Obituaries 1/3/19
Evelyn Abel, 93
Evelyn Lena Abel, age 93, of Albertville, passed away Monday, December 24. She was born May 12, 1925 in Urbank.
Evelyn is survived by: her children, Diana Illies of St. Michael, Renee (Paul) Hayden of Benson, Wayne (Patricia) Abel of St. Michael, Rochelle LaRue of St. Joseph; many grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; brother, Bernie Schmidt of Monticello; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends.
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, December 31, at 11 a.m., with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m., at St. Albert’s Catholic Church in Albertville. Burial followed at St. Albert’s Cemetery in Albertville.
Serving the family is the Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home.
Thomas Banke, 70
Thomas Banke, 70 of Buffalo, passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 21, after a courageous battle with esophageal cancer.
Thomas was born on August 2, 1948 in Robbinsdale, at North Memorial Medical Center to Morris and Grace (Holes) Banke. Thomas graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1966. After graduation he worked for Northern Burlington Railroad. He went on to work as a quality control supervisor at Circuit Science for many years prior to his retirement.
Thomas will be remembered most for his love for his grandchildren. He loved classic cars, hunting and shooting his guns by himself and with friends and family.
Thomas had a memorable sense of humor. He was notorious for the pranks he pulled both at work and at home. He found entertainment in his joking fibs, as he was highly skilled in keeping a straight face while everyone around him fell for his jokes.
Thomas was dependable and enjoyed his routines. He could often be found sitting in his favorite spot at the kitchen table, next to the window, where he would greet and wave goodbye to visitors.
Thomas was preceded in death by: his parents, Morris and Grace; nephew, Derrick Bennett; sister-in-law, Beverly Banke; and former wife, Ginny Lee Banke.
Thomas is survived by: Debra Banke, his wife and partner of 31 years; children, Dawn Johnson, Heathere Willoughby (Jason), Sabina Coolen, John Coolen (Brenna), Angela Banke (Eli), Nicole Varhol (Jason), sister, Jackie Matison (Bill); and brother, Dave Banke (Cathy); 16 grandchildren, Coy Coolen, Devon Coolen, Nicholas Rhode, Haley Czanstkowski, Lijah Willoughby, Jasmine Coolen, Clark Willoughby, Nevaeh Varhol, Brielle Brown, Bret Coolen, Adrian Coolen, Autumn Varhol, Maxwell Willoughby, Audrie Varhol, Sophia Riedberger, and Dallas Coolen; and one great-grandchild, Cashton Coolen.
Services were held on December 30. Should friends desire, memorials may be sent to the family at 2317 Buffalo Run Rd, Buffalo, MN 55313.
Serving the family is the Peterson Chapel of Buffalo.
Arlo Bjorklund, 81
Arlo Dean Bjorklund, 81, of Buffalo, passed away Tuesday, December 18. He was born in Blue Earth, the son of Oscar and Agnes (Rajewsky) Bjorklund.
Arlo graduated from Blue Earth High School in 1955. He attended college at Mankato State University and was on the wrestling team under the guidance of Rummy Macias. Arlo finished his college career at Dunwoody College. He went on to work at Honeywell as a tool and die maker for 35+ years and was a member of the Local 1133 Teamsters.
On July 1, 1961 Arlo Bjorklund and Barbara Rundquist were united in marriage at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Blue Earth. They were blessed with two sons.
Arlo enjoyed fishing, hunting, telling stories, and attending the Buffalo, Delano and Rockford Senior Centers.
Arlo was preceded in death by: his wife, Barbara Bjorklund; parents, Oscar and Agnes Bjorklund; and siblings, Arnold Bjorklund, Harriet Rundquist, and Blanche Ehlert.
Arlo is survived by: his sons, Tony (Lisa) Bjorklund and Brooks (Trisha) Bjorklund; grandchildren, Rachel, Avery, Natalie, Miranda, Mitchell; and many nieces, nephews, family, and friends.
Visitation was held Thursday, December 27, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Funeral services were held Friday, December 28, at 10 a.m., with visitation one-hour prior, at Zion Lutheran Church in Buffalo. Interment followed at Zion Cemetery in Buffalo.
