News-Record

Joyce Marie Rucker, 91, of Pine Island, Minnesota, died on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at Mayo Clinic Hospital- Methodist Campus. Joyce was born on March 27, 1930 to William and Marie (Siems) Thedens. She graduated High school in Rochester, MN and then attended Winona State University. Joyce married Kenneth Rucker on August 12, 1950 in Rochester. She taught at Douglas Country School, Hillside School, Elton Hills School, and Sunset Terrace. Joyce was a past state president for Alpha Delta Kappa Chi chapter and she was also a member of RARE, SEREM, and REAM. Joyce was a lover of all animals, specifically horses and her beloved border collie, Freckles. She spent much of her time volunteering at...

On June 28, 2021, Carol Bernice Anderson was welcomed to the hereafter by cherished friends and family who preceded her. After valiantly facing the challenges of Lewy Body Syndrome for several years, added complications from Covid-19 proved to be too much to overcome. Having a strong faith, Carol was at peace with her passing and looked forward to being reunited with her mother & father, Jeanette & Alfred Olson, sister, Avis Skjeie, and husband, Arlen Anderson. Carol was born in Red Wing, MN, on January 4, 1938, the second of two daughters of a hard-working Christian Norwegian couple. She was raised in St. Paul as a quiet well-mannered girl who excelled in school graduating with the...

Beatrice Leona Quelle of Oronoco, Minnesota passed away on April 28, 2021 at Green Prairie Nursing Home in Plainview, Minnesota. She was born on July 15, 1935 in Neillsville, Wisconsin to Fredrick and Blanche (Begley) Mohr. Beatrice graduated from Neillsville High School in 1955 and Wood County Teachers' School in 1957. On May 23, 1964 she married Roy Quelle in Neillsville, Wisconsin. Beatrice taught school in Wisconsin until getting married and moving to Rochester, Minnesota and then eventually making their home in Oronoco, Minnesota. She had many different occupations through the years including teaching, childcare provider, church custodian and Avon representative. She was a member...

Darlene "Susie" Sue Heusinkveld, 69, of Mantorville, MN passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 11, 2021 at the Seasons Hospice House in Rochester, MN. Susie was born on June 23, 1951 to Gorman and Doris (Heins) Berg in Zumbrota, MN. She grew up on a farm in Pine Island, MN and graduated from Pine Island high school in 1969. She married Myron Reber and together they had three children. They had a dairy farm north of Mantorville. They later divorced. She married Ellsworth "Ell" Heusinkveld in 1997. They owned Riverside Acres tree farm in rural Mantorville, and they currently resided in Mantorville. Susie worked as a waitress for many years. She started at the Cookie Jar in...

Arlene Louise (Bjorngaard) Ostermeier, 89, passed away at Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin on March 21, 2021 after a brief illness. Arlene was born on February 18, 1932 to Peder and Selma Bjorngaard in Wanamingo, Minnesota. She attended country school for eight years and graduated from Wanamingo High School in 1950. Arlene graduated from St. Olaf College in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts in home economics education. She taught home economics for seven years at junior and senior high schools in Evansville, Litchfield, and St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Arlene received her M.A. at Michigan State University in December 1962 from the Department of Textiles, Clothing, and Related...

Barbara Lee Pike, 83, of Kasson, MN passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Monday, December 14, 2020 at the Seasons Hospice House in Rochester, MN. Barbara was born on November 22, 1937 in Red Wing, MN to Stanley and Marion (Lee) Knutson. She married Robert Pike on December 15, 1955. They were one day away from celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. She worked as a deputy clerk for the City of Kasson and as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL). She was on the Kasson City Council and she also served as the Mayor of Kasson. Barbara loved her community and enjoyed being a part of her many civic duties to help shape Kasson. She was a member of the Save the Water Tower Committee,...

