February 2026
Complete obituaries can be found in the Paynesville Press each week.
February 2026
Complete obituaries can be found in the Paynesville Press each week.
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Lee Bergstrom, 74, Arizona
Lee Alan Bergstrom of Prescott, Ariz., passed away while surrounded by family and friends on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the age of 74. Lee was born on Sept. 5, 1951, in Paynesville, Minn., to Ira Bergstrom, and Evelyn Salter. Lee grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Paynesville High School in 1969. He was captain of the football team, played golf, was in the choir and theatre, was crowned Homecoming king, and played in a folk group called the "Troubadours," all while working in the meat department at the local grocery store. Lee went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota - Morris campus, in 1973, where he played golf and was the pledge director of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Lee majored in speech and minored in theatre. After graduating from college, Lee accepted an offer with Hormel Foods Corporation in Austin, Minn., as a territory manager. This position led to his successful career in medical equipment sales and equipment leasing, working for companies including Baxter Travenol, IVAC Corporation, DataServ Inc., Lease Finance Group, Carlton Financial Corporation, and Data Sales Co. Lee remained in Minnesota until 1999, then relocated to San Clemente, Calif., where he met the love of his life, Tammy. Together, they moved to Chanhassen, Minn., and married in 2002. Lee and Tammy eventually moved to Prescott, Ariz., Temecula, Calif., and returned back to Prescott, Ariz., in 2020. Lee prioritized his loving family and his treasured friendships. He spent time volunteering, golfing, biking, reading, shooting, listening to music, cooking, motorcycle riding, crafting a great cocktail, and savoring a good cigar. With his passion for travel, Lee attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally several times and participated in the Laughlin River Run Motorcycle Rally. Lee and Tammy cherished their trips together, which included regular visits to Hawaii, spending time with family in Minnesota and California, and a ten-day Harley Davidson adventure through Yellowstone, Beartooth Mountains, Jackson Hole, and Red Lodge, Mont. Lee gained great joy in giving back to his community and volunteering for organizations including Habitat for Humanity and The Elks. For more than a decade, Lee volunteered at the Farmers Insurance Open Golf Tournament in Torrey Pines. On Veterans Day you would find him placing flags on the graves of those who served our country. Upon relocating back to Prescott in 2020, Lee served as chairman of the Granite Dells landscape committee and vice president of the HOA board of directors for The Granite Dells Estates. Lee created the "Whiskey Wednesday Garage Guys." Inviting the neighborhood guys to gather in his garage to enjoy whiskey, a cigar, food, and camaraderie fondly grew into a weekly event with over 40 invitees. Lee was adored, respected, and revered by his community earning him the nickname, "The Mayor." Lee will forever be remembered as a friend to all. He was a devoted husband, a loving and caring father and grandfather, and a respected community leader. His generous, kind, thoughtful, caring, energetic, and supportive nature will be missed by all who knew him. Lee is survived by his loving wife, Tammy; her parents Allen and Dorothy Raver; his brother Joel (Rose Ann) Bergstrom; his children Michelle (Anthony) Lacugnato, Nathan Bergstrom, Kimberly Pack (Jeff), and Jennifer Brouwers (John); eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and extended family members and countless friends. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 2 until 4 p.m., at the Granite Dells Estate clubhouse (5220 Crown Rock Trail, Prescott, Ariz.). In lieu of flowers, the family kindly request that donations be made in Lee's honor to Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity at https://prescotthabitat.org/pages/donate or to United Animal Friends at https://unitedanimalfriends.org/donate.
Vernon "Butch" Kotz, 84, of Belgrade, died peacefully Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Belgrade with a visitation prior to the service beginning at 9:30 a.m. Burial will be in the church cemetery. A celebration of his life will be held at The Spot in Belgrade from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Arrangements are with the Johnson Funeral Home in Belgrade. www.hafh.org Vernon "Butch" Joseph Kotz was born on October 9, 1941, to Gertrude and Joseph Kotz. He grew-up in Belgrade and was raised on the family farm. After high school he traveled the country working in the farming and construction industry. He married Mary Winter on May 6, 1967. In 1968, he started his career in the restaurant business, opening Butch's Café until his retirement 33 years later. Butch loved playing cards and dice, talking and socializing with patrons in the restaurant, meeting new people, and spending time with his family and grandchildren. In retirement, he spent many days enjoying the hot summer heat at his cabin in Spicer, shirt off with sand between his toes. Butch was survived by his wife and love of his life, Mary of 58 years; three children, Wendy (David), Cory (Shari) and Jason (Greta) and their children, Carson, Jake, Jack, John, Michael, Skylar (Braxton), Bryce, Christopher (Katie), Brittany (Mike), Annika (Dimitri) and Vaughn (Paige); great-grandchildren, Jaxton, Esme, Ella, Bennett, Lylah, Lenora and Willow; ten siblings, Ron (Jan), Virginia, Max (Don), Wayne (Marcia), Maggie (Donnie), Janet, Kathy (Fornet), Mark (Mickey), Lori (Brian) and numerous cousins, brothers and sisters-in-law and friends from all over the world. Butch was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Monica, Rosella, Julie, Gene and Brian.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at Grace United Methodist Church in Paynes-ville for John Henry Jones, 91, of Paynesville. John passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at his home. Visitation will be held on Saturday at the church. Burial will take place in the Paynesville Cemetery on a later date. John was born on July 30, 1934, along with his identical twin brother Jerome, on his grandfather's farm near Hawick, Minn., to Ed and Petra Jones. He attended country school through eighth grade and served in the U.S. Army from 1957-58. He worked on a turkey farm before and after his military service. In 1961, he purchased a 120-acre farm southwest of Paynesville, as he continued to work on the turkey farm nearby. On April 15, 1961, he was united in marriage to Joan Irene Eighner at the Methodist Church in Paynesville. They farmed the land, raising crops and livestock - mostly beef cattle. John's biggest challenge was when Joan passed away unexpectedly in 1981, and he had three children to support. John enjoyed farm life, and it was hard to get him to take a break from it, but when he did, he loved playing cards with his family or friends at the senior center in town. He especially enjoyed fishing on local lakes. He was passionate about his Swedish and Norwegian heritage and had to have a meal of lutefisk and lefse at Christmas-time with his brothers every year. He always looked forward to visits from his grandchildren and especially loved being a great grandpa. John is survived by his two daughters Julie Jones (Neil Lee) of Greenfield and Kathy (John) Hanson of Monticello; daughter-in-law Kate Jones of Hutchinson; grandchildren Nicholas Lee, Joanna (Lee) Zacchea, Marshall Jones, Emma Hanson, and Abby Hanson; step-grandchildren Jessica (James) Lewandowski and Kristin Berscheit; great-grandchild, Audrey Zacchea; and step-great-grandchildren Domanik Dammann, Emerson Witte, and Margaret Lewandowski. He is also survived by three brothers, Jerome Jones of Paynesville, Paul Jones of Osseo, and Tim Jones of Corcoran; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Earl, Myron, Duane, and Glenn; his wife, Joan; and his son, Kenneth. Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers. |