Obed Borgen, 64, former owner of KFIL
Obed Samuel "O.B." Borgen, 64, of Rochester, died unexpectedly on Monday, July 26, 1999, in St. Paul.
Borgen was a longtime radio station owner and, in 1966, built and owned KFIL in Preston. He owned a number of other radio stations in Orlando and Miami, Fla., and Oshkosh and Wisconsin Dells, Wis. At the time of his death, he owned and operated WMIN and WDGY in St. Paul.
Borgen was born Nov. 4, 1934, in Viroqua, Wis. On June 18, 1955, he married Jeanette Jahn in LaCrosse. He moved to Rochester in 1959. He began his radio career in 1954. He was a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and enjoyed boating, cooking and traveling.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, Greg of Delwood, Minn., and Mike and Jeff, both of Rochester; eight grandchildren; three brothers, Joe of Des Moines, Iowa, Bill of LaCrosse and Ted of Mazomanie, Wis.; and two sisters, Mary Ankerburg of Milwaukee and Margaret Mitty of Chicago. Two sisters and a brother preceded him in death.
A funeral was held on Friday at the Gloria Dei Church.
Ranfranz Funeral Home in Rochester was in charge of arrangements.
Earl N. Bothun, 88, formerly of Lanesboro
Earl Newlean Bothun, 88, of Rochester, died Tuesday, Dec. 29, 1998, at Bear Creek Care Center.
He was born March 30, 1910 in Lanesboro and grew up on the family farm there. He worked for Lanesboro Grain Co. for 25 years and also farmed and after moving to Rochester in 1968 was employed by Farm and Home. On Sept. 1, 1940, he married Valborg Tweeten in Lake Mills, Iowa. She is a retired J. C. Penney employee. His hobby was working with horses. He was a past member of the Preston Saddle Club and the Rochester Riders Saddle Club, and was well known for giving pony cart rides to children at many church and civic functions.
In addition to his wife, survivors include a daughter, Muriel (Mrs. Scott) Baudhuin of Sterling, Va.; two sons, Duayne A. of Minneapolis and John E. of Rochester; seven grandchildren; a brother, Raymond of Des Moines, Iowa; and a sister, Aleda (Mrs. Raymond) Schwier of Wykoff. A brother and two sisters preceded him in death.
The funeral was Saturday, Jan. 2, 1999, at Bethel Lutheran Church with the Rev. Linda Helberg officiating. Burial in Grandview Memorial Gardens.
Macken Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Norris T. Bothun, 86, of Lanesboro
Norris Tilford Bothun, 86, a Lanesboro area resident, farmer and owner of a Lanesboro livestock business, died Friday, Dec. 17, 1999, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
He was born Sept. 26, 1913, near Lanesboro, in a log cabin which now stands at Union Prairie Lutheran Church, to Alfred E. and Bertha Bothun. On April 3, 1941, he was united in marriage to Agnes Christine Peterson of Rushford, daughter of Peter and Liv Peterson. He owned and operated a livestock sales business from 1946 until 1965. In 1951, the couple purchased a farm north of Lanesboro on County Road 8. He especially enjoyed riding horses and the activities of farm life. On two occasions he visited his ancestral family farms in Fresvik and Vik, Norway. He was a life-long member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and he served on its council. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge. In the years near retirement, he served as a custodian for the Lanesboro Public Schools.
In addition to his wife, survivors include three sons, Roger of Chicago, Ill, Darald and wife, Leitha, of Rochester, and Peter and wife, Julie, of Lubbock, Texas; six grandchildren; two great grandchildren, one brother, Alfred Jr. of San Angelo, Texas; seven sisters, Millie Waters of Waukesha, Wis., Blanche Silcox of Phoenix, Ariz., Marcie Wilke of Sun Lakes, Ariz., Bonnie Spurgeon of Albert Lea, Shirley Weber of Hot Springs, Ark., Virginia Hovde, of McLean, Vir., and Joanne Sliter of Daly City, Calif.
He was preceded in death by an infant son, Gary; four sisters, Rose Knowlton, Helen Ellingson, Vivian Wefald, and Annabelle Bothun, and two brothers, Avery Bothun and Virgil Bothun.
The funeral was held Tuesday, Dec. 21, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lanesboro. Burial was in the Lanesboro Cemetery.
Johnson-Riley Funeral Home in Lanesboro was in charge of arrangements.
