Norman James Tabor, 82, once of SV
Norman James Tabor, 82, died June 25, 2001, at Kaiser Medical Center in Roseville, Calif., from complications of pneumonia. He was a resident of Spring Valley until 1999 when he moved to Fair Oaks, Calif., to live with his sister.
He was born Oct. 12, 1918, to Beulah and Lloyd Tabor in rural Spring Valley. He graduated from Spring Valley High School and took the general farming course at the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture in 1936 and 1938.
He worked on the family farm outside Spring Valley until the family moved to town in 1934. He planted a large garden every year and enjoyed this activity until his mid sixties. He worked part-time for many of the local farmers and a few of the local businesses. When his mother’s health declined, he became her caretaker until her death in 1989.
He is survived by his sister, Vera Ballard, of Fair Oaks, Calif.; two nephews; and one niece, all of the Fair Oaks area.
The funeral will be Thursday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Spring Valley with the Rev. Dennis Timmerman officiating. Friends may call at the church one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home in Spring Valley is in charge of arrangements.
E. Taylor, 96, mother of Fountain woman
Elizabeth Jane Taylor, 96, mother of Margaret (Lowell) Stephas of Fountain, died Tuesday, June 19, 2001, at Olmsted Community Hospital in Rochester. She had been living in this area the past several years.
She was born Elizabeth Jane Hargrave on May 10, 1904, in Clay County, Iowa, attended Harmony School and graduated from Gillett Grove, Iowa, High School. After receiving a teaching certificate from Normal School in Estherville, Iowa, she taught at the Harmony school for a year. On April 25, 1928, she married Ralph Taylor in Spencer, Iowa. She was a member of the Rebekah Lodge and a past member of the United Methodist churches and their circles in the Ruthven and Dickens, Iowa areas. She enjoyed traveling and needlework.
She is survived by two other daughters, Betty (Lawrence) Panco of Parkwood, Wash., and Patricia Barker of Queen Creek, Ariz.; 16 grandchildren; a number of great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and a sister, Irene Heien of O'Neill, Neb. Her husband and a brother preceded her in death.
Warner Funeral Home, of Spencer, Iowa, was in charge of arrangements.
Esther Temanson of Grand Meadow
Esther E. Temanson, 93, of Grand Meadow, died Monday, April 23, 2001, at the Grand Meadow Health Care Center, where she had resided since July of last year.
Esther E. Buss was born March 24, 1908, northeast of Spring Valley, to Frederich and Mathilda (Sabatke) Buss. She was baptized and confirmed from Zion German Lutheran Church in Spring Valley. She attended the Hardscrabble School through the eighth grade and then started working as a caretaker for the Reagans of LeRoy and for the Pattens and Zittlemans of Spring Valley before being married to Milton "Pete" Temanson on Sept. 7, 1938, in Grand Meadow. He died in March of 1988. After their marriage they operated a filling station and lunchroom on Highway 16 in Grand Meadow. They later moved to Cherry Grove and ran a filling station for a short time before moving back to Grand Meadow, where they owned and operated a grocery and dry goods store until their retirement.
In 1992, she moved to Hillside Apartments in Spring Valley and in July of 2000 she entered the Grand Meadow Health Care Center.
She was a superior cook and loved to crochet and play cards.
She is survived by many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by five sisters and five brothers.
Services were held Friday at the Grand Meadow Lutheran Church with the Rev. Elaine Siemsen officiating. Burial in Grand Meadow Cemetery.
Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Peter Thauwald, 87, of Texas
Peter Jerome Thauwald, 87, died at the V.A. Regional Hospital in Waco, Texas, on Monday, April 23, 2001.
He was born in Gibbon, Minn., on Sept. 17, 1913. He was a hairdresser and served as secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota State Board of Examiners of Cosmetology for 10 years. He served in the Army during World War II and lost both legs below the knee following a land-mine explosion in Germany in 1944.
He married Dorothea Ice on Aug. 30, 1947. He was appointed to the VA as a prosthetic representative and retired in 1980. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and Brazos Meadows Baptist Church.
