May 2012 Death Notices - Paynesville Press, Paynesville, Minnesota
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Death Notices
Complete obituaries can be found in the Paynesville Press each week.

May 2012


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Obituary Archives

Joseph Gieseke, 62, Spring Lake Park
Joseph Gieseke, 62, of Spring Lake Park died on Sunday, May 27, at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis.

A funeral service was held on Thursday, May 31, at Grace United Methodist Church in Paynesville. Burial will be in Paynesville Cemetery on Thursday, June 7.

Joseph Layne Gieseke was born on May 12, 1950, to William and Delia (Schmidt) Gieseke in Paynesville.

He grew up in Paynesville, where he attended Paynesville Elementary School and graduated from Paynesville High School in 1968.

After high school, Joe entered the U.S. Army. He served his country in Vietnam until his honorable discharge.

After he returned home, Joe attended Dunwoody Institute, where he received a degree Mechanical Drafting.

After receiving his degree, he moved to Spring Lake Park where he went to work for OnanÕs Manufacturing. Joe worked for them for many years before going out on his own working as a private contractor.

He is survived by his siblings, Wanda "Skip" (Calvin "Fritz") Domke of Cold Spring and Tom Burr of Paynesville; a sister-in-law; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, and a sister.


Burnette Wendroth, 77, Paynesville
Burnette M. Wendroth, 77, of Paynesville died on Friday, April 27, at the Koronis Manor in Paynesville.

A memorial service was held on Wednesday, May 9, at the Evangelical Covenant Church in New London.

Burnette was born on Aug. 6, 1934, in Irving Township in Kandiyohi County to the late Alvin and Myrtle (Hanson) Hagen.

She grew up and attended District 92 and New London High School, graduating with the Class of 1952.

Burnette married Donald Wendroth on June 21, 1952, at Nordland Lutheran Church in rural Paynesville. They shared 59 years of marriage.

They farmed until Don was drafted into the U.S. Army, with Burnette joining him at Fort Campbell, KY., a few days later. Burnette worked at a guest house, as a waitress, and domestic while there.

In 1955, they moved to Coleraine, Minn., where Burnette worked as a dental assistant and at their mink ranch.

They later returned to the Paynesville area and eventually worked together painting houses and finishing woodwork for new home construction, an occupation they both enjoyed, until 2007 when a fire destroyed their shop and they retired.

They moved into a new home in Starbuck on Sept. 1, 2009, where Burnette suffered a stroke on Sept. 10. She became a resident of the Minnewaska Lutheran Nursing Home following the stroke. She later transferred to the Paynesville Koronis Manor and for two years was a resident of the 700 Stearns apartment complex.

In January 2012, Burnette's health began to fail, and she passed away quietly on April 27.

Burnette is survived by her husband, Donald; two daughters, Michelle (Kenneth) Knutson of Dawson and Cheryl (Randall) Bevis of Chiang Mai, Thailand; five grandchildren; and sister, Mae (Kenneth) Seeland of Paynesville.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Alvin and Myrtle Hagen, and her brother, Myron.


Ida Schaefer, 99, St. Martin
Ida Schaefer, 99, of St. Martin died on Monday, May 28, at Assumption Nursing Home.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 2, at 11 a.m., at St. Martin Catholic Church. Burial will be in the St. Martin Parish Cemetery.

A visitation for Ida will be after 4 p.m. on Friday at the St. Martin Parish Hall. Visitation will continue from 9-10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning at the St. Martin Parish Hall.

Ida was born on April 1, 1913, in St. Martin to Michael and Anna (Schmitz) Mehr.

She married Henry Schaefer on June 1, 1936, in St. Martin Catholic Church. They shared 47 years of marriage until HenryÕs death on May 26, 1984.

