Obituaries

DALE RONALD JOECKS, age 88, passed away on May 12, 2026 at Prairie Senior Cottages in New Richland, where he received wonderful care.

Dale was born in Waseca on February 28, 1938, the youngest son of Erich and Elizabeth (Schoenrock) Joecks of New Richland. He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Waldorf, where...

Diane Frances Dwyer passed away peacefully on May 11, 2026, at Friendship Villages of Bloomington with her loving family at her side.
Born on April 7, 1940, in St Peter, Minnesota, she was the daughter of John and Bernice (Connor) Merry. She attended and graduated from McKinley High School in Le Center.
On October...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Margaret Joan Pagenkopf. While everyone called her Jo, Joan, Joannie, Auntie, Grandma Jo, and Mom a few knew her birth name was Margaret.

Jo took her first breath on January 23, 1932, and her final breath at her home on Reeds Lake, Elysian, MN on May 8, 2026....

Herbert G. Krenz, age 92 of Le Sueur died on Friday morning, May 8, 2026, at Oak Terrace in Le Sueur. Funeral service will be on Monday, May 18, 2026, 11:00 a.m. at Zion United Church of Christ in Le Sueur. Visitation will be at the church that morning from 10:00 a.m. ~ 11:00 a.m. Lunch to follow in church social...

Rolf Edward Storvick, age 72, of Mankato, MN, died at his home on May 3, 2024.
The son of Olin Storvick and Ruth (Struxness) Storvick, Rolf was born on August 1, 1953, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As a child, Rolf lived in Ann Arbor, Athens, Moorhead and Cincinnati. He was the second of five children. He graduated...

Pamela J. Blair, age 67, of North Mankato, died April 20, 2026, at her home.
A Memorial Visitation will be held from 3-5 p.m. with the family and Live Music will be held from 5-9 p.m., May 23, 2026, all at The Venue, 1850 Madison Avenue, Mankato.
Pamela is survived by her husband, Brent Blair, three sons, Brandon...

Maxine "Max" Marie Davis, age 86, of Mankato, died peacefully, May 6, 2026, at her home.
Funeral Mass 11:00 a.m., Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, North Mankato. Visitation will be from 9:30 - 11 a.m., Thursday at the church. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Mankato. Mankato Mortuary...

Ricky Allyn Lance, 44 of Blue Earth 10/02/1981-05/05/2026. He lived a hard life that was full of ups and downs. In his free time, he enjoyed heading out to lake to do some fishing and catch some sun. Ricky really enjoyed the outdoors.
Ricky survived by his mother Cheryl Lance of Blue Earth MN, His children Blake,...

Richard "Dick" David Weisgerber, age, 98, of St. Peter, MN passed away on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 in his home surrounded by family who loved him dearly.
A remembrance of Dick's life will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at the Red Men Club in St. Peter from 12:00-3:00pm.
Dick was born March 1,1928 at the Mayo...

Marion Haayer, beloved father of Sarah and Matthew and husband of Barbara, was born in Buffalo Center, Iowa on December 29, 1949. He died in his home of a terminal illness on January 9, 2026.
In 1965 he attended Mankato State college where he majored in Health and Physical Education and played offensive/defensive...

Martin Hugh Christianson, 80, of Lake Crystal, passed away at home on May 2, 2026. Funeral services will be held at Zion Lutheran Church, Lake Crystal, on Friday, May 8, at 2:00 p.m., with visitation one hour prior. A private interment will follow at Butternut Cemetery.

Marty was born January 25, 1946, and was a...

Daniel "Archie" W. Archer, age 85 of St. Peter, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2026.
Memorial service is 3:00pm Friday, May 8, 2026 at Sunrise Church, St. Peter with visitation beginning at 1:00pm. Private family burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery, St. Peter. To view livestream, see a complete obituary, or leave...

Joshua "Josh" Robert Downey, 52, of Mankato, passed away tragically on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 3:00-7:00 p.m., on Friday, May 8, 2026, at Northview - North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato. Memorials to the family are preferred.
Josh was born on May 28,...

Darrell J. Thomas 79, of Kasota Township, MN, passed on April 23, 2026, and will be interred at Fort Snelling Cemetery.
Darrell was born to Swain and Mildred Thomas. Swain died in WWII. Mildred later married James G. Wakefield.
A graduate of Mankato West High School, he joined the Navy at 18 and served on the USS...