Serving the family is the Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
Carolyn Hartneck, 74
Our Lord called Carolyn Ann Hartneck, 74, of Buffalo, to home on Saturday, December 22. She was born on December 2, 1944 to Irving and Wally Dalbec in Watertown, Minnesota.
Carolyn was a loving mother, grandmother and sister who enjoyed embroidering and baking cookies.
Carolyn was preceded in death by: her parents; and a brother, Walter. She is survived by: her daughters, Sandy (Leon) Pouliot and Jackie (Jim) Honebrink; grandsons, Eric, Cole and Wyatt Pouliot; siblings, Sharon Saari, Charlotte LaPlant, Virgil “Butch” Dalbec, Tom (Vickie) Dalbec, Marion Bryant and Barb Breingan; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 28, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Buffalo. Visitation was Friday, 10 to 11 a.m., prior to the Mass at the church. Private family interment at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Delano.
In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred.
Arrangements by the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.
Joyce Janicula, 89
Joyce Janicula, 89, of Delano, passed away at home surrounded by family on December 21.
She was born on May 24, 1929 in Hennepin County to John and Ruth (Pearson) Sinkel. She was baptized and confirmed by Edwin H. Bruns at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Delano.
Joyce married James Janicula of Delano and raised four children. They lived in Delano all of their lives. Her biggest joy was her family, which always came first in her life. She loved each Holiday season and made each one very special; she loved this time with her family.
She was a homemaker and wonderful cook and baker; many of the family members have some of her greatest recipes. Joyce enjoyed gardening vegetables and flowers and was still canning and freezing the vegetables and making her home beautiful with the flowers in the planter for all to see.
Joyce also loved playing cards and games with family and friends; she was a competitive card player and it brought her much joy when her family spent this time with her.
She was an active volunteer with Mt. Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church for many years on the Altar Guild. Joyce was an active fire lady and served as secretary for the Delano Ladies Fire Auxiliary for many years. She was a volunteer for the American Red Cross as a caller for blood donation, transportation of the blood and working of the canteen, also for many years.
Joyce was preceded in death by: her parents, John and Ruth Sinkel; Father and Mother-in-law Frank and Clara Janicula; brothers, John Jr., LeRoy, and Winslow Sinkel; sisters-in-law, Marie, Pat, and Shirley Sinkel, Lorraine Janicula, Lorraine Meehan, and Carol Theisen; brothers-in-law, Marvin Janicula and Arnie Mense.
Joyce is survived by: her loving husband, Jim of 72 years; loving family, including sons, Gary Janicula, Bruce (Linda) Janicula; daughters, Kathryn Quist and Lori (Brian) Anderson; nine grandchildren, Kari (Steve) Rankin, Chad (Lacey) Quist, Ryan Janicula, Jesse (Logan) Janicula, Scott (Kelsey) Quist, Keegan Janicula (Sky Guthrie), Lesley (Ben) Berscheid, Barry (Sara) Janicula, and Chris (Andrea) Anderson; 14 great-grandchildren; Kaylee Kouri, Hailey, Madison, and Isabel Rankin, Brogan Stoddard and Taylor, Norah, Blair, and Cameron Berscheid, Casey and Mason Quist, Walker Quist, Dylan Janicula, and James Janicula; sisters-in-law, Pat Janecula and Elaine Mense; brother-in-law, Harold Theisen; and also many special nieces and nephews and many special friends.
Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 5, at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Delano. Visitation Friday, January 4, from 4 to 8 p.m. and continues Saturday 10 to 11 a.m. prior to the service, all at the church. Interment will be in the East Mt. Olive Lutheran Cemetery in Delano.
Arrangements are with the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.
Michael King, 64
Michael J. King, age 64, passed away December 4, at his residence in Delano.
Memorial service will take place 3 p.m. Friday, January 11, at the Johnson Funeral Home (141 E. First St.) in Waconia. Gathering of family and friends 1 to 3 p.m. prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred.
Michael Jan King was born March 19, 1954 in Minneapolis the son of James and Inez (Volkenant) King. As a young boy, Michael’s family had lived in Wayzata, Princeton and California prior to moving back to Minnesota and settling in Mound where he attended school.