Mary Gail Boucsein, 82, SV native
Mary Gail Boucsein, 82, of Stewartville, a former school secretary and Stanley Products dealer, died Tuesday, Feb. 9, 1999, at Stewartville Care Center where she had resided since 1995.
Mary Gail Steffens was born July 6, 1916, in Spring Valley. On Dec. 1, 1932, she married Carl B. Boucsein in Wykoff. He died in 1987. Mrs. Boucsein sold Stanley Products for many years, clerked at the former Berg Drug, co-owned The Spinning Wheel Gift & Antique Shop, and was a longtime secretary in the superintendent's office at Stewartville High School. She was a member of the Stewartville United Methodist Church and a past matron of the Stewartville Order of the Eastern Star.
Survivors include two daughters, Mary Jo (Mrs. Gordon) Dathe of Spring Valley and Cynthia (Mrs. Arnold) Stoltenberg of Anchorage, Alaska; seven grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two daughters and two sisters.
There was a memorial service Saturday at the Stewartville United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Jef Olson officiating. The body was donated to medical science. Burial will be in the Spring Valley Cemetery at a later date.
Griffin-Gray Funeral Home in Stewartville was in charge of arrangements.
Ruth G. Boyer, 87, of Preston
Ruth G. Boyer, 87, died Friday, March 19, 1999, at Chosen Valley Health Care Center in Chatfield.
She was born Oct. 28, 1911, in Fountain Township, the daughter of Chase and Laura (Gilbert) Boyer. She attended rural school and graduated from Preston High School in 1929. She entered nurse's training in 1930 at LaCrosse, Wis., and then returned home and cared for her parents who suffered from heart conditions. After their deaths, she was employed by Dr. Johnson at the Lanesboro Hospital. She was a Navy nurse in the United States for three years during World War II. After her discharge, she again worked for Dr. Johnson until his death. The three years before her retirement, she worked at the Harmony Nursing Home. In 1992 she moved to the Chosen Valley Apartments in Chatfield. She was a lifelong member of Christ Lutheran Church.
Survivors include two nephews, Willis Boyer and his wife, Marilyn, of Winona and Philip of Rochester; a niece Donna Risler of Rochester; six great-nieces and great-nephews and a great-great niece and nephew. She was the last living member of her immediate family, and was preceded in death by a sister, Bernice, and a brother, Howard and his wife, Marie.
A memorial service was held at Christ Lutheran Church, Preston with the Rev. James Rushton officiating, on Tuesday. Her body was cremated and burial of her ashes was in Crown Hill Cemetery, Preston.
Thauwald Funeral Home in Preston was in charge of arrangements.
Joseph Lee Bradley, Sr., father of SV man
Joseph Lee Bradley, Sr., 75, of McDonough, Ga., died June 8, 1999.
He was retired as a communication supervisor from Eastern Airlines. He was a member of Timberrridge Presbyterian Church and Forest Park Masonic Lodge.
Survivors include his wife, Jean Bradley of McDonough; children Joe and Gail Bradley, Spring Valley, Mark and Joyce Bradley, Gainesville., Fla., Jan and Jimmy King, Stockbridge, Ga., and Doug and Becky Bradley, Fayetteville, Ga.; brother, Frank Bradley, Jr., Ft. Worth, Texas; grandchildren, Steven Bradley, Nathan Bradley, Mary Rayes, Matthew Bradley and Austin King; great-grandchildren, Elise Bradley, Anissa Bradley and Taylor Bradley.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Walter Franklin and Mrs. Gertrude Mae Chapman Bradley, Sr.
Funeral services were June 11 at Timberridge Presbyterian Church and interment was in the church cemetery. Dr. Tom Bagley officiated.
Haisten Funeral Home of McDonough was in charge of arrangements.
Leonard C. Brandt, 84, of Spring Valley
Leonard C. Brandt, 84, of Spring Valley, died Thursday, March 11, 1999, at the Spring Valley Care Center.
He was born Sept. 19, 1914, in rural Wykoff, the son of Arthur and Lilly (Theiss) Brandt. He attended school in rural Fillmore County. After school he worked as a hired hand for several farmers in the area. In January of 1942 he entered the Army and served in the United States until after WWII had ended in Europe, he then was sent to Germany to assist in the Allied occupation.
In 1946 he was discharged and upon his return he worked on a housing project in Rochester, Minn. After this he returned to the family farm in rural Spring Valley and worked until 1956. He was then employed by Hyland Motor Co., and then Biel Implement Co., both of Spring Valley, until his retirement. He was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Spring Valley American Legion Post #68, and VFW Post 4114.
He is survived by one brother and sister-in-law, Wilbur and Elaine Brandt of Spring Valley; and one sister, Lucille Bennett of Seattle, Wash.
Funeral services were Saturday at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Spring Valley with the Revs. Jon Olson and Marlene Pankonin officiating. Burial was in Our Savior's Lutheran Cemetery in Spring Valley with military rites performed by the Spring Valley American Legion Post #68 and VFW Post 4114.
Thauwald Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Cheryl L. Brennan, 50, mother of SV woman
Cheryl Louise Brennan, 50, of West Chester, Pa., died Sunday, Feb. 21, 1999, at her home after a brief illness.
Cheryl Kiehne was born June 22, 1948 to Merrill and June Kiehne in Alexandria, Minn. She graduated from Jefferson High School in 1966. In Sept. 1967, she was united in marriage to Robert Allen Hansen.
She had worked with the Social Services in Alexandria until 1981, at that time she moved to Rochester and worked for the University of Minnesota Rochester Center and also for Channel One. In 1992 she was united in marriage to Dan David Brennan at that time she moved to Maplewood, Minn., and in 1995 they moved to West Chester, Pa., where Cheryl worked for QVC.
She is survived by her husband; daughters, Kari (Mark) Haugen of Lakeville, Minn., Stacy (Jim) Hindt of Spring Valley and Katina (Jeff) Austin of Rochester, Minn.; six grandchildren, Amber, Aaron, Allysa, Erik, Zachery and Nikki. She is also survived by her parents; one sister, Jill (Bruce) Asplien of Alexandria; two brothers, Thomas (Ann) Kiehne of Austin, Texas, Jerry (Trish) Kiehne of Virginia Beach, Va.; ten nephews and four nieces.
Services will be held Friday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. at First Memorial Edina Chapel at 7110 France Ave., Edina, Minn. Arrangements are being handled through the Hindt-Hutchins Funeral Home in Spring Valley.
Kathern Louise Brewster, 41, of Lanesboro
Kathern Louise Brewster, 41, of Lanesboro, died Thursday, March 4, 1999, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
She was born Dec. 1, 1947, in Austin, graduated from Austin High School in 1976 and took the two-year secretarial course at Austin Vocational Technical Institute. She owned several businesses in Austin and Lanesboro, including the Lanesboro Superette, Brewster's Outfitters and, most recently, the Brewster Red Hotel. She enjoyed bowling, hunting, fishing, canoeing, sailing, entertaining and cooking.
Survivors include her husband, Mark; her mother, Marie "Viola" Barth of Austin; two stepchildren, Scott Brewster and Rachel Ramseth; three brothers, Doug Barth, Darryl Barth and Russ Barth, all of Austin; and a sister, Debra Barth of Austin.
The funeral was held Monday at Grace Lutheran Church in Austin, with burial in Grandview Cemetery in Austin.
Worlein Funeral Home in Austin was in charge of arrangements.
Lee G. Briggs, 81, Spring Valley native
Lee G. Briggs, 81, of Millville, Minn., died of natural causes on Friday, Nov. 26, 1999, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
Mr. Briggs was born Sept. 3, 1918, in Bloomfield Township, Spring Valley, to Grant and Julia (Rustad) Briggs. On July 16, 1939, he married Eva M. Briggs in Spring Valley where they farmed until 1964. They then farmed in rural Millville until 1981 when he retired. He was a member of the Grace United Church of Christ, the Millville Senior Citizens and enjoyed fishing, casino gaming, and raising flowers.
He is survived by his wife Eva; six daughters, Karen (Mrs. Al) Oeltjen of Rochester, Kathy Hetrick, Sue (Mrs. Larry) Shones, Mary (Mrs. Russell) Schuchard, Jean Reimers, all of Millville, Carol (Mrs. Eugene) Schones of Lake City; eight sons, Gerald of Stewartville, Lawrence, Paul, Chester, Steven, and Bobby all of Millville, Jack of Eyota and Leslie of Reed Springs, Mo.; two sisters, Marcella (Mrs. Duane) Buck of West Concord, Minn., Betty Shanks of Pine Island, Minn., four brothers, Loren of Pine Island, Roger of Racine, Ralph of Rochester, and Julian Briggs of Spring Valley; 42 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, one son, two grandsons, three brothers, three sisters and a son-in-law.