He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Pete and Marsha Thauwald of Waco; his daughter, Katherine Thauwald of Fort Worth; a sister-in-law, Murial Thauwald of Preston; and three grandsons.
He was preceded in death by his wife; two sisters, Holly Brissman and Dolores Bridges; and a brother, Dale Thauwald.
Funeral services were held Thursday, April 26, at Brazos Meadows Baptist Church of Hewitt, Texas. Interment is in Oakwood Cemetery.
Pecan Grove Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mariella Thomas, 80, once of area
Mariella Thomas, 80, of Albert Lea, died Jan. 22, 2001 at her home.
Mariella Kniefel was born July 22, 1920, in Owatonna to Matthew and Clara (Kulzer) Kniefel. At the age of 5, the family moved to Racine, where her father died shortly thereafter. Her mother married Albert Kemmer and the family moved to Spring Valley. She graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1938.
In 1941, she worked in the war effort building glider troop planes for the invasion. Later she worked in Washington, D.C., on IBM machines.
After the war, she married Lyle Knutson. She then married Harry Thomas, who died in 1968. She worked for the State of Minnesota Taxation Department for 25 years. She retired in 1983. She cared for and helped raise Janice (Thiell) Kuhlman, who she thought of as a daughter.
Survivors include a son, Robert (Catherine) Knutson of Coon Rapids, Minn., six grandchildren, Andrea Austin, Nick Knutson, Jeff (Jane) Knutson, Kirsten (Todd) Olmschenk, Kelly (Colin) Gibbs, Janice (Bob) Kuhlman; four great-grandchildren, Tim Roden, Kayla Olmschenk, Sarah Olmschenk and Carla Gibbs; a brother, Sherman, of England; sisters-in-law, Donna Kemmer, Loraine Kemmer, Suzan Kemmer; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by two husbands and one brother, Raymond Kniefel; and two half brothers, Gene and Paul Kemmer.
The memorial service was Friday at St. Theodore Catholic Church in Albert Lea with the Rev. Robert Schneider officiating. Interment in St. Theodore's Cemetery.
Bonnerup Funeral Home in Albert Lea was in charge of arrangements.
Ronald Thorson, 65, of rural Mabel
Ronald Thorson, 65, of rural Mabel, died Saturday, April 28, 2001, at the Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital in Decorah.
He was born Aug. 18, 1935, in Decorah to Levi and Esther (Rotvold) Thorson. He graduated from the Mabel High School in 1953. In January 1954, he entered the United States Marine Corps and served in the First Marine Division as a tank repairman. His service included being stationed in Korea during the Korean Conflict. After the Marine Corps he moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a short time before moving to California where he worked for Lockheed Corporation. He had two previous marriages before he married Yong Sun Kim in Reno, Nev., on Aug. 17, 1992. Later that year, he retired from Lockheed after almost 31 years of employment. In 1993 the couple moved to Burr Oak Township, Winneshiek County, where they have resided since. He was a member of the Hesper Lutheran Church, the American Legion Post 299 in Mabel and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is survived by his wife of Mabel; a son, Randy (Salome) of Livermore, Calif.; three daughters, Connie (Steve) Roesberg of Modesto, Calif., Lorrie (Don) Myron of Temecula, Calif., and Kathy (Tom) Six of Mt. View, Calif.; one stepson, Kenton Detwieler of Maui, Hawaii; 11 grandchildren; and two sisters, Helen Barth of Waterloo, Iowa and Lois Camalander of Chapin, S. C. He was preceded in death by a brother, Richard, and a sister, Jolene Easly.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. today (Thursday) at the Hesper Lutheran Church in Hesper, Iowa, with the Rev. Hans Floan officiating. Burial will be in the Hesper Lutheran Cemetery with military rites by American Legion Post 299 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Mengis Funeral Home in Mabel and one hour prior to services at the church.
Reginald Torrison, 66, former area pastor
The Rev. Reginald N. Torrison, 66, of LeRoy, a former teacher and retired area Lutheran minister, died Saturday, March 10, 2001, at his home.
