Laker Pioneer

Ronald J. Dressel, age 79, of Waconia, passed away August 6, 2022, at The Estates in Delano. Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM Saturday, August 13, 2022 at St. Joseph Catholic Church (41 East First Street) in Waconia with Father Stan Mader as Celebrant of the Mass. Visitation held 4-7:00 PM Friday at the Johnson Funeral Home in Waconia and Saturday one hour prior to the Mass at the church. Interment in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred. Ronald James Dressel was born February 8, 1943, in Wayzata, the son of Herman and Elizabeth (Heitz) Dressel. He attended Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School and graduated from Mound High School. On April 29, 1967, he...

Karen J. Drahos, age 76, of Mayer, MN passed away July 15, 2022 at her residence. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 AM Friday July 22, 2022 at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church (301 CR 19) in Excelsior with Rev. Kyle Jackson as officiant. Gathering of family and friends at the church Friday one hour prior to the service. A reception will follow the service. Karen will be forever missed by her beloved family: daughter Melissa (Mark) Reimer and son Matthew (Heather) Drahos; grandchildren Charlie, Sam, Jackson, Cate, Summer and Tyler; brother Steve Hendrickson; nieces and nephews. Karen was preceded in death by husband Ronald; parents Donald and Joyce Hendrickson; sister Donna...

Dixie Lee Weeks, 3/23/1937 - 7/14/2022, Wayzata, MN I would like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done and leave an echo thru the waves of Lake Minnetonka of bright sunny days. I would like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sunset and have happy memories that I leave when life is done. I'll be seeing you from somewhere "Over The Moon" Later DXE. Preceded in death Chip Weeks (son) 1959-1980, Kelly Len Brady Nafus (granddaughter) 1980-2009. Survived by Cindi Lee and Steve Shannon (daughter), Wende Len and Ron Coenen (daughter), Dan and Heather Brady (grandson) and family, Steve Shannon (grandson), Susan and Joel Nelson (sister) and family. Private memorial...

Garry G. Blatzheim of Shakopee, MN passed away on July 9, 2022 at the age of 78. He is survived by his daughter, Becki (Nate) Harrell; son, Adam Blatzheim; grandchildren, Liam, Stellan, Nico, and Lucy; twin sister, Sharry Oldenburg; sister, Mary (Dale) Shearer; grand-dogs, Jake and Sammy. Garry was born in Alameda, CA, served in the U.S. Army, and graduated from Northern State college in Aberdeen, SD. While in college, he worked on his sister's farm and developed a love for animals and farm life. He was a proud member of the Rodeo Club and traveled to see many Rodeo Finals over the years. Garry founded Blatzheim Industries, a materials handling company, and served as CEO for over 40 years....

Barbara Jean Fischer, age 79, passed away June 20, 2022. Preceded in death by parents Edward J. and Lois Fischer; brother Edward C. Fischer and friend James Rogge. Barbara was a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines for over 40 years. Survived by daughter, Dallas Fischer; grandchildren, Hemlock Fischer-Hoeft and Rowan Fischer-Hoeft; sister Carol Bujold; brother Robert (Kris) Fischer; sister-in-law Connie Fischer; nieces Vicki Brauer, McKenzi Fischer, and Lisa Martin; nephews Gary Ballinger, Alex Bujold and Derek Hartsuiker; and many more relatives and friends. Celebration of Life on Sunday, July 17th, 2022, 2:00-4:00 PM at Gillespie Center, 2590 Commerce Blvd., Mound. Memorials...

Julianne M. Heitz, age 80, of Minnetrista passed away Monday, May 30, 2022 at Emerald Crest in Victoria, MN. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, July 22, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church (2385 Commerce Blvd) in Mound with Father Peter Richards as Celebrant of the Mass. Visitation held 1 hour prior to the Mass. Interment in the church cemetery. Julianne Margaret Heitz was born December 18, 1941 in Minnetrista, MN, the daughter of Arthur and Cecilia (Reus) Heitz. She was baptized and later confirmed at St. Boniface Catholic Church in St. Bonifacius. Julianne grew up in Minnetrista. After graduating high school, she worked for Jesuit College...

Andrew H. Van de Ven, age 76 of Long Lake, MN died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on April 30, 2022. He was born in Holland on October 30, 1945 and immigrated to Canada in February 1951 with his 4 older brothers (Peter, Martin, Myron, John) and younger sister (Mary) and then immigrated to De Pere, Wisconsin in February 1952. Andy was a passionate and dedicated man who loved his career as an endowed professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He was still teaching a graduate level course to 14 PhD students in March 2022. He had a love for teaching, sharing his thoughts, and provoking discussion. He believed the "essence of life is to pass it...