Joyce "JB" Berg passed away on November 16, 2020 at Pine Haven Care Center in Pine Island, Minnesota. Joyce Alvern Berg was born on November 29, 1927 in Roscoe Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota to parents Anton and Minnie (Olson) Berg. He attended rural schools in Goodhue County and farmed with his father at a young age. Joyce married Irene Miller on December 22, 1952. He served in the United States Army from 1954-1956. After returning to Minnesota, he worked for the Kahler Corp from 1956 - 1957 and IBM from 1957-1986. JB and Irene moved to Oronoco in 1962. He was a member of the Oronoco School Board, Oronoco City Council, and a charter member of the Oronoco Fire Department. After...

Phyllis Marian (Gruhlke) Heise, age 89, died Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at Mayo Clinic St. Marys Hospital. Phyllis was born on September 2, 1931 in Mazeppa, Minnesota to William and Mamie (Albers) Gruhlke. She graduated from Mazeppa High School in 1948. She married John (Jack) Heise on September 27, 1952 at Christ Lutheran Church in Zumbrota. They lived in Lake City, Minnesota until 1954 when they moved to Zumbrota. She worked at St. Marys in a lab before her marriage and returned to the work force, after her children were in school, at Zumco and Actua in Zumbrota. She enjoyed reading, sewing and crafting. Phyllis is survived by her 4 children, Mary (Patrick) McNamara, Amy (Mike) Madson,...

Funeral services for Benjamin"Ben"Charles Johnson, 25, of Zumbro Falls, MN will be at 11:00 am on Thursday, August 6, 2020 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Zumbrota, MN. Visitation will be from 5:00-8:00 pm on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes and also one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester. Benjamin was born on April 21, 1995 in Rochester to Patrick and Kathy (Austin) Johnson. He passed away on July 29, 2020 at his home. He graduated from Byron High School in 2013. Ben found passion in music and making people smile. He knew what it was like to feel alone and was always there for anyone who...

Marie Eileen Rucker, 96, of Oronoco died on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at St. Mary's Hospital. Marie was born on May 31, 1924 to Lloyd and Anna (Speich) Alberts in Milton Township, MN near Pine Island. She attended Harkum Rural School in Milton Township and graduated from the Minnesota School of Agriculture in St. Paul. As a young woman in the 1950's she worked for the Rochester Dairy. She married Vernon Rucker on June 6, 1958 in Oronoco. The couple lived and farmed together outside of Oronoco where they owned Rucker Chemical Company and sold farm equipment. Marie enjoyed gardening, jigsaw and crossword puzzles, and sewing. Family was very important to Marie. She worked hard at...

It is with sadness, yet great joy, that we let you know of our wonderful mother's passing into eternity with Christ on June 28, 2020 in Rochester, MN at the age of 88. Sadness, because we will miss her terribly, and joy, because four years after her stroke she now has a perfect body that is able to walk, talk and sing before the Saviour she loved. Mom was born in Salina, KS to Salvation Army officers (pastors) and grew up with music as a big part of her life. She played the piano, organ, accordion, and all brass instruments. She graduated from high school in Grand Forks, ND and began college at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where she met our dad in a Bible class. Our parents fell in...

"On the morning of May 12, 2020, with rays of light coming through a gathering of thick pine trees on a hillside in the Black Forest of Colorado Springs a Celebration of Life took place to honor the incredible man we all knew as our son, brother, uncle, nephew, fiance, and friend: Christopher Liffrig. Chris was born July 3, 1969 to Kenneth and Kathleen (Jarrett) Liffrig of the small town of Mazeppa, Minnesota. Chris spent his childhood and adolescence hungry to learn and explore nature. He spent his days taking trips to the city libraries and building bridges in the woods surrounding his hometown. When Chris got older, he embarked on a college education at the University of...

Arlie Arthur Benike, 95, of Oronoco, recently of Zumbrota, passed away peacefully during Hospice Care at the home of his daughter Mary on Friday evening, March 20, 2020. Arlie's health had been declining steadily for the last year. His second stroke in January of this year, and recent kidney failure caused his soul to leave a body that could no longer sustain it and pass with joy to our Heavenly Father. Arlie was born on April 7th, 1924 on his parents' farm near Potsdam, Minnesota in Olmsted County, Farmington Township to Herbert E. A. Benike and Elsie Bertha Baker. He attended rural schools in both Farmington and Haverhill townships, and then attended Trinity Lutheran School in...