He was born Nov. 8, 1934, in Manitowoc, Wis., and graduated from Valders, Wis., High School. He graduated from Luther College in Decorah on June 4, 1956, and on June 30, 1956, married June Tesch. He taught vocal and instrumental music in LeRoy from 1956 to 1967. He served in a number of parishes until his retirement in 1997. During retirement, he served as interim pastor of Henrytown Lutheran Church in Canton and St. Paul's Maple Leaf Lutheran Church in Elma, Iowa.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Jeffrey (Deann) of Plymouth, Minn., and Dr. Jerry (Nancy) of St. Peter, Minn., a daughter, Jill (Jeffrey) Evenson of Virginia Beach, Va; eight grandchildren; and a brother, Ronald (Connie) of Manitowoc. An infant brother preceded him in death.
The funeral was held Tuesday at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in LeRoy. Burial was in the Lutheran Cemetery in St. Ansgar, Iowa.
Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home in LeRoy was in charge of arrangements.
Joseph W. Triggs, 85, Spring Valley native
Joseph W. Triggs, 85, of San Antonio, Texas, died Dec. 14, 2000.
He was born in Spring Valley to Archie and Calla Triggs.
After training at Randolph and Brooks, where he met his wife of 59 years, Gertrude Eloise Mecke, a native of San Antonio, he served five years in the United States Army Air Corps, commanding a B-17 squadron in North Africa and Italy during World War II and achieving the rank of major.
He spent 30 years as a pilot for United Airlines, flying the props: DC-3, DC-4, Convair 340, DC-6 and DC-7 and the jets: Caravelle, Boeing 720, DC-8 and finally, the wide-bodied DC-10.
He lived in Montclair and Upper Montclair, N.J., for 42 years until returing to San Antonio in 1995. He was the first parish council president at Immaculate Conception Church in Montclair.
Survivors include his wife; nine children; 34 grandchildren; and a sister, Eloise Best of Phoenix, Ariz. He was preceded in death by one brother, Ralph, on Sept. 11, 1999 in Madison, Wis.
Henry A. Ulring, 93, father of Preston man
Henry A. Ulring, 93, of Chatfield, retired manager of the Chatfield Creamery, died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2001, at Chosen Valley Care Center in Chatfield where he had resided since August 1998.
He was born March 14, 1907, in Webster, Minn. On Sept. 25, 1930, he married Meta Sandmann in Webster. They lived in Webster until 1949 and then in Dover until moving to Chatfield in 1952. His wife died Dec. 6, 1993. He was a buttermaker and managed the Chatfield Creamery for 50 years. He was a member of the Minnesota Creamery Operators Association and St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Survivors include two sons, Eugene (Nadine) of Preston and Wayne (Mary Beth) of Chatfield; a daughter, Charlotte McDougall of Chatfield; 13 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Four brothers and two sisters preceded him in death.
The funeral was held Friday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chatfield with the Rev. Clark Jaeger officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery in the spring.
Riley Funeral Home, Chatfield, was in charge of arrangements.
Daphine VandeWeerd, 69, of Wykoff
Daphine M. VandeWeerd, 69, of Wykoff, died Monday evening, Sept. 3, 2001, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
Daphine Morrison was born July 21, 1932, in Fillmore County. She was raised in Fillmore County and married Eugene VandeWeerd in 1953 in Cherry Grove. The couple made their home in the Spring Valley area where she was a homemaker. Her husband died in 1986 and she became a resident of Wykoff the same year.
She is survived by three sons, Jerry (Betty), Richard (Carol), both of Austin, and David (Peggy) of Spring Valley; six daughters, Donna (Kevin) Iverson of Grand Meadow, Georgia Sarazin of Clara City, Minn., Elenor (Floyd) Shuck of Cherry Grove, Charlotte Schott of Preston, Dorothy (Curt) Herman of Clara City, and Julie Adler of Spring Valley; 27 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by one daughter and four grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service at 1 p.m. Friday at the Cherry Grove United Methodist Church with the Rev. Mark Rader officiating. Burial of her ashes will be in the Cherry Grove Cemetery.
