Genevieve M.
Sorenson
December 8, 2010
Genevieve M. Sorenson, age 88, of Forest City, formerly
of Crystal Lake, died on Saturday, December 4, 2010, at the
Good Samaritan Care Center in Forest City.
Funeral services were
held at 10:30 a.m., on Tuesday, December 7, at the Crystal
Lake United Methodist Church in Crystal Lake, with
Pastor Jerald Swanberg officiating. Burial was in the
Crystal Lake Cemetery. Visitation was held from 4-7:00
p.m., on Monday, December 6, at the Petersen Lund Funeral
Home in Forest City and continued one hour prior to the
services at the church.
Genevieve Mary
Sorenson, was born on January 14, 1922, at Luverne, Iowa,
the first-born daughter of John and Daisy (Pasley)
Azerski. She attended rural schools near Scarville and
Thompson and graduated from the Forest City High School in
1940, with a certificate in Elementary Grades (Normal
Training). She loved working as an usher at the Forest
Theater and was employed at the Forest City Telephone
Company for two years before her marriage. On February 14,
1942, Genevieve eloped with Calvin Eugene Sorenson of
Britt and they were married at noon that day in Algona.
The couple farmed in rural Britt until 1942, when Calvin
was inducted into the US Army Air Force. Following his
safe return from WW II, they began farming again in 1946.
Genevieve was an
active member of the Crystal Lake United Methodist
Church and taught Sunday School. She served as Women's
Club President, the American Legion Auxiliary President,
was on the Cancer Society Board and later was active on
the Crystal Lake Centennial History Book Committee.
Genevieve and her family moved to Crystal Lake in March
1974. In April 1978, Calvin declared himself a candidate
for Hancock County Supervisor. Genevieve gave him her
full support and he was elected in November 1978.
Genevieve enjoyed
needlework, reading and traveling with her husband. They
toured European countries in 1983 and the Scandinavian
countries in 1984. Calvin passed away in 1991 and
Genevieve continued to live in Crystal Lake several more
years before moving to Forest City. In December of 2009,
she made her home at Forest Plaza where she discovered a
whole new "family" of friends.
Genevieve is survived
by her children and their spouses, James (Dianne)
Sorenson of Britt, Keith (Kathy) Sorenson of Britt and
Mary (Doug) Reisetter of Forest City; a sister, Margaret
Shultz of Greene; very dear friend, Cleone Reisetter of
Forest City; eight grandchildren, Gina Schlingmann,
Carrie Bachman, Gentry Sorenson, Laurie Sorenson, Bonnie
Boothroyd, Heather Sorenson, Nicole Sorenson and Melissa
Reisetter; and eight great-grandchildren, Dillon, Chase,
Caleb, Delaney, Evan, Emily, Kortni and Kaila.
Genevieve is preceded
in death by her parents; her husband, Calvin; grandson,
Jeffrey Sorenson; and brother-in-law, George Shultz.
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Mildred “Mid”
Mikkelsen
December 22, 2010
Mildred “Mid” Mikkelsen, 95, of Britt, died on Tuesday, December 14,
2010, at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt.
The family held a private
interment service in the Crystal Township Cemetery in Crystal
Lake, on Tuesday, December 21. A memorial service will be held
at a later date to be determined. There will be no
visitation. The Cataldo Funeral Home in Britt, is in charge of
the arrangements.
Mildred Leona Mikkelsen,
the youngest of five children of Severt and Louise (Hanson)
Lonning, was born on the family farm near Kanawha on March
21, 1915. The family later moved to a farm near Crystal
Lake where Mid attended school. She graduated from the Crystal
Lake High School in 1931. On December 18, 1934, she was united
in marriage with Joseph Mikkelsen at the Little Brown Church
in Nashua. They established their home on the original
Mikkelsen farm in Crystal Township. In 1943, they moved to
their own farm where they lived until 1997. Joe and Mid
retired from active farming in 1979. In 1997, they moved to
Britt just prior to Joe’s passing.
Mid was baptized and
confirmed in the Christian faith and her life centered
around the Upper Flat Evangelical Free Church where she was
a member most of her adult life. She served her Lord in a
number of capacities, including church choir, Sunday School
Teacher, Ladies Aid Society, treasurer and a host of other
activities. Mid was a member of the Nota Bene Club and Happy
Homemakers Club. She was an avid reader, quilter and
gardener.
Mid is survived by her
daughter, Mona Furnberg and her husband, Carlton of
Livermore, California; two sons, Philip of Clarinda and Dan
and his wife, Christine of Dover, Delaware; ten grandchildren;
and 22 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death
by her husband, Joe in 1997; son, John; her parents; two
sisters, Gunda Swan and Evelyn Fern Green; and two brothers,
Arthur and Lawrence Lonning. |
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Duane E. "Dick"
Johnson
December 22, 2010
Duane E. "Dick" Johnson,
age 80, of Thompson, died on Friday, December 17, 2010, at
the St.
Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.
Memorial services were held
at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, December 20, at the Bethany Lutheran Church
in Thompson, with Pastor Mark Decker officiating. Inurnment
will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery in the spring. Visitation was
held from 4-7:00 p.m., on Sunday, December 19, at the Petersen
Lund Funeral Home in Forest City and an
hour prior to the services at the church.
Duane E. Johnson, was born
on April 17, 1930. He graduated from the Forest City High School
in 1947. On September 7, 1951, he married Barbara Ruth Taylor in
Forest City, after which they made their home in Thompson. His "temporary job"
evolved into nearly 47 years of employment at Winnebago REC
where he was a lineman, foreman and line superintendent.
Dick was an avid gardener who shared his bountiful produce
with all. He was a great story teller with a droll sense of
humor. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren,
especially the Sunday night popcorn/game nights. He will be
remembered as a kind, generous person who was always willing
to help anyone. He was a member of the Bethany Lutheran Church,
North Iowa Heritage Park and was a previous member of the
Thompson Saddle Club, as well as a charter member of the
Thompson Lions Club.
Dick is survived by
Barbara, his wife of 59 years; his children, Nancy (Irvin)
Nehring of Byron, Minnesota, Ellen (Michael) Holstad of
Thompson and Holly Johnson and friend, Damon Followill of
Des Moines; grandchildren, Mark (Karen) Nehring, Timothy
Nehring, Cassondra Holstad, Mikaella Holstad, Ardianna
Johnson, Cheye Johnson and Anthony Johnson;
great-grandchildren, Faith, Brian and Elizabeth Nehring; and
sibling, Dennis (Amelia) Olson of Clayton, California, Anne
Olson of Castro Valley, California; and the cousins he grew
up with, John (Nita) Carson of Brodhead, Wisconsin, Carroll (Buv) Carson,
Jr. (Janelle) of Forest City, Jamie (Mary) Carson of
Madison, Wisconsin; brothers-in-law, Charles (Eileen) Taylor of
Ventura and Denny (Julie) Taylor of Forest City; sister-in-law,
Sandra Taylor of St. Paul, Minnesota; special family friend, Jim
Moon; and numerous nieces, nephews, other family and
friends.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Carolyn;
his mother and stepfather, Olga and Walter Olson;
grandparents, Ed and Helen Johnson; aunts, Esther (Carroll)
Carson, Ann (Earl) Watney, Julia (Ray) Peterson; his
father and mother-in-law, Carroll and Helga Taylor;
brother-in-law, Kenneth Taylor; and niece, Denise Olson. |
Merle Edgar
Rasmussen
December 29, 2010
Merle Edgar Rasmussen, age 90, of LeRoy, Minnesota, died
on
Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at the Austin Medical Center in
Austin, Minnesota.
Services were held at
11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, December 28, at the Ewing Funeral
Chapel in Britt, with Pastor Robert
Dodge officiating. Friends called one hour prior to the
services on Tuesday. Interment was in the Evergreen Cemetery
in Wesley and military rites were conducted by the American
Legion Andrews Post 428 of Wesley. Memorials are
preferred to LeRoy emergency services, who assisted
Merle in his times of need.
Merle was born on January
15, 1920 in Goldfield, to Fred and Dora (Helmke)
Rasmussen. After graduating from the Goldfield High School,
he enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and served in World War
II. Merle married Peggy Stark in California in 1947. The
couple had four children. Merle worked as a farmer in
the Wesley area. After his retirement in 1984, Merle
moved to Colorado for several years and then came back
to Minnesota for the last few years.
Merle loved to golf,
play cards and bowl. He enjoyed music, singing, dancing
and was a lifetime member of the Wesley Legion. His love
of the outdoors found him hunting, fishing and hiking
over the years.
Survivors include his
three daughters, Linda (Marv) Nieman of Forest City, Jo Eastvold of LeRoy, Minnesota and Donna Gietl of Denver,
Colorado; brother, Forrest "Pat" (Blanch) Rasmussen of
Wesley; nine grandchildren, Phil Twait, Allen Stokka,
Tony Stokka, Aadne Stokka, Andrea Sanford, Jenny Main,
Cassie Gietl, Prescott Rasmussen and Alexandria
Rasmussen; and ten great-grandchildren.
He was preceded
in death by his parents; Peggy, the mother of his
children; one son, Fredric; brother, Kenneth Rasmussen;
and sister, Francis Smith.