Elmer Soost Jr. passed away peacefully on April 24, 2026 in Frost, MN. He was born
to Elmer and Margie Soost on August 25, 1953 in Albert Lea, MN. He grew up on the family farm near Matawan, MN and attended New Richland-Heartland School.

He engaged in some farming activities and sales and repair business. He...

Al Meyer, age 72, of Mankato, died peacefully surrounded by family on April 23, 2026.
Memorial Service will be held on May 15 at 11:00 a.m. at Northview-North Mankato Mortuary. Visitation will be from 9:30-11:00 prior to the service. Private family burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery with military honors. ...

Harvey Schulz's Celebration of Life Service will be Friday, May 1, 2026 at 1:00pm in the Pavilion at Minnesota Square Park (1000 S. Minnesota Ave, St. Peter, MN). Complete obituary and more information at www.saintpeterfuneralhome.com.

Loren John Burkel, age 78 of Mankato, MN died peacefully at Oaklawn Care Center on Friday, April 17th, 2026.
Loren was born on August 20th, 1948 in Blue Earth County MN to Sylvester and Ottilia Burkel. He grew up in North Mankato MN and attended high school at Crosier Seminary in Onamia, MN, graduating in 1966. He...

Nathan "Nate" Douglas Maxey of Columbia Heights, MN passed away oon March 3, 2026. He was 44 years old.
Nate was born on May 11, 1981 in Hutchinson, MN to Rolle and Jodi (Larson) Maxey. The family later moved to the Mankato area where he attended the Rapidan Elementary school, the Garden City Middle School and...

Joyce Tolzin passed away peacefully on April 17, 2026, at the age of 88, at Sugar Loaf Senior Living surrounded by her children. She was born on April 10, 1938, to Lydia and Ronald Joyner, in Greenville, North Carolina.
Joyce grew up as the ninth of ten children, a childhood she often remembered fondly. She would...

Diane E. Mountain, age 84 of Eagle Lake and formerly of Vernon Center, passed away on Friday, April 17, 2026 at Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato.
Mass of Christian Burial is 11:00am Thursday, April 23, 2026 at all Saints Catholic Church, Madison Lake with visitation one hour prior. To leave a condolence for the...

A funeral mass for Harold I. Nowak, 92, of Welcome, MN, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, April 23, 2026, at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Fairmont with full military honors by the Lee C. Prentice American Legion Post #36 and the Martin County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1222. A private family burial...

GERALDINE GRACE "GERRI" (SCHLAAK) LIENKE, age 78, of Waldorf, MN, passed away peacefully on April 18, 2026, in her home surrounded by her loved ones after a brave battle with cancer.
Gerri enjoyed spending time with her family, gardening and life in the country. She also enjoyed being a fur-mom to her favorite...

Georgia M. Wilson, age 95, of Delavan, MN died Monday, April 13, 2026 at the Mapleton Community Home. Visitation will be Monday, April 20th from 10:00am-11:00am. A funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Monday, April 20, 2026 at United Church of Mapleton. Burial will follow at Union Cemetery. Please see...

Felicia J. Dhaene, age 97 of St. Peter, passed away surrounded by family on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at Pathstone Living, Mankato.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00am Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at the Catholic Church of St. Peter, St. Peter with visitation at 9:30am. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery, St. Peter....

Peterson, Nancy C., age 90, formerly of Janesville, passed away April 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. Nancy is survived by daughters Joy (Tom) Peterson Hubler and Glenna (Gregg) Sorensen; granddaughter Sarah Sorensen; sisters Judy LeCount and Jane (David) LeCount; and nieces and nephew. She was preceded in death by...

Bradley Warren Hanson, age 73, passed away in the comfort of his home on April 10, 2026.
A native of Blue Earth, Minnesota, Brad was born to Vernon (Pete) and Dorothy (Dot) Hanson. After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1971, serving his country with great pride. Following his military...

Maynard "Buzz" Heitner of Eden Prairie, formerly of Wells, MN, died April 8, 2026 at the age of 99 at his home in Eden Prairie. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie with a visitation at 10:00 am and 11:00 am service. www.huberfunerals.com
On Wednesday,...

