Marina Health and Rehabilitation in Superior.
She was born Sept. 6, 1910, in Preston. She had lived in Superior for many years. A longtime member of Itasca Presbyterian Church, she belonged to its Marguerite Cook Guild, served as church organist and choir director for 40 years and also wrote musical skits. She was a member of the Hi-Fi Club and a former member of the Superior PTA. Her husband, Fred Pekkala, died in November 1982.
Survivors include two sons, Rick (Colette) of South Range, Minn., and Ronald (Charlotte) of Thousand Oaks, Calif.; two daughters, Kathryn (David) Lehman and Marcia Pekkala, both of Superior; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a brother, James (Thea) Prigge of Sun City Center, Fla. A sister and a brother also preceded her in death.
Funeral services were Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Itasca Presbyterian Church in Superior with the Rev. Cheri Danielson officiating. Burial was in the Greenwood Cemetery in Superior.
Thompson-Hegstrom Funeral Home in Superior was in charge of arrangements.
Inez S. Peterson, 92, once of area
Inez S. Peterson, 92, of Winona, formerly of Lanesboro, died Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2001, at Winona Community Hospital, where she had been a patient since Monday.
Inez S. Peterson was born March 12, 1908, in Lanesboro. In 1930, she married Arthur M. Peterson in Crocker, S.D. They farmed in the Lanesboro, Yucatan and Canton areas before moving to Spring Grove in 1971. Her husband died April 11, 1976. She had lived in Winona since 1986. She enjoyed reading and sending cards and letters.
Survivors include two sons, Everett (Winnie) of Winona and Duane (Bonnie) of Rushford; two daughters, Marilyn (Willis) Boyer of Winona and Darlyne Kennelly of Boca Raton, Fla; 16 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one sister, Celia Peterson of Winona. A son and three sisters preceded her in death.
The funeral was held Saturday at Highland Lutheran Church in rural Whalan, with the Rev. Paul R. Johnson officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Johnson-Riley Funeral Home, Lanesboro, was in charge of arrangements.
Louis 'Louie' Peterson, 91, of Preston
Louis "Louie" Peterson, 91, of Preston, a retired farmer, died Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001, at Preston Good Samaritan Care Center.
He was born June 20, 1910, in Zumbrota, the son of Paul and Olive Peterson. He was raised there and did carpentry and insulation installation work prior to his marriage. On Jan. 15, 1944, he married Marie Gartner in Preston and they farmed on the Frank Gartner, Sr., farm all their married lives. He was a member of St. Columban Catholic Church, helped with bingo and served on the cemetery board. He was an avid bowler and a member of the National Bowlers Association.
Survivors include his wife and a sister, Mary Lewis of Rochester. Three brothers preceded him in death.
A funeral Mass was held on Saturday at St. Columban Catholic Church in Preston, with the Rev. Thomas Loomis officiating. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery in Preston.
Thauwald Funeral Home, Preston, was in charge of arrangements.
