October 2011
Complete obituaries can be found in the Paynesville Press each week.
October 2011
Complete obituaries can be found in the Paynesville Press each week.
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Winifred Becker, 77, Fergus Falls Winifred "Winnie" Delores Becker, 77, of Fergus Falls died on Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Evansville Care Center in Evansville from complications of pneumonia. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Federated Church in Fergus Falls. Burial will be in the Oak Grove Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls. Winnie was born on April 17, 1934, to Frank and Belle (Perrizo) Fiala in Benson. In 1948, Winnie graduated from the Clontarf middle school. She graduated from Benson High School in 1952 and started at the St. Cloud Teacher College several days later. She did her student teaching in Holdingford and then worked there for a year, before getting married, and then for three years at several rural country schools around the Litchfield area. After a short break, when they moved to Fergus Falls the first time, she continued teaching at Richmond, Rockville, and Cold Spring, which eventually unified to become the Rocori district. She married Ronald Duane Becker at Saint Malachy's church in Clontarf on Feb. 5, 1955, and in the ensuing years, they moved with their three sons -- Mitchell, Douglas, and Mark -- around central Minnesota in search of a better life and the "American Dream." They went from a farm outside of Litchfield until 1958 to the Bus Depot Cafe in Fergus Falls until the early 1960s, and then on to Ron's work with the National Guard in Paynesville and St. Cloud. It was back to Fergus Falls in 1971 to operate Becker's Supper Club (formerly the Ranch House) and then Becker Realty for 17 years until Ronald's death in 1994. There was never a dull moment with Ronald, and she said she wouldn't have traded a moment for anything. After operating Becker's Supper Club until 1975, she started work at the Fergus Falls State Hospital (later Regional Treatment Center) in the dietary department, but worked most of her years in the vocational department as a special education teacher's assistant. She retired after 20 years there and always appreciated the great staff and clients that she worked with during that time. Winnie is survived by her three sons, Mitch and Sharon Becker of Cambridge, Doug and Barb Becker of Fergus Falls, and Mark and Lisa Becker of Fergus Falls; her grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and long-time friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; in-laws; and husband, Ronald.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m., at Grace United Methodist Church in Paynesville. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Johnson Funeral Home in Paynesville and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.
Eugene Edward Simpson was born on Jan. 22, 1933, to Edward and Fern (Drager) Simpson in Sherburne, Minn.
He graduated from Canton High School and went on to attend a vocational school, where he earned a degree in engineering.
On Jan. 22, 1953, Gene entered the U.S. Army. He served his country in Japan and was honorably discharged on Dec. 30, 1954.
On Feb. 26, 1956, Gene married Marilyn Bostrack at the Little Brown Church in Vale, Iowa. Two daughters and a son were born to this union. Gene and Marilyn shared 55 years of marriage.
The family made their home in Winona, Minn., where Gene worked as a designing engineer for NSP. He worked there for 28 years, retiring in 1990.
In 1994, Gene and Marilyn moved to Rice Lake in rural Paynesville, where they and their family owned and operated Fisher's Resort.
Gene is survived by his wife, Marilyn; children, Mark of Rochester, Dee Dee Brown of Fort Meyers, Fla., and Tanya (special friend Kevin Beckius) of Paynesville; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; siblings, Dennis Simpson of Brooklyn Center and Vicky Decker of Winona; brothers and sisters-in-law; and many nieces and nephews.
Gene was preceded in death by his parents; a granddaughter; and brother, Clark Simpson.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m., at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wesley, Iowa. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Wesley.
Marjorie Henrietta Jurgens was born on Oct. 25, 1916, to Samuel and Myrtle (Clayton-Farr) Striley in Titonka, Iowa.
She married Floyd Jurgens in 1937. They made their home in rural Kanawa, Iowa, and farmed until they moved to a rural Willmar farm in 1946.
She worked the night shift at the Willmar State Hospital for several years as an aid, where she developed several lifelong friendships.