Wayne Peter "Pete" Hansen, of Shakopee, Minnesota, passed away with his family at his side on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
We will celebrate Pete's life with a memorial service on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Mount Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church, 12700 Marystown Rd, Shakopee.
A time for family and friends to...

John T. Stevenson December 16, 1950 - April 2, 2026
John T. Stevenson, age 75, of North Mankato, Minnesota, passed away on April 2, 2026. He was born on December 16, 1950, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Richard E. Stevenson and Marie (Swearingen) Stevenson.
On August 2, 1974, John married Norma Hughes, with whom he...

Elaine E. Nuessmeier, Memorial Service, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 AM, Zion UCC in Le Sueur, MN. Visitation one hour prior. www.koldenfuneralhome.com

Stephanie April (Lundin) Wellik, a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend, passed away on April 7th, 2026, at the age of 56. Born to Gary A. and Pamela G. (Weerts) Lundin, Stephanie was the cherished middle sister to Jennifer (1967) and Jessica (1976).

Stephanie's early years were spent in Le Center,...

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Gary Wilbur Rambow, of Mankato, MN and Watertown, SD, who left us on April 8, 2026. He was surrounded by love in his final days, and his absence is felt deeply by all who knew him.
Gary was born on October 27, 1946, in Sleepy Eye, MN. He spent his life rooted...

Walter Charles Woyke (Chuck), age 76, of St. Peter, MN, passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2026.
Born in Waseca, MN to Shirley (Kopischke) and Walter William Woyke, he graduated from Waseca High School, then graduated with honors from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter in 1971. He landed his dream job at the St....

Shyrl R. (Moore) Dorn, 89, of Mankato, passed away peacefully April, 7, 2026 at Oak Terrace Autumn Lane surrounded by family.
A celebration of life will be 11 am, on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Hosanna Lutheran Church with visitation 1 hour prior to the services. Lunch will follow after the service. A private family...

Kristan Gay Beaumont was born September 27, 1945 to Kathryn and Hugh Beaumont in Los Angeles, CA. She died on November 11,2025 at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN following a stroke. Kris graduated from Mankato State University and was employed at Blue Earth County in mental health services for many years. ...

Sharon Kay Downs, 79, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of love, selflessness, and devotion to family.
Born on August 15, 1946, in Madelia, Minnesota, Sharon carried with her the values of kindness, humility, and hard work throughout her life. In November 1966, she married Thomas J....

Dan D. Ellingson
March 20, 1953 - March 30, 2026

Dan D. Ellingson, 73 of Waldorf, MN passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, March 30th, 2026 after battling cancer.
He was surrounded by his loving wife, his sister and brother-in-law and his wife. A memorial get together will be at 2pm on Sunday, April 19th at...

SHIRLEY ANN MILBRETT, age 89, of Janesville passed away on Monday, March 30, 2026 at Whispering Creek in Janesville.
Born on May 2, 1936, in Madelia, Minnesota, Shirley was the daughter of Walter and Erna (Kietzer) Mrotz. She graduated from Janesville High School with the class of 1954. On June 7, 1955, she was...

Donald "Don" Kvasnicka passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. He was born in 1929 to Joseph and Stella Kvasnicka on the family 40-acre farm south of Owatonna. He was the youngest of eight kids, attended a one-room country grade school and graduated from Owatonna High School in 1948. ...

Verne Austin passed away peacefully on March 23, 2026 in Birmingham, Alabama. Verne (LaVerne) was 97 years old.
Verne was born in Bancroft, Iowa on March 19, 1929 to Florence and Verne Austin. Verne graduated from St. John's High School in 1947 and immediately went on to have a full, life-long career as a musician...

Donald Duaine Erickson, age 94, of St. Peter, Minnesota (formerly of Victoria, Minnesota), passed away on March 26, 2026.
Donald was born on August 28, 1931, in Litchfield, Minnesota, to Arthur and Mildred Erickson. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of more than 65 years, Mary Lou; his sisters Clarice...

Steven Calvin Oachs of Mankato born to Calvin and Margret (Weih) Oachs January 15th 1946, passed away at the age of 79 on December 1st, 2025 peacefully in, Arizona surrounded by the family he loved so deeply. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, veteran, and friend, he lived a long and full life anchored in...