A faithful husband, family man and friend with a gentle soul, our beloved Robert "Bob" Whitten McCutcheon, 73, passed away of a heart attack surrounded by his family on December 21st, 2019, at St. Mary's in Rochester, MN. Bob was born on July 2nd, 1946, in Long Island City, NY, to Robert and Edith (Livingston) McCutcheon. He grew up in Jackson Heights, NY, and moved to Rochester, MN, when he was 10 years old. He graduated from John Marshall High School in 1964 and then attended Rochester Community College. Bob worked at IBM for 50 years, in addition to operating his own body shop for 26 years where he worked on one of his passions, cars. Bob married the love of his life, Pat Connelly,...

Memorial Service for Theodore H. Kuske, age 88, of Fairmont, MN, will be 11:00 am on November 25, 2019, at Shepherd of the Lakes Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fairmont. Visitation will be 9:30 am until the time of the service at the church on Monday. Theodore passed away on Wednesday evening, November 13, 2019, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. The Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Fairmont is assisting the family with arrangements. Memorials are preferred to Martin Luther College Scholarship Fund or to the WELS Church Extension Fund. Theodore Herbert Kuske was born on January 14, 1931, in Circle, MT. He was the son of Pastor Paul and Leona (Zier) Kuske. Theodore...

Memorial Service for Theodore H. Kuske, age 88, of Fairmont, MN, will be 11:00 am on November 25, 2019, at Shepherd of the Lakes Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fairmont. Visitation will be 9:30 am until the time of the service at the church on Monday. Theodore passed away on Wednesday evening, November 13, 2019, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. The Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Fairmont is assisting the family with arrangements. Memorials are preferred to Martin Luther College Scholarship Fund or to the WELS Church Extension Fund. Theodore Herbert Kuske was born on January 14, 1931, in Circle, MT. He was the son of Pastor Paul and Leona (Zier) Kuske. Theodore...

On November 3rd, 2019, the world lost one of its brightest lights. Marcus James Tolbert passed away after a lifelong battle with Chronic Interstitial Lung Disease peacefully, with family by his side, while awaiting a dual lung transplant. He was only 8 years old. Marcus was born March 27th, 2011 to Ashley Tolbert and Jack Lester. Since the beginning, everyone knew Marcus was one of a kind- the kind of person you hope you have the pleasure of meeting at least once in your life. Marcus was a consistent reminder to anyone he came in contact with that he was special but probably not the type of special you would expect from a kid dealing with a difficult lung disease. No, no, he had enough...

Tom Jeanson, 87, of Pine Island, Minnesota, passed away Thursday, September 12, 2019 in Pine Island, surrounded by family. Tom was born April 11, 1932 in Kingsford, MI to Lowell and Naomi (DeRocher) Jeanson. He graduated from Kingsford High School in 1950. On December 27, 1957, he married Beverly Ann Forrest in Duck Creek (Howard), Wisconsin. The couple then moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1958 and lived there until 1967, when they moved to Pine Island, MN. Tom and Beverly remained in Pine Island for the rest of their lives. Tom was drafted into the US Army in 1952 and served for 2 years in Germany where he attended the Signal School and graduated with honors. He worked for IBM for...

Adeline Alfreida Mann, 95, of Zumbrota, died Tuesday June 25, 2019 at the Zumbrota Care Center. The funeral service will be Friday June 28th at 11:00 AM at Christ Lutheran Church in Zumbrota with the Rev. Wayne Schoch officiating. A visitation will be held Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Mahn Family Funeral Home, Larson Chapel in Zumbrota, and the visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Burial will be in the Zumbrota Cemetery. Adeline A. Hadel was born January 17, 1924 to Gustave and Freida Hadel in Stewartville, Minnesota. She attended elementary school for the deaf in Rochester where she met Helen Keller. Adeline and her family moved to...