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Duane R. Francis
January 12, 2011
Duane R. Francis, 84, of Britt, passed away on Friday, December 24,
2010, at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, December 29, at 10:00 a.m.,
at the Ewing Funeral Chapel in Britt, with
Pastor Joel DeBoer officiating. Burial was in the Evergreen
Cemetery in Britt. Visitation was held on
Tuesday, December 28, from 5-7:00 p.m., at the Ewing Funeral
Chapel in Britt and continued one hour prior to the services.
Duane Roger Francis, the
son of Frank and Vernal (Indvik) Francis, was born on April
12, 1926 in Batavia. He attended schools in Indiana and
Iowa and enlisted in the Army Air Force on February 29, 1944. He trained as a turret gunner on B17s and B29s until June
1946, when the war ended. He then hitchhiked to Britt and
got a job at the Britt Post Office before he even went home
to see his parents. He helped his father, Frank, in the
Francis Painting business and joined the Britt Fire
Department at this time. On September 8, 1946, Duane
was united in marriage to Rose Marie Fillenwarth at the
Little Brown Church in Nashua. To this union, four children
were born, Connie, Bonnie, Larry and Jerry. They lived in
Britt their entire 61 years of married life.
Duane retired from the
Britt Post Office in May of 1981. He then worked at the
Liquor Store and at Sankey's Service Station before fully
retiring. He was a member of the Britt Fire Department for
over 40 years and a member of the American Legion for over
60 years. He bowled on leagues for many years. Duane and
Rose enjoyed camping, taking vacations all over the U.S.,
going to casinos and attending family reunions. Duane's biggest enjoyment
was his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and
he would do anything for them.
Duane is survived by his
four children and their families: daughter, Connie (Dorance)
Hefte of Cassville, Wisconsin and their children, Kim (Scott)
McKnight and son, Nikolas of North Liberty, Meghan (Chad)
Howell and sons, Tyler and Alexander of Davenport and
Andrew (Laura) Hefte of Lenexa, Kansas; son, Larry Francis
of Mason City and his daughters, Nicole Francis of
Swansea, UK and Jennifer (Jon Easley) Francis and children,
Madison, Dylan, Averie and Lennon of Marion; daughter,
Bonnie (Arlen) Olson of Alexander and their son, Travis
of Ansley, Nebraska; and son, Jerry (Ronda) Francis of Britt
and their three sons, Joshua (Raelynn) Francis of Britt
and their son, Jaxin, Michael (Heather) Francis of Britt
and their daughters, Brooklyn and Bailey and Daniel
Francis of Britt.
Duane was preceded in
death by his wife, Rose; his parents and step-mother, Emma
Francis; infant grandson, Zackary Olson; and brother, Darrell
and step-siblings, Eithel, Geraldine, Ralph and Betty. |
Roy Coslow
December 29, 2010
Roy Coslow, of Lincoln, Nebraska, formerly of Britt, passed
away on Saturday, December 25, 2010.
A memorial service was
held at the Vine Congregational United Church of Christ,
1800 Twin Ridge Rd. in Lincoln, on Tuesday, December 28. Visitation will be
today, from 12-1:30 p.m., at the Ewing Funeral Chapel in Britt, with burial following in
Stanhope.
Roy David Coslow, the
son of David and Eunice (Cornett) Coslow, was born on September
21, 1916 at Webster City. His father died in December
1918 during the influenza epidemic, and his mother
remarried Albert "Bert" Philbrook in 1921. Roy attended country
schools through the eighth grade and graduated from the
Webster City High School in 1935. He enrolled in the
Civilian Conservation Corps from 1936 to 1938 where he
was trained as a surveyor. On May 26, 1941, Roy
married Phyllis Malmberg in Chillicothe, Missouri. They moved
to Chicago where he worked as a street photographer, in
a book bindery, and as an engineering assistant for the
George A. Fuller and James A. Stewart companies. In 1944, Roy and
Phyllis moved to Mason City and in 1946 to Britt,
where Roy worked as a road surveyor and inspector for
the Iowa Department of Transportation, until his
retirement in 1980. He moved to Lincoln in 2005.
Roy enjoyed traveling,
photography, ballroom dancing, gardening, woodworking
and woodcarving. He was involved in scouting for many
years, serving as Scoutmaster for the Britt Troop 32 and he
was a member of the Dorius Masonic Lodge No. 431. Roy and
Phyllis traveled throughout the United States and to
Europe where Roy celebrated his 80th birthday in Sweden.
They loved attending their grandchildren's activities in
Michigan and Nebraska, and he accompanied his son-in-law
and grandchildren on a number of BRAN rides.
Roy was a long-time
member of the Britt Congregational United Church of
Christ, where he served as a deacon, trustee and usher,
and in Lincoln he was a member of the Vine Congregational
United Church of Christ.