Gary Loren "Boog" Cummins, age 84, of Janesville, passed away on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.

Gary Loren "Boog" Cummins was born on July 27, 1941, in Smith's Mill, Minnesota, the third son of Stanley and Goldie (Hammett) Cummins. From a young age, Gary carried a great sense of...

Eloise Emily (Pierson) Zellmer, 89, of rural Waterville, passed away peacefully on March 21, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Born January 6, 1937, at home in rural Lewisville to Nels and Anne (Sanders) Pierson, Eloise was raised on a farm near Butterfield, where she developed a deep love for family, faith, and hard...

Glen Brian Peterson, age 79, of Mankato died Monday, January 19, 2026 at the Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital in Mankato with family and friends at his side. A celebration of life will take place on May 23rd at noon at the Morson Ario Strand Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 950 at 1900 N. Riverfront Drive in Mankato....

Harry H. Heins, age 94, of Good Thunder passed away peacefully at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato on March 20, 2026.
Harry was born June 5, 1931 along with his twin brother Henry to Carl and Lena (Nelson) Heins in Mankato, MN. Harry graduated from Good Thunder High School in 1949. He entered the Armed Services...

Lifelong resident of North Mankato Richard (Dick) Lyons, 90, passed away peacefully at home with his family at his side on March 18th 2026. Dick was born on March 27th 1935 to Ben and Hattie (Trembley) Lyons. He was the youngest of 13 children. He attended Holy Rosary Elementary School and graduated from West...

Mary Ann Toland, age 90 of Winnebago, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 16, 2026 at Crystal Seasons Living Center in Lake Crystal, MN. Memorial services will be held at 11AM on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Hope United Methodist Church, Blue Earth with Pastor Godfrey Gakuru officiating. A time for visitation...

Loren A. Sohre, age 76 of Good Thunder, a beloved husband, father, and cherished friend passed away on Monday, March 16, 2026, at home surrounded by the love of his family.
Loren was born in Mankato on May 12, 1949 to LeRoy and Arladene (Kleinbeck) Sohre. He graduated from Good Thunder High School and was drafted...

Marlyce R'Lou Nordby, 86, of North Mankato, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2026, surrounded by family. She was born on June 14, 1939, in Alexandria, Minnesota, to Mabel and Elmer Johnson.
She graduated from Alexandria High School in 1957. On January 28, 1959, she married Richard Nordby. Together, they built...

Clarence George Deno, 96, died Saturday, March, 14, 2026 at Vista Prairie in North Mankato. Private family services will be held. Interment will be at Woodland Hills Memorial Park. woodlandhillsfh.com

Clarence was born April 26, 1929 in Lake Prairie Township in Nicollet County to Fred and Ella (Kihn) Deno . On...

Charles "Chuck/Coop" Cooper, 79, went home to heaven peacefully surrounded by family at the Mayo Mankato Hospital on March 15, 2025. He was born on December 2, 1946, in Mankato, MN at St. Joseph's Hospital to William "Don" D. and Hazel M. (Hake) Cooper. woodlandhillsfh.com

Kim Marie Frederick, age 65, of Eagle Lake, died very peacefully March 11, 2026 surrounded by family.
Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, at Northview - North Mankato Mortuary. Funeral Mass 10:00 a.m., Thursday, March 19, 2026, at All Saints Catholic Church, Madison Lake. Interment will be in...

Jean Johnson Haefner, age 86, of Richfield, MN passed away peacefully at her residence with her daughters by her side on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
Jean was born on July 27, 1939, at the Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, MN, the daughter of Bernadine (Mee) and Raymond A. Johnson. She graduated High School from Good...

Patricia Elwood, age 88, of Mankato, MN, died on Wed, Mar 11, 2026, at Laurels Peak Rehabilitation Center in Mankato. Funeral Services are 11:00 a.m. Thurs, Mar 19, 2026, at the Hamilton Funeral Home in Marshall, MN. Interment will follow in the Marshall Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to her...

Zylus Edward Moore, 9 days old, died on March 5, 2026, at Children's Minnesota - St. Paul Hospital in the arms of his parents.
Funeral Services will be at United Methodist Church-Madelia on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 11:00 AM. Visitation one hour prior.
Zylus is survived by his parents, Katherine and Major Moore...