In 1966, she graduated from the St. Cloud teachers' college.
She taught first grade in Grove City for a few years before traveling to Quito, Ecuador, where she taught English at the Cotopaxi Academy. During her time there, she also assisted Father John Halligan with his mission at the Working Boys' Center. She loved the Ecuadorian people and their culture. This was the highlight of her life. She traveled this portion of the world extensively, collecting many artifacts and fostering many friendships.
In 1970, she began teaching first and second grade in Cosmos until her retirement. She was a favorite teacher to many.
She maintained her home on Green Lake in Spicer for many years, where many special summers were spent with family.
She moved with her daughter to Paynesville in 1999.
Marjorie is survived by her two children, Mary Jane Swenson of Paynesville and Samuel (Renee) Jurgens of Sartell; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and many dear friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a grandson.
A funeral service was held on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Eden Valley Church of God. Burial was in the Old Eden Lake Cemetery in rural Eden Valley.
Carroll Arno Bennett was born on Dec. 21, 1914, to Alvin and Gertrude (Janssen) Bennett on the family farm in Eden Lake Township. He grew up on a farm between Eden Valley and Paynesville and received his education at a small country school there.
On Oct. 12, 1940, Carroll married Ruby Randall. A daughter, Sharon, was born to this union. Carroll and Rudy shared 71 years of marriage.
They made their home in Minneapolis, where Carroll was a foreman for Ostman Home Builders.
They moved back to the Paynesville area where Carroll operated his own construction business until his retirement.
Carroll is survived by his wife, Ruby; daughter, Sharon (Larry) Jobes of Papillion, Neb.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Marlin and Lyndon; and two sisters, Byrdella and Vivian.
A funeral service was held on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Wenner Funeral Home in Richmond.
Gary was born on Feb. 27, 1949, to Albert and Marina (Hansen) Winning in Greenwald.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971 and was a Vietnam veteran.
Gary worked for the Minnesota Department of Transportation as a highway maintenance worker for 30 years.
Gary is survived by his sisters, Verlia Koopmeiners, Lee Patz, and Cindy Coolbroth; former wife, Diane Eisert; a brother-in-law; a sister-in-law; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Alvera Meyer; brother, Charles Winning; and a brother-in-law.
At JimÕs request, no service will be held. Burial will be in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Jim was born on Jan. 1, 1928, in Omaha, Neb.
While growing up in Omaha, he spent summers with family at the cabin on Lake Koronis.
Jim joined the U.S. Air Force, serving as a pilot during the Korean War. After his honorable discharge, he remained active in the Air National Guard.
Jim obtained his bachelor's degree from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa.
Jim married Karen (Boesen) Plantikow in 1963 and moved to Paynesville in 1965.
Jim held numerous jobs throughout his career, including as a chemical dependency counselor at the Willmar Regional Treatment Center until he retired.
Jim is survived by his son, Alan.
No funeral service was held.
Grace Koprek was born on March 14, 1935, to the late Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Reamer in Hawick.
She was a 1953 graduate of Paynesville High School.
Memorial services and a burial will be held at a later date at the VeteranÕs Memorial Cemetery near Cave Creek, Ariz.
Larry Wallace was born on July 27, 1929, to Oliver and Addie Evelyn Wallace (formerly of Hawick) in Sheldon, Iowa.
Larry spent a total of eight years in the military: four years in the U.S. Navy and four years in the U.S. Army. He served one year at Bordeau army base in Bordeau, France, and later in Korea.
He married his first wife, Patsie on Nov. 6, 1952. Two children were born to this union.
Larry spent most of his life traveling and working as a meat cutter in various meat markets and stores. At one time, for two years, he owned and managed the Troop Town Country Store on Lake Pokegama near Grand Rapids, Minn.
He also ran an escort limo service for a few years.