Roy is survived by his
children, James (Barbara) Coslow and Susan (Dennis)
Emanuel; grandchildren, Jay Coslow, Jon Coslow, Greg
(Amy) Smidt, Ann (Justin) Francis and David (Kati) Smidt;
great-grandchildren, Jameson and Caroline Coslow and
Emma, Owen and Tyler Smidt; brothers, Arthur (Barbara) Philbrook and Richard (Wilma) Philbrook; sisters, Ellen (Coslow)
Hall and Kathleen (Philbrook) Hemmen; and sisters-in-law,
Nancy Obrecht and Lois Philbrook.
He was preceded in
death by his wife, Phyllis; brothers, Cyrus, Robert and
John Philbrook; brothers-in-law, Bill Hall and Elton Hemmen; and his father, stepfather and mother.
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Lillian V. Malek
January 5, 2011
Lillian V. Malek, 101, of Britt, died on Monday, December 27, 2010,
at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt.
Funeral services were held
10:30 a.m., on Thursday, December 30, at the St. Wenceslaus Catholic
Church in Duncan, with Rev. Fr. Donald Hertges as celebrant.
Burial was in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery. The Cataldo Funeral
Home in Britt, was in charge of the arrangements.
Ludmilla
"'Lillian" Veronica Malek, the daughter of Frank Joseph and
Anna (Tusha) Vavrik, was born on May 10, 1909 in Duncan. After
attending school at the Garfield Township No. 9, she worked as a
nanny for her sisters and also helped on her parent's farm.
In the early 1930s, she drove a "Model-T Ford" school bus on
the Hayfield bus route. On January 20, 1931, she was married to
William George Malek at the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in
Duncan, in a double wedding with her sister, Mayme and Joe Kubicka. Lillian and Bill farmed in the Hayfield and Duncan
areas before buying their own farm north of Britt in 1951.
In 1990, she moved into Britt to live in her own home and
later at the Summit House and Westview Care Center.
Throughout her life, she remained true to her Czech heritage
as shown in her language skills, cooking, baking, tatting,
crocheting and gardening. Bill and Lillian enjoyed their
family and fishing trips to Minnesota. She was a life-long member
of the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, Catholic Workman FCSLA
w51 and was an honorary member of the Rosary Society.
She is survived by her
son, William "Bill" J. Malek of Britt; three grandchildren,
Daniel Malek of San Jose, California, James (Mette) Malek of
Sioux City and Rosanne Malek of Urbandale; six
great-grandchildren, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Catherine, Melinda,
Angela and Michael; and a brother, Louis (Marge) Vavrik of
Ventura.
She was preceded in death
by her husband, William Sr. on February 29, 1988; her
daughter-in-law, Sally Malek on December 14, 2002; three
grandchildren, Paul, Ramona and Carl; and her siblings, Mayme Kubicka Suchy, Rose (Jos. T) Formanek and Frank, Bob,
Willie and George Vavrik. |
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Florence M.
Burgardt
January 12, 2011
Florence M. Burgardt, 93, of Rochester, Minnesota, passed away on
Thursday,
December 30, 2010, at the Madonna Towers in Rochester.
A memorial service for
family and friends will be held in the spring 2011 in Britt,
where she will be buried. Contributions in her
memory can be made to the Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minnesota.
Florence, the daughter of
William Thompson and Mabel (Blanshan) Thompson, was born on
March 22, 1917 in Humboldt Township. She was baptized on
June 10, 1917, in the Methodist Church. Florence married Erwin E.
Burgardt in Madison, South Dakota on August 18, 1940. They lived in
Britt where they operated a cafe and then moved to Lime
Springs for a few years. Florence spent most of her married
life in Plover, where they owned and operated a tavern.
After the death of Erwin in 1970, she became a licensed
practical nurse and moved to Rochester, Minnesota. She was
employed by Saint Mary's Hospital for over ten years at the
time of her retirement.
Burgardt was a member of
the Redeemer
Lutheran Church, where she was an avid quilter. She was
previously active in the Senior Citizens Center as a
knitting group coordinator. She also enjoyed traveling,
golfing and reading.
She is survived by two
daughters, Jan Eppelsheimer of Littleton, Colorado and Muriel
(James) Hinrichs of Walker, Minnesota; seven grandchildren, Lynette (Ronald) Schmischny,
Darcie (Joe) Coy, Denise (Tony) Westall, Alana (Dale) Howey,
Alan (Amy) Hinrichs, Karl Karsten and Gretchen (Martin) Happ;
15 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Florence was preceded in death by her husband, Erwin Burgardt; four brothers and three sisters.
A third daughter, Myrna Karsten of Iowa City, died on
Wednesday, December 29, 2010. |
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