Wayne M. Skibicki age 80 of Mound passed away on Tuesday April 19, 2022 at Haven Homes in Maple Plain. Mass of Christian Burial held Thursday May 5, 2022 at 1:00 P.M. at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church (2385 Commerce Blvd.) in Mound with Father Stan Mader as Celebrant of the Mass. Visitation one hour prior to the Mass at church on Thursday. Interment Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Cemetery in Minnetrista. Wayne was born on September 10, 1941 in Grand Forks, North Dakota the son of Lloyd and Helen (Helt) Skibicki. On February 16, 1963, Wayne was united in marriage to Vellie Rae Mathews in Williston, ND. Wayne was preceded in death by his wife Vellie Rae; parents Lloyd and Helen...

Bruce Frahm, age 79 of Independence, Minnesota passed away on Saturday, May 14th, 2022. He will be remembered always as a loving husband, father and brother. He was a sweet man who would always put others before himself. Bruce was born on May 9th, 1943, to Vera and Leonard Frahm. Bruce grew up in Mound, Minnesota. After serving in the Army he became a teacher and taught at Orono Middle school for over thirty years. He married Jan Hillier and together they made memories involving Lake Minnetonka, hobby farming and traveling around the US. Jan and Bruce had an amazing, loving and wonderful 50+ year marriage, each to their best friend. They had two children, Jody and Eric. Bruce was a...

Wayne Eugene Swanson, age 86 from Mound, MN. Passed away peacefully at home on April 8, 2022. Survived by his wife of 62 years, Marilyn; children, Duane (Tracy) Swanson, Terry (Rosemary) Swanson; five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Funeral service Monday, April 18, 2022, 11am, visitation starting at 10am, all at Minnetrista Baptist Church, 8325 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Minnetrista. Private family burial in his hometown of Tyler, MN.

Florence "Bee" Ann Ellingson (nee Erickson) of Kissimmee, FL formerly Mound, MN, passed away peacefully on March 28, 2022. Born July 17, 1934 in Durand, WI, she was the daughter of Lloyd and Louise Erickson. The second of four children, Bee enjoyed growing up on the family farm and joining her father for the daily milk deliveries. A precocious child, she grew up in Durand and after high school decided to move to California, taking a job at Bank of America while staying with her aunt and uncle. Returning to the Twin Cities in the mid 1950s, Bee worked as a switchboard operator and later took the same position with Liberty Mutual where she met her future husband, Donald Ellingson. Donald...

Our beloved Carmelita Tolentino Villanueva Smith (Mely), age 80, died peacefully at home on Saturday, March 19, 2022, surrounded by her loving family after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Disease. Mely was born in Manila, Philippines, in 1941. She attended the University of Santo Tomas where she received a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy with a minor in Medical Technology, and later worked at hospitals in both Mindanao and Itbayat, Philippines. She met the love of her life, Greg, while he was stationed in the Philippines with the US Navy. She moved to Minneapolis, MN in 1969 to join him and they were married at historic St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Plymouth, MN in 1970. Mely soon took...

Ron passed peacefully March 7, 2022 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital with daughter Jennifer by his side. Survived by daughter Jennifer; granddog Gracie; sister-in-law Donna Schwarze (Steve); nieces Brenda Brown (Jeff), Stephanie Connors (Robert); great nephews Max Brown, Tyler and Kyle Schibonski; family friends Jerry and Sandy Henke; godson Ronnie Henke (Kiersten) and sons; friends Pati Corbin, the Minges and the early morning coffee crew of Jerry, Jack, Bernie and others who joined in. He will be missed by all who knew him. Preceded in death by beloved wife Kathy of 50 years, dog Sadie, parents Lester and Helen Marschke, brother Merlin Marschke, in-laws Donald T. and Marybelle...