Friends may call at the church an hour before the service on Friday.
Thauwald Funeral Home in Spring Valley is in charge of arrangements.
Vina S. VanGrevenhof, 90, of Ostrander
Vina Sophia VanGrevenhof, 90, of Ostrander, died Monday, Feb. 5, 2001, at the Ostrander Nursing Home where she had resided for about four years.
Vina Ruud was born May 16, 1910, near Rock Dell, Minn., to Christian Ruud and Alice Hillestad Ruud. She attended school in Ostrander through the eighth grade and then attended and graduated from Spring Valley High School. She was united in marriage to Jacob VanGrevenhof on Nov. 14, 1935, in Ostrander and together they farmed in the Ostrander area. She worked for Langlie Grocery in Ostrander and also worked as a postal clerk for 31 years in Ostrander.
She enjoyed working outside with her flowers and loved crocheting. She was a member of Bloomfield Lutheran Church and later Trinity Lutheran Church.
She is survived by a niece, Arlys Hingeveld; a brother-in-law, Marion VanGrevenhof; and many cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1993 and one brother, Joseph.
Services were held Thursday, Feb. 8, at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ostrander with the Rev. Norman Bauer officiating. Burial will be in the Bloomfield Cemetery of rural Ostrander.
Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home of LeRoy was in charge of arrangements.
V. Vigeland, 77, formerly of Mabel
Vernon H. Vigeland, 77, of LaCrosse, formerly of Mabel, and former longtime Trane Company employee, died Sunday, March 12, 2001, at the Green Lea Manor Nursing Home in Mabel where he had resided for only a week.
He was born Sept. 5, 1923, in Preble Township, Fillmore County, to Bennard and Inga (Hesby) Vigeland. He attended country school and was baptized at the Scheie Lutheran Church in rural Mabel. He served in the United States Army from 1947 to 1953. He then resided in LaCrosse, Wis., and worked for the Trane Company for 34 years until retiring in 1986. He enjoyed driving his car on trips to the casino, sightseeing, fishing, and visits to Mabel. He was a member of LaCrosse American Legion.
He is survived by a niece, Arlene (Mrs. Darrell) Sinclair of Rochester; two nephews, Arnold Vigeland of Prosper and Richard Vigeland of Mabel; and a sister-in-law, Irene Vigeland of Mabel. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Arden.
The funeral was Thursday, March 15, at Mengis Funeral Home, Mabel. Burial was in the Scheie Lutheran Cemetery in rural Mabel.
Mengis Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Orval L. Volden, 84, former SV resident
Orval L. Volden, 84, of Isle, formerly of Rochester and Spring Valley, died Monday, April 30, 2001, at his home.
He was born Nov. 20, 1916, in Maddock, N.D., and grew up in the Devil's Lake, N.D., area, graduated from high school in Penn, N. D., and then farmed with his brother in the Devil's Lake area. From 1941 to 1943 he served in the Army with the 164th Infantry, was wounded in the battle of Guadalcanal and received the Purple Heart and Asian Pacific Campaign Ribbon. On Dec. 26, 1943, he married Elsie L. Kline at her parents' home in Penn. They farmed in the Devil's Lake area until 1954, and in 1955 moved to Spring Valley where they owned and operated a Dairy Queen store.
In 1962 they moved to Rochester and he was employed at IBM until 1980, when he retired and moved to Wahkon, Minn. He had lived in Isle since 1989. He was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Isle and a former member of the Isle VFW and Lions Club. He enjoyed playing cards.
Survivors include three sons, Larry and Howard (Susan), both of Rochester and Rick of Chicago; a daughter, Jean (Jerry) Westermann of Longville, Minn.; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Mildred Holsten of Palisade, Minn., and Vivian Sheets of Eddyville, Iowa. His wife preceded him in death.
The funeral was Saturday at Faith Lutheran Church in Isle, Minn., with the Rev. John Lundberg officiating. Burial in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Shelley Funeral Chapel in Onamia, Minn., was in charge of arrangements.