The funeral service was held Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the Grace United Church of Christ in Millville. Burial was in the Spring Valley Cemetery.
Schleicher Funeral Homes in Plainview was in charge of the arrangements.
Evelyn Broadwater, 81, formerly of Preston
Evelyn L. Broadwater, 81, of Rochester, died Sunday morning April 18, 1999, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
Evelyn Tienter was born July 14, 1917, in Prosper, Minn., the daughter Harry and Emma (Rueber) Tienter. The family moved to rural Preston when she was a baby. She married J. Dale Broadwater June 23, 1937, in Cresco, Iowa. The family made their home on farms in the Preston, Chatfield and Canton areas. They retired in 1976 and moved to Rochester where she worked as a waitress at the Kahler Coffee Shop.
She was a member of First Baptist Church in Rochester.
She is survived by her husband; one daughter, Sharon (Mrs. Jerry) Copeman of Rochester; two sons, Ronald of Rochester, and Donald of Wasilla, Alaska; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; five brothers, Ervin, Harold and Leland Tienter, all of Preston, Gordon of Chatfield, and Kenneth of Crystal, Minn.; and one sister, Norma (Mrs. Rich) Richardson of Peoria, Ill.
She was preceded in death by one brother and two sisters.
The funeral was Wednesday, April 21, at the First Baptist Church of Rochester with Rev. William Pencille officiating. Burial was at United Methodist Cemetery in Preston.
Thauwald Funeral Home in Preston was in charge of arrangements.
Art Brown, 103, of Mabel
Art Brown, 103, of Mabel, died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999, at the Green Lea Manor Nursing Home in Mabel.
He was born Sept. 12, 1896, in Garvin, Minn., to Anton and Christina (Halstenrud) Brown. He moved to the Mabel area with his parents and attended the Riceford School. On July 9, 1931, he married Ada Knudson in Walnut Grove, Minn. He worked on farms in the Revere, Minn., area until 1946 when they moved back to the Mabel area. In 1950 he moved a short distance away to the Tawney area where he farmed until his retirement in 1970. At that time they moved into Mabel where he had resided since. She died Nov. 11, 1984. He has been a resident of the Green Lea Manor Nursing Home in Mabel since March 1998. He was a member of the Mabel First Lutheran Church.
He is survived by a son, Arland of Mabel; and one granddaughter, Michelle K. Brown of St. Cloud. He was preceded in death by his wife, and two brothers, Elmer and Hjalmar.
Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 5, 1999, at the First Lutheran Church in Mabel with the Rev. Lloyd Menke officiating. Burial will be in the Mabel Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today (Thursday) at the Mengis Funeral Home in Mabel and one hour prior to services at the church.
Thomas Brown, 44, formerly of Lanesboro
Thomas Henry Brown, 44, of Rochester, died Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1999, at St. Mary's Hospital after a brief illness.
He was born June 2, 1955, in Lanesboro, the son of Homer and Helen (Andreas) Brown. He moved to Kasson in 1969 and graduated from Kasson High School in 1974. He attended the University of Minnesota for three years, then the Brown Institute of Technology. He moved to Rochester in 1985 and was an advisor for Brown Distributing Company.
He enjoyed sports, computers and his canine companion, Nikki. He never married.
He is survived by his mother of the Chosen Valley Care Center, Chatfield; one sister, Constance Brown Rehm of Rochester; two brothers, Jerome Brown of Rochester and Richard of Newark, Ohio.
He was preceded in death by his father and one brother, John Brown.
A memorial service was held Saturday at Ranfranz Funeral Home Chapel in Rochester, with burial in the Lanesboro Cemetery.
Ranfranz Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
LaVone J. Buchholtz, 68, Spring Valley
LaVone J. Buchholtz, 68, of rural Spring Valley, died Sunday, June 6, peacefully at her home.
LaVone J. Tjepkes was born April 6, 1931, at home in Rock Dell, Minn., the daughter of Albert and Myrtle (Kleist) Tjepkes.
In 1949 she graduated from Stewartville High School. On Sept. 24, 1950, she was united in marriage to Leonard Buchholtz at the Stewartville United Methodist Church. The couple was engaged in farming in the surrounding Spring Valley area. She waitressed at the Fish House in Stewartville and assisted in the farming operation. She was a member of Sumner Center United Methodist Church. She will always be known as a loving wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend.