Michael was united in marriage with Beverly Jensen in 1975 at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Mound. To this union there was a son Michael P. King. Michael had worked for a short period for the City of Watertown. He had also been a chef for Lord Fletchers, Jimmy’s, the Lafayette Club and the Lakeville County Club. For most of his working career, Michael operated Mike King Trucking where he did over-the-road and later dump truck business.
Michael was an avid hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed music, playing pool and darts, and spending time on his motorcycle. Michael was a huge fan of NASCAR and the Minnesota Vikings.
Michael had a heart for animals and loved his dogs. He will be remembered for his loving, compassionate, protective and friendly nature that would do anything for another person.
Michael was preceded in death by his parents James and Inez.
Michael is survived by: his longtime special friend, Denise Strand of Delano; son, Michael P. (Laura) King of Andover; grandsons, Michael R. King and Aiden M. King; brother, James (Juliette) Weiland of North Carolina; sister, Kathy (Keith) Peterson of Montrose; many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
Arrangements with the Johnson Funeral Home in Waconia.
Merlin Reinking, 89
Merlin W. Reinking was born on July 22, 1929 in Corcoran, Minnesota to Christian and Elsie (Bernick) Reinking.
He was taken home by his Lord and Savior on Thursday, December 20.
Merlin enlisted in the Army in 1946 and served with the 11th Airborne as a paratrooper.
After returning from the service, he married the love of his life Mavis (Hasty) in 1950. They were blessed with seven children over their 63 exceptional years of marriage, Ronald, Richard, Marne, Thomas, Jody, Mark and James.
Never afraid to take on new adventures, Merlin and Mavis bought an 80 acre hobby farm in 1960. While Merlin continued to work off the farm, they raised beef cattle and crops. Everyone pitched in and helped wherever they could.
In 1967, they sold the 80-acre farm and purchased a 160 acre dairy farm, enabling Merlin to farm fulltime.
They had never milked cows before, but with the help of good neighbors, his wife and children, they herded the dairy cattle down the road to their farm and began to learn, and soon exceled at dairy farming.
While dairy farming was very good to them, there was a complaint that they never had time to go fishing. In 1975, Roll-In Lodge on Mille Lacs Lake was purchased, and the family went fishing! With ten cabins, three launches, a restaurant, bar, campgrounds, and over 50 fish houses operating in the winter they were beyond busy! The resort prospered, became one of the premiere fishing resorts on Mille Lacs while they were operating Roll-In.
At last with aging parents, and three of seven children still in the greater metro area, it was decided to sell the resort, and return to the dairy farm in 1978. Tom and Mary, Mark and Jim were all involved in the return to the dairy operation.
The dairy farm operated until 2000, when it was sold and Merlin and Mavis retired. They purchased a home in rural Rogers, and were able to spend quality time enjoying their family, ever expanding with the number of grandchildren they were blessed with, some traveling and of course their friends.
Merlin was an outstanding person, a good Christian, husband and father. For the lessons he taught by his example and the values he imparted in his children we shall be forever grateful. Merlin will be greatly missed!
He was a faithful member of Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church for 59 years.
Merlin is survived by: his children, Richard (Vicki) Reinking, Marne Kolasa, Tom (Mary) Reinking, Jody (Chris) Hoheisel, Mark (Linda) Reinking and James (Tracy) Reinking; 20 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; a sister, Carol Reardon; sisters-in-law, Gayle Bambenek and Donna Hasty; many nieces and nephews, other relatives, and friends.
He was preceded in death by: his loving wife, Mavis; a son, Ronald; parents, Chris and Elsie Reinking; a brother, Duane; parents-in-law, Merrill and Pearl Hasty; in-laws, Marvel and Chauncey Sandgren; John Reardon and Bud Hasty; and by a son-in-law, Robert Kolasa.
Funeral services for Merlin Reinking were held on Saturday, December 29 at 11 a.m. at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield. Pastor Paul Schuler officiated. Interment followed at Salem Lutheran Cemetery. A visitation was held on Saturday, December 29 at the church from 9: a.m. until time of services at 11 a.m.
Casket Bearers were Derek, Nathan, Scott, Dan, Mike, Matt and Mitch Reinking.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepeterson chapel.com.
