October 2003 Obituaries - Paynesville Press, Paynesville, Minnesota
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from The Paynesville Press
October 2003

Johnson Funeral Home Arthur Meyer
Arthur Meyer Arthur N. Meyer, 91, of Paynesville, died Friday, Oct. 24, 2003, at the Koronis Manor in Paynesville.

Mass of Christian Burial was at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Paynesville. Entombment took place in the St. Louis Parish Mausoleum.

Arthur was born Feb. 26, 1912, in Lake Henry to Simon and Gertrude (Laubach) Meyer. He married Leonora Kuebelbeck on Oct. 19, 1937, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Cold Spring. They farmed in Spring Hill Township until 1945 and then farmed in the Lake Henry Township until 1963 when they moved to Paynesville. He worked as a custodian for the Paynesville Area Hospital for 14 years.

He was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church, St. Louis Knights of Columbus, and St. Joseph's Men's Society.

Arthur is survived by his son, Allen (Rose Ann) of Paynesville; five grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and sisters, Verena Terres of Sauk Rapids and Mary Ann Terres of Spring Hill.

Preceding him in death were his parents, wife Leonora in 2002, and a brother Clarence.

Gene Hunt
Gene Hunt Gene E. Hunt, 78, of Paynesville, died Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003, at the Paynesville Area Hospital.

A memorial service was held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Nordland Lutheran Church, rural Paynesville. Rev. Keith Ainsley officiated. Inurnment was in the Burr Oak Cemetery, rural Paynesville.

Gene was born Feb. 24, 1925, in Taft, Texas, the son of George and Velma (Pruitt) Hunt. He grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, and later Rockport, Texas, where he graduated from high school in 1941.

During World War II, Gene served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945. During this time, he served in the South Pacific as a medic and was assigned to the Marines. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars.

On Nov. 15, 1952, Gene married Averial Jebb in Guthrie, Okla. For 60 years, Gene worked for the Connoco, Mobil, and Aramco oil companies, retiring in 1987. Gene and Averial built a home in Paynesville in 1977 and since that time they have lived in various places around the world, including Louisiana, Iran, Malta, and Saudi Arabia for 10 years.

While living in Louisiana, he served as deacon and president of a men's group at a Presbyterian church. He currently was a member at Nordland Lutheran Church.

Gene enjoyed cooking for his family, grocery shopping, watching sports on television, and was an avid reader.

Gene is survived by his wife, Averial of Paynesville; children, Gena (Dan) Palmer of Houston, Texas, Jay (Edie) Hunt of Lafayette. La., Terry (Duane) Davidson of Paynesville, Jeffrey (Dawn) Hunt of Denver, Colo., Dennis (Geneva) Hunt of Anchorage, Ala., and Woody (Marcia) Hunt of Lafayette, La.; 13 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and brothers, Bill Hunt of Costa Rica, Woody (Rosa Faye) Hunt of LaPorte, Texas, and John Malchar of Corpus Christi, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, June Loften.

Roy Olson
Rev. Roy Olson Rev. Roy Wilhem Olson, 91, of Paynesville, died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at the Koronis Manor in Paynesville.

A funeral service was held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 27, at the Paynesville Evangelical Free Church. Rev. Rich Hubert officiated. Interment was held at 2:30 p.m. on Monday at the Wadena Cemetery in Wadena.

Roy was born Nov. 26, 1911, in Fredenberg Township near Duluth. He was the son of Karl and Lotta (Hoiby) Olson. He was the next to the youngest of 13 children and attended a one-room schoolhouse, while growing up on the family farm.

He was a survivor of the 1918 Cloquet-Moose Lake fire and retained a vivid memory throughout his life of how he and his three youngest sisters survived near a neighbor's well, while the adults put wet blankets on them to keep the sparks from igniting their clothes. Their own home burned to the ground.

Roy attended the Holiness Methodist School of Theology in Minneapolis, graduating in 1940. He married his first wife, Hulda Lein, in October 1939. In 1940, they began a ministry that took them to many small parishes, including Kirkland, Wash., Big Fork, Union Corners, and Deer Creek, Minn. They lived for many years in Wadena where Roy worked as a skilled carpenter.

In the late 1980s, Hulda became ill and their friend, Alice Schultz, who was a nurse, came and cared for her. Hulda died in 1990. Roy and Alice married and moved to Paynesville in 1991.

Roy is survived by his sister, Helga Shannon of Grants Pass, Ore., and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two wives, Hulda in 1990 and Alice in January 2002; six brothers, Ingvald, Olaf, Sigurd, Leif, Hilmer, and Walter; and five sisters, Anna, Signe, Emma, Elsie, and Jennie.

Laurell Johnson
Laurell C. Johnson passed away on Monday, Oct. 13, at his home in Paynesville.

A funeral service was held on Friday, Oct. 17, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eagle Bend. Internment was in the Hope Cemetery in Eagle Bend.

Johnson was born on Sept. 27, 1913, to Charles and Anna (Olson) Johnson at Murdock. He farmed around Eagle Bend for most of his life. He did work at Eagle Bend Produce for a few years.

He married Cora Elnes in 1937, and she passed away in 1959.

In August 1968, he married Theresa M. Peyerl Guse, a longtime friend, at Sisseton, S.D. They farmed on the edge of Eagle Bend until 1989 when they moved to Paynesville to be near their family.

His survivors include his wife, Theresa; his step-daughter, Mardell (Michael) Hendricks of Paynesville; brothers Clinton (Lou Clare) of Eagle Bend, Everett (Myrna) of Clarissa, Donald (Marcy) of Eagle Bend, and Carroll of Eagle Bend; sisters, Evelyn Rohwer of Eagle Bend, Helen Anderson of Bertha, Violet Smith of Becker, Evangeline Otto of Williams, and Maxine Miller of Hewitt; and two step-grandsons.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, Cora.

Anthony Listerud
Anthony J. Listerud, 45, of Sauk Rapids died on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the St. Cloud Hospital after a long battle with cancer.

Funeral services were held on Monday, Oct. 20, at the First Assembly of God Church in St. Cloud. Pastor Craig Moore officiated.

Tony was born on June 30, 1958, in Minneapolis to Nancy (Williams) Freese. He served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1978 until his honorable discharge in 1982. Tony was employed at the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Medical Center until he retired in June of 2000.

Tony married Melinda Hubert on Dec. 11, 1993, in Sauk Rapids.

Tony was a member of the Clearwater American Legion Post #323, the St. Cloud Marine Corps League Valhalla Detachment, and the First Assembly of God Church.

Tony is survived by his wife, Melinda of Sauk Rapids; daughter, Nicole at home; mother, Nancy Freese of Oak Park; sister, DeDe Johnson of Clifton, