Obituaries 3/3/22
Jean Birkholz, 93
Jean Patricia (nee Randel) Birkholz, 93, died Feb. 21, 2022, at the Gardens of Winsted. Jean was born on August 6, 1928, in Crookston, MN, to Fred and Mabel Randel. She was baptized on Oct. 28, 1928, at United Lutheran Church in Beltrami, MN, and confirmed on March 29, 1942, at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo, MN. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1946.
Jean married Willis Birkholz on August 24, 1951, at St. John’s in Buffalo. They had four children and spent their lives farming and milking cows on the Birkholz homestead southwest of Howard Lake. Once retired, they enjoyed traveling and spending time with their friends and family, including their four granddaughters.
Jean also enjoyed gardening, playing piano, and playing cards. She was an active member of St. James Lutheran Church. She volunteered there as well as at the Howard Lake nursing home. She also visited shut-ins, often bringing treats that she, too, enjoyed so much.
After Willis passed away in 2007, Jean continued living on the family farm, where she enjoyed mowing lawn, gardening, caring for her kitties, and welcoming family and friends to many wiener roasts. She moved from the farm in 2020 and lived at The Lodge in Howard Lake and then at the Garden House Assisted Living Center in Winsted before moving to the Gardens of Winsted care center last summer.
Jean is survived by her three daughters, Nancy Birkholz, of Basalt, CO., Susan Zander (Arlo), of North Mankato, and Lori Welle (Steve), of Aitkin; granddaughters, Jenna (Justin) Rinehart, of Mankato, Alison (Dan) Conlin, of Minneapolis, Brianna (Dan) Peterson, of Eden Prairie, and Lauren Welle, of Minneapolis; two great-granddaughters, Holly and Brynn Peterson; brother, David (Margaret) Randel, of Buffalo; and many other relatives and friends.
Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Willis Birkholz; son, Stephen Birkholz; parents, Fred and Mabel Randel; sister, Joan Streich; sister-in-law, Evelyn Diers; brothers-in law, Elroy Diers and Reuben Streich; nephew, Patrick Randel; and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Otto and Ella Birkholz.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 2, at St. James Lutheran Church in Howard Lake. A visitation will be held one hour before the service, at 10 a.m. on April 2. A luncheon will follow the funeral service at St. James Lutheran School. Memorials preferred.
Marcella Dubbin, 92
Marcella “Marcie” Dorothy (Deppa) Dubbin, age 92, of Montrose, Minnesota, passed away February 20, 2022.
She was born on August 1, 1929, in Gilman, Minnesota, to Jake and Theresa (Rhoda) Deppa.
On May 6, 1950, Marcie was joined in holy marriage to Gerald “Jerry” Dubbin at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Together, they raised two sons, Kevin and Kurt.
In 1950, Marcie and Jerry moved to Montrose where they established “Jerry’s Standard” full-service station. The business was successful and in 1955, they built a new building on the corner of Highways 12 and 25 in Montrose.
Marcie worked nearly 26 years in assembly with Tonka Toys and at one time, worked at Nankin Café, a historic downtown Minneapolis restaurant. When she retired from working, Marcie enjoyed spending her free time tending her gardens and taking care of her many plants, watching birds out her window, and making wreaths during Christmas time. She loved to cook meals for friends and family, and always made sure her candy dishes were filled for her grandkids and friends to take home treats.
She was the type of person who always had a lot of spirit and positive energy. She was sassy, yet kind and caring to people. She was always willing to help and be supportive, and had a generous heart. Marcie would often put other people’s needs before hers.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald “Jerry” in 2008; grandson, Cole; and siblings, Annie, Alex, Donald, and Jerome.
Marcie is survived by her sons, Kevin Dubbin and Kurt (Roxanne) Dubbin; grandchildren, Luke and Emily; and sister-in-law, Sylvia Deppa.