Larry is survived by his first wife, Patsie; sons, Ricky of Arlington, Wash., and Terry of North Bend, Wash.; ten grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; eight siblings, Artis Viergutz of Apache Junction, Ariz., Ellen Shultice of Selmar, Calif., Charlotte Damm of Mesa, Ariz., Alice Liebrenz of Paynesville, Lola Kletzmeyer of Spearfish, S.D., Leta Helmbrecht of Grand Rapids, Minn., Lila Sandrey of Pittsburg, Mo., and Roy Wallace of Dolan Springs, Ariz.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; second wife, Effie; and one infant brother, Roger Everett.
A funeral service was held on Thursday, Oct. 6, at Paynesville Lutheran Church. Burial was in the Paynesville Cemetery.
Thomas "Heavy" Gary Hanson was born on Feb. 25, 1955, in Willmar to Percy and Opal (Mead) Hanson. He was baptized and confirmed at Grove Lake Trinity Lutheran Church.
Heavy attended Garfield Elementary School in Willmar and finished his schooling in New London.
After his education, Heavy worked at Windy Hill Salvage Yard in rural New London. While keeping Windy Hill close to his heart, Heavy worked for J&S Construction and Christy's Auto Wrecking. He went on to own his own salvage yard in Paynesville. After he sold his yard, Heavy went to work for Martini Auto and then back home to work at Windy Hill.
On Sept. 3, 1977, Heavy married Robin Bayer at Robin's parent's home in rural Paynesville. The couple moved to Sisseton, S.D.
After a short time, they moved to Paynesville, where Heavy lived until his death.
Heavy is survived by his wife, Robin; daughter Shannon (Shawn Skinner) of Paynesville; two grandchildren; siblings, Bruce Hanson of Georgeville, Sheila Zimmerle of Brooten, Richard Hanson of Willmar, and Bonnie Peterson of Dickinson, N.D.; and step siblings, Vanessa Peterson of Horse Cave, Ky. and Preston Dennison of Glasgow, Ky.
Heavy was preceded in death by his parents and step father, Jim Dennison.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.
Funeral services were held on Friday, Oct. 7, at Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Albany. Burial was in St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery in Watkins.
Hildegard Steinhofer-Loch was born on March 18, 1928, to George and Rosa (Fabeck) Linn in Freeport.
She married Leander Steinhofer on Sept. 15, 1945. The couple lived in the Albany area.
After Leander's death in 1981, she married Eugene Loch on Oct. 30, 1982. Hilda and Eugene lived in Watkins until Eugene's death in 2000.
Hilda owned and managed two bars, the Dugout of Albany and Hilda's Liquor of Watkins. Hilda was also a seamstress for Fingerhut and Litchfield Garment before her retirement in 1999.
Hildegard is survived by her children, Joyce (Valerian "Larry") Gerads of Albany, June (Richard) Hughes of Jefferson, Texas, and Chuck (Karelle) Steinhofer of Paynesville; sister, Martha Grausam of Fridley; a son-in-law; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Rosa Linn; husbands, Leander Steinhofer and Eugene Loch; daughter, Jane Rakotz; eight brothers and one sister; and two infant great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Domain-Anderson Funeral Home in Bertha.
Arvid Lang was born on Dec. 29, 1935, to Lloyd Edward and Alda Sophia (Block) Lang in Paynesville.
He attended country school in rural Paynesville.
After spending most of his life in Paynesville, he moved to live with his sister, Gerry, in Germania Township in Bertha for the next three years.
He then moved to Goldfield, Nev., for six years before he returned to Gerry's home earlier this year.
Arvid worked as a maintenance man and also farmed.
Arvid is survived by his brothers, Llewellyn of Paynesville, Floyd of Paynesville, and Roger of Eden Valley; sisters, Juanita Moser of Paynesville and Gerry Bogatski of Bertha; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Alda; brothers, Gilmore and LeRoy; and sister, Vergeane Vogelpohl.
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