She is survived by her husband of rural Spring Valley; seven children: Rita (Greg) Malone of Spring Valley, Vickie (Chuck) Duncan of Ogden, Utah, Sandra (Brent) Kaul of Prior Lake, Julie (Paul) Olberding of Winona, Cindy (Gary) Krahn of Wykoff, Rick (Jodi)) Buchholtz of Spring Valley, Tony (Lori) Buchholtz of Spring Valley; one daughter-in-law, Lori Buchholtz of Spring Valley; her mother, Myrtle Tjepkes of Spring Valley; 25 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; five brothers, Charles, Maynard, Jerry, Donald, and Bill Tjepkes and four sisters, Sharon Ellis, Linda Rollie, Judy Skifter, and Kathy Bakken; also several nieces and nephews and a family friend, Kim Christi and Benjamin of rural Spring Valley.
She was preceded in death by her father, two sons, Scott and Steven.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, June 9, at Faith United Methodist Church in Spring Valley with the Rev. Jean Dumas officiating. Burial will be in Sumner Center Cemetery in rural Spring Valley.
Thauwald Funeral Home in Spring Valley was in charge of arrangements.
Walter Burmester, brother of local woman
Walter W. Burmester, 79, of Caledonia, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 1999, at his home.
He was born Oct. 28, 1919, in rural Eitzen, to Herman and Anna (Fruechte) Burmester. On Aug. 10, 1941, he married Hazel Jacobson at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove. In 1944, they moved to the Jacobson family farm on Beaver Ridge, where he farmed for over 40 years. He also drove truck for Hector Construction and worked in the Gengler quarry for Roverud Construction.
On May 1, 1998, Walter and Hazel moved into their current home in Caledonia. He was a member of the Caledonia Lion's Club and a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Caledonia, where he had served as congregation president and as a member of the church council. Burmester enjoyed golfing, bowling and working in his tool shed.
Survivors include his wife; four daughters, Judy (Bob) Martin of Tucson, Ariz., Karen Lukaszewski and Joyce (Eric) Nelson, both of Winona, and Kathy (Fred) VonArx of LaCrescent; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Martha (Albert) Vonderohe of New Albin, Iowa, and Alma (Norman) Storlie of Spring Grove and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant son.
Funeral services were Wednesday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Caledonia. The Rev. Rolf T. Storlie officiated. Burial was in Evergreen Cemetery, Caledonia. Haugen-Roble-Jandt Funeral Home in Caledonia was in charge of arrangements.
Adolph Frederick Burri, 89, of Decorah
Adolph F. Burri, 89, of Decorah, died on Thursday, Dec. 23, 1999, at Green Lea Manor in Mabel, following a long illness.
He was born Jan. 4, 1910, in Howard County, Iowa, to Joseph and Emma (Gerber) Burri. He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cresco on July 24, 1910, and confirmed at Immanuel on June 6, 1926. After attending public school in Howard County and graduating with honors on May 29, 1925, he helped on the family farm, later working as a hired man on a number of farms.
On Oct. 13, 1937, he married Ruth Alberta Sandvik at Immanuel Lutheran in Cresco. To this union four children were born, Phyllis, Eugene, Constance and James. They farmed until 1961, then moved to Decorah where Adolph worked for a number of years as a maintenance man and head of maintenance in the union at Luther College for many years. He retired in 1972.
After retiring from Luther, Mr. Burri made his yard work, garden and cooking his avocations. He will long be remembered for his home-made bread, soups and pie crust. Adolph loved his home, his family and a good game of 500. He and Mrs. Burri hosted many family parties and went camping almost every weekend during the summers.
Surviving are his wife, Ruth; two daughters, Phyllis Burri of Decorah and Constance (Fred) Boice of St. Charles; two sons, Eugene (DiAnn) Burri of Rochester and James (Linda) Burri of Decorah; five grandchildren, David Burri of Rochester, Julie (David) Hamilton of New Hope, Michelle (Ron) Peterson of Lewiston, Allan (Kelly) Boice of St. Charles and Matthew Burri of Decorah; 10 great-grandchildren; a great-great-granddaughter and a brother Paul Burri (Carleen) of San Francisco, Calif. He was preceded in death by his parents; a grandson, Michael Burri; his sister, Irene Fountain Fencl; and a brother, George Burri Sr.
Funeral services were Sunday at the First Lutheran Church in Decorah with the Rev. Steven M. Jacobsen officiating. Burial was at the Lutheran cemetery.
Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah was in charge of arrangements.