Memorial Mass of Christian Burial was held Friday, February 25, 2022, at 10:30 A.M. with visitation beginning at 9:00 A.M. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waverly, MN. Interment took place at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery in Gilman, MN.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Online condolences for the family may be directed to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Arvilla Hopkins, 95
Arvilla Hopkins, of Buffalo, died on February 22, 2022, at the age of 95. Arvilla was born on May 27, 1926, in Pearl Lake, Minnesota, the sixth of 11 children of Matthew and Frances Kunkel. Arvilla attended school in Pearl Lake, until the family moved to Maple Lake where she graduated in 1944 from Maple Lake High School.
Arvilla worked as a housekeeper, working with families with new babies. She met Patrick Hopkins in 1949, and they were married June 5, 1951. Arvilla and Patrick had eight children. They farmed west of Buffalo for many years. She was a dedicated member of St. Francis Xavier parish, a member of the Council of Catholic Women and a lifetime member of the Catholic Foresters. She loved gardening, baking, spending time with their grandchildren, and making numerous quilts to share with family, friends and church. She spent many hours volunteering with the Appalachian Mission Project and baking for church bake sales.
Arvilla was preceded in death by her husband, Patrick; her parents; sisters, Caroline Lesner, Jeanette Guennigsman, and infant Theresa; brothers, Emery, Lambert, Richard, infant Joseph, Arnold and Allen; sons-in-law, Donald Pekarek and John Muldowney; daughter-in-law, Wanda Hopkins; granddaughter, Jennifer Pekarek; and great-grandson, Jackson Ware.
Survived by her children, Daniel, of St. Cloud, Rose Marie Muldowney, of Brainerd, John (Julie), of Buffalo, Joe (Shelly), of Buffalo, Fred, of Buffalo, Bill (Jasmine), of Buffalo, Lily Hopkins (Ronnie Cook), of Santa Barbara, California, and Maureen (Jeremy) Hultberg, of Sebeka; brother, Jerry (Michelle) Kunkel; sisters-in-law, Ruth Kunkel and Phyllis Kunkel; 17 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild; and many nieces, nephews and friends.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Buffalo. In lieu of flowers, please send Memorials to St. Francis Xavier Church or King’s House Retreat Center, both of Buffalo. Private Interment St. Francis Cemetery. A visitation was held on Monday, February 28, from 4-7 P.M. at the Church. A Prayer service was held at 7:00 P.M. Further visitation was held on Tuesday morning, March 1, one hour prior to services.
Casket Bearers were Devin Hopkins, Grant Hopkins, Chris Ware, Jeremy Hopkins, Josh Hopkins, and Justin Hopkins.
Arrangements by The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
John Kleinbach, 34
John Lee Kleinbach, age 34, of Rockford, Minnesota, passed away Friday, February 25, 2022, at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. He was born July 17, 1987, in Seaside, Oregon.
John is survived by his wife, Jenny, and daughter, Lena; his mother, Robin (Raed) Hammoudeh; father, Chris Kleinbach (Helenia Lively); and sister, Anji Lively; grandmother, Kay (Larry) Dawson; uncles, Rick and “Auntie” Renee Hyten, Roy Hyten, and Lance Woods; mother-in-law, Deborah Gorjance; sisters-in-law, Annie Ziesemer (Adam), Haleigh Hill, Cheryl Noller. He was loved by his nieces, nephews, and many cousins.
Mark Kotilinek, 57
Mark Allen Kotilinek, age 57, originally from Maple Lake, passed away in Florida on February 8, 2022 from Pancreatic Cancer.
He is survived by his parents Ralph and Dorine Kotilinek; son, Chad (Tia) Kotilinek; daughter, Chelsey Kotilinek (Charlie Jewett); grandchildren, Cairo Kotilinek, Charlie Jr. and Chloe Jewett; sister, Kim (Pat) Sandretzky; and brother Tim (Carey) Kotilinek; nieces and nephews, Nicole Sandretzky (Travis Birr and son, Shawn), Chris Sandretzky (Brianna Penaz and son, Everhett), Lily Kotilinek (Zach Dahl) and Trevor Kotilinek; also many relatives and friends.
There will be a service and burial at St. Timothy’s Catholic Cemetery, announced at a later date.
Betty Quast, 88
Betty Ann (nee Bersie) Quast (Kalk) was born on October 4, 1933, in Holloway, Minnesota, to Ovie and Irene Bersie.