Ida is survived by her children, Cyrilla Nohner of Eden Valley, Lucy (Allan) Hess of Cold Spring, Gloria Boie (Arnie Wolf) of Paynesville, Julie (Norbert) Waldorf of Spring Hill, Jeanette (Kenneth) Lahr of St. Nicholas, LeRoy (Alice) Schaefer of St. Cloud, and Marcia (Darwin) Kulzer of Loretto; a son-in-law; sister, Esther; brother, Frank Mehr; and a sister-in-law.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry; daughter, Iverna Schwieters; son, Mark Schaefer; a daughter-in-law; two sons-in-law; brothers, John, Jacob, Mathias, and Bernard; sisters, Helen Wieber and Anna Mae Huppert; and two grandchildren.


Arnold Saenger, 94, Paynesville
Arnold Saenger, 94, of Paynesville died on Tuesday, May 15, at his home in rural Paynesville.

Funeral services were held on Monday, May 21, at Nordland Lutheran Church in rural Paynesville. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Arnold Max Saenger was born on Dec. 20, 1917, to Ernest and Minnie (Ruppelius) Saenger in Hanover. He grew up in Minneapolis, where he attended elementary school and North High School.

In September 1941, Arnold enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. He served his country for five years, receiving an honorable discharge in May 1946.

When Arnold returned home, he began building windows and doors in Minneapolis.

On June 19, 1948, Arnold married Marion Larson at Christ English Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. A daughter was born to this union.

On Oct. 2, 2009, Marion passed away. Together, they shared in 61 years of marriage.

Arnold is survived by his daughter, Carol (Duane) Warmbold of Paynesville; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and sister, Mabel Lehmeyer of Arizona.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Marion; brother, Donald; and sister, Marcella.


Dennis Swyter, 67, Paynesville
Dennis Swyter, 67, of Paynesville died unexpectedly on Friday, May 4, at the Paynesville Area Hospital.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 9, at 11 a.m., at Grace United Methodist Church in Paynesville. Burial will be in the Paynesville Cemetery.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Daniel- Anderson Funeral Home in Paynesville and after 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the church.

Dennis Swyter was born on April 27, 1945, to George and Berniece (Stevenson) Swyter in Mason City, Iowa.

He graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1964 and entered the U.S. Army in October 1965. He was honorably discharged in September 1968.

Dennis graduated from Molar Barber School and owned and operated the Barber Roost in Paynesville for many years.

He married Carolyn Wegner on Nov. 26, 1983, at Grace United Methodist Church.

After the Barber Roost, Dennis was employed as a laborer in manufacturing.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Carolyn; daughter, Susan (Michael) Putzke; and mother, Berniece Swyter, all of Paynesville.

He was preceded in death by his father, George; a brother-in-law, Russ Moe; and several aunts and uncles.

Memorials are preferred.


Thomas Christle, 77, Paynesville
Thomas Christle, 77, died on Wednesday, April 25, at the St. Cloud Hospital.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, April 28, at Nordland Lutheran Church in rural Paynesville.

Thomas Christle was born on March 7, 1935, to William and Myrtle (Ellsworth) Christle in Manannah.

He graduated from Eden Valley High School in 1953. He was inducted into the army in March 1954 and was stationed in Korea until January 1956.

On Nov. 24, 1956, Tom married Marlene Deadrick. The couple lived on a farm most of their lives.

Tom worked as a mechanic at Arnold's, the International dealership in Kimball. He then started his own repair shop on the farm in 1977 and ran that business until an injury made mechanic work too difficult.

Tom is survived by his wife, Marlene; children, Thomas Jr., Diane, and David; and five grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Eileen Anderson; brothers, Bill and John; half-brother, Robert Scanlon; and a daughter-in-law.


Burnette Wendroth, 77, Paynesville
Burnette M. Wendroth, 77, of Paynesville died on Friday, April 27, at the Koronis Manor in Paynesville.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 9, at 11 a.m., at the Evangelical Covenant Church in New London. A visitation will follow the service, and a lunch will be served in the church fellowship hall.


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