Brian J Briggs, age 61 of Mound passed away February 22. 2022. Preceded in death by father David Briggs and brother Michel Briggs. Brian was born in Sumner, Iowa on July 9 1960. He graduated from MWHS in 1978. He installed surveillance equipment for Electronic Surveillance Systems before joining Target Corp. where he worked for 18 years. Brian was a youth basketball coach and enjoyed collecting music, cataloging it and listening to it. He is survived by his loving mother Gloria and nephew Michael along with other relatives and friends. Brian will be missed by many. He will live in our hearts and memories forever. Huber Funeral Home 952-472-1716

Ruth Elizabeth Heinzen was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She left this world suddenly from her home in Paw Paw, MI on Wednesday February 9, 2022 at the age of 82. Ruth was born to Guy & Kathryn Allen on August 29, 1939 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On June 29, 1997, Ruth married her husband and lifelong friend, Russell G. Heinzen, who survives. Sewing and quilting were some of Ruth's favorite hobbies. Her green thumb allowed her to grow and maintain her many plants and vegetable gardens. She was an avid animal lover. She especially adored cats, dogs & feeding the birds. Ruth treasured her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ruth is survived by her...

Wanda Hendrickson. She was a mom of two, Vern to one, Babes to another, Mimi to many, Wanda to most, but an incredible woman to us all. Born March 10, 1955, Wanda left us too soon on February 3, 2022, at the young age of 66. Although she suffered with health challenges for so long, she went to sleep in peace on that Thursday afternoon. Wanda resided in the town of Mound for many years where she made an impact on so many with her passion for sewing, love of cooking, and big heart for the ones she loved most. She is survived by her husband, Steven "Steve" Hendrickson, her two daughters, Coral (Matt) and Amber (Brian), and two sisters, Dawn and Wendy. She was loved dearly by her grandchildren,...

Ernest O. Age 79 of Mound entered into the arms of his Savior Jan. 18, 2022. He is survived by wife Jill. His sons, Troy (Nikki), Trent, Todd (Nicole), grandchildren, Jamie Hummel, Mati, Nate and Tye Walters, Kamren Bearl and Mady Stangle, 4 great grandchildren, Sister Darlene Hauser, Half brother Robert (Cheryl), Half sisters Debra (Gary), Connie (Mike) and Nancy (Tim). Preceded in death by brother Leroy and granddaughter Marissa. A celebration of life will be scheduled for later this spring.

Shirley Ann Detling, 73, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at her home in Mound, Minn. with her family by her side. Shirley was born August 11, 1948, in Watertown, S.D. to Orville D. and Dorothy E. (Moss Kapphahn) Lauseng. She married Joseph F. Detling July 22, 1967. They were blessed with two children and three grandchildren. Shirley was a hard worker and worked various jobs throughout her life. She co-owned Gifts and Greetings for 7 years with her sister, Linda Ehlebracht in Spring Park, Minn. Shirley lived life to the fullest through simple pleasures; chatting with friends and family, snacking, playing card games, and spending time with her...

Linn Hammerlund, 81, of Independence, passed over on January 11, 2022. She died in her own bed surrounded by her children and pets as the sun set on her beautiful farm. Born Franni Linn Preble Pilcher on October 22, 1940 to parents Anne Amelia (Johnson) and Franklin Preble Pilcher. Linn looked forward to reuniting with her parents, sister Sharon Anne and especially her very beloved husband, Albert William Hammerlund and youngest son, Aaron Franklin. Linn received her degrees from the University of Minnesota as a dental hygienist and later as a chemical dependency counselor. With her husband Bill, Linn helped found four churches, numerous Bible studies and a family gospel band. Linn was...

Nohl "Punt" Phillip Juusola, age 43 of Minneapolis, MN, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on December 30, 2021. He was born on December 25, 1978 - the ninth child of William and Detta (Siljander) Juusola. Punt spent his childhood in Maple Plain, MN riding his BMX bike and playing in the woods. As he matured, he loved all things 80s rock and playing his bass guitar; he had so many talents and hobbies. Additionally, he voraciously read books of any kind and had an amazing memory for facts and trivia. He was intelligent, witty, and artistic. When he was in his twenties, he saved his money and carefully planned a two/three-month backpack tour of Europe. He called it one of the...

Frances, age 80, passed away Dec. 24, 2021; was born on Oct. 9, 1941 in Minneapolis. Her parents were David and Pearl (Peterson) Felder. She attended Winona State and was the soloist in the college choir. She taught school in Rosemont for 5 years, then Plymouth for 9 years. She then stayed home to raise 2 beautiful daughters. Fran enjoyed cooking, golfing, bowling, painting and music. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Barbara and Karen Eide. Fan is survived by husband, Jerry of 53 years; daughters, Gail (Forrest) Clingerman, Susan (Matt) Lenz, 4 grandchildren, Sabina, Asa, Fiona and Audrey; brother-in-law, Clinton Eide. Private family service. Interment at Fairview...