She entered her eternal home on February 17, 2022, at her home in St. Michael, Minnesota.
She was the third of five children. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1951.
She always had a job outside of the home and was employed by Buffalo National Bank, Northwest Airline, and retired in 1989 from The Cornelius Co. in Anoka, Minnesota, after 33 years of service.
She was united in marriage to Kenneth Kalk on May 1, 1954, at Crawford Lake Lutheran Church in Buffalo. From this union, their daughter Gale Lynn was born in 1956.
Kenneth preceded her in death in 1984. She married Marc Quast in 1987. They made their home in Walker, Minnesota, and bought a home in Naples, Florida in 1991; they were residents for 30 years prior to his death in 2016. Betty moved back home permanently in February 2021.
She was a loving, kind, compassionate women who loved her family with her whole heart, never an unkind word, and saw the best in everyone. She loved playing cards with family/friends, planting flowers and trees, cleaning and organizing. A sharp business mind and task oriented. A quiet force behind the scenes.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ovie and Irene Bersie; brothers, Ronald and Gordon Bersie; husbands, Kenneth Kalk and Marc Quast; sons-in-law, Kenneth Buranen and Charles Butler.
Survived by a sister, Marilyn (Jim) Lund; a brother, Robert Bersie; many nieces and nephews; a daughter, Gale Butler; grandsons, James (Shannon) Anderson, Arik Anderson and Clay Buranen; five great-grandchildren.
May she forever Rest in Peace with our Lord Jesus Christ.
A Memorial service for Betty Ann Quast (Kalk) was held on Friday, February 25, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home. Pastor Michael Trask officiated. Duane Esterly was the organist for the Memorial service. Special music was “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want” and “Amazing Grace.”
The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Ida Schirmers, 97
Ida “Kay” Schirmers, age 97, of St. Michael, and formerly of Hanover, passed away on Sunday, February 27, 2022, at The Legacy of St. Michael.
A visitation will be held at the Church on Monday, March 7, one hour prior to Mass. A Mass of Christian Burial for Kay Schirmers will be held on Monday, March 7, at 11:00 A.M. at St. Albert’s Catholic Church in Albertville. Interment will follow at St. Michael Cemetery.
A full obituary will appear in next week’s paper.
Arrangements for Kay Schirmers are by The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Kevin Schmidt, 52
Kevin Raymond Schmidt, age 52, of rural Buffalo, passed away on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at his residence.
He was born on September 28, 1969, in Buffalo, the son of Raymond and Janice (Marschel) Schmidt.
Kevin was baptized on October 19, 1969. He was later instructed in the Lutheran catechism and confirmed in the Christian faith on May 8, 1983, at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield
Kevin graduated from West Lutheran High School in Hopkins in 1987. He attended engineering school at The University of Minnesota for three years.
On September 19, 2003, Kevin R. Schmidt and Katherine R. “Katie” Elsenpeter were joined in holy marriage at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo. God blessed their marriage with three children.
Kevin owned and operated Schmidt farms for over 30 years. In addition, he hauled grain and livestock. Kevin later became a crop adjuster for Sampo International.
His passions were farming, hunting, fishing, boating, and teaching his children about these things.
Kevin was a good story teller!
He belonged to Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church and was a former elder of the congregation. Kevin had a strong faith.
He enjoyed spending time with friends, making maple syrup, playing cards, and traveling.
Kevin is survived by his loving wife, Katie Schmidt; children, Amelia Schmidt, Andrew Schmidt, and Anthony Schmidt all at home; his father, Ray (Marge) Schmidt; his mother, Janice Marschel, all of Buffalo; mother-in-law, Krista (Tom) Elsenpeter Tarbox, of Maple Lake; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Jim (Jean) Elsenpeter, Sarah (Adam) Goelz, Susie (John) Peterson, Dan (Erica) Elsenpeter, Carmen (Matt) Rudolph, Luke (Liz) Elsenpeter and Anne (Carl) Pribyl; many other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Janelle Schmidt; father-in-law, Greg Elsenpeter; and by a brother-in-law, Joe Elsenpeter.
Funeral services for Kevin Schmidt will be held on Friday, March 4, 2022, at 11:00 A.M, at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo. Pastor Ryan Clark will officiate and interment will follow at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery-Pelican Lake. Special music will be by Katie’s family. A visitation will be held on Thursday, March 3, from 5-8 P.M., at the Church (St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church). Further visitation will be held on Friday, March 4, one hour prior to services.
Casket Bearers will be Dale Schmidt, Doug Schmidt, Dave Schmidt, Kenny Meyer, Ben Lange and Gary Conzet.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
LaVonne Stueven, 92
LaVonne Jannett (Birkholz) Stueven, age 92, of Howard Lake, passed away Saturday, February 26, at Hennepin County Medical Center.
LaVonne was born September 4th, 1929, to Louis and Esther (Streich) Birkholz in Stockholm Township. Baptized September 29, 1929, by C.G. Seltz at St. James Lutheran Church, Howard Lake. Confirmed April 18, 1943, by Eugene Seltz at St. James Lutheran Church. Her verse was John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear my voice.” LaVonne was married to Dale Stueven on October 23, 1948, by Theo Melinat at St. James Lutheran Church.
They had three children and farmed together for 44 years. Besides farming and selling seed corn, she loved to garden, play cards with the card party group, work with crafts, sew, embroidery, crochet, quilt, ceramics, greeting cards, and doll furniture out of pop cans. She worked for several years at Timeless Designs where she sewed quilts, shower curtains, bathrobes, and made coordinating picture frames and hat boxes (some of which went to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). She loved to travel and visited Alaska, Hawaii, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Spain, and Africa. She was a lifelong member of St. James Lutheran Church and enjoyed Bible class and LWML. She loved to spend time with family and friends and will be missed by all of us.
LaVonne is survived by her children, Lyle (Maxine) Stueven, of Annandale, Pamela Heffern, of Litchfield, Kimberly (Nathan) Jopp, of Lester Prairie; her grandchildren, Ashley (Justin) Kamphenkel, Tyler (Ira) Stueven, Teri (Eric) Starkey, Jesse Sanden, Jeremy (Heather) Sanden, Adler Jopp; her great-grandchildren, Esther, Felix, and Gus Kamphenkel, Letty and Hank Stueven, Ariana and Jameson Starkey, Madison and Brooklynn Sanden, Taylor and Haylee Sanden.
LaVonne was preceded in death by parents, Louis and Esther Birkholz; brothers, Gordon Birkholz and Kenneth Birkholz; sister, Muriel Mattson; sister-in-law, Phylis Birkholz; brother-in-law, Clayton Mattson; nephew, John Mattson.
A funeral service will take place Friday, March 4, 2022, at 2 P.M., at St. James Lutheran Church in Howard Lake, with visitation one hour prior.
Arrangements were by Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home of Howard Lake, www.swansonpeterson.com, 320-543-3401.
Steven Swift, 61
Steven Swift passed away on January 15, 2022, at the age of 61, at a truck terminal in Laredo, TX, after delivering his load, doing what he loved as a profession, being an over-the-road Semi-truck driver.
He was born on July 13, 1960, the son of Lyle and Nellie (Jesperson) Swift. Steven was baptized on July 30, 1960, and confirmed on May 19, 1974 at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield, Minnesota. He was raised in Corcoran, Minnesota, then becoming a long-time resident of Monticello, Minnesota.
He joins his mother (Nellie) and father (Lyle), as well as niece (Maddie) and sister-in-law (Colleen) in the heavenly abyss.
Steve is survived by daughter, Katie; brothers, Robert and Ronald (Mary); and sister, Deborah (Larry); as well as nieces, Leeann, Littia and Anna; and nephews, Daniel and Ronald Jr.
Services for Steven Swift will be held on Friday, March 4, 2022, with a visitation starting at 10:00 A.M. and the celebration of life beginning at 11:00 A.M. at the Peterson Chapel, St. Michael-Albertville funeral home in St. Michael, Minnesota.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Arrows heart animal rescue or the American Heart Association.
On-line condolences can be directed to www.petersonchapel.com.
The Peterson Chapel in St. Michael – Albertville, St. Michael, Minnesota assisted the family with funeral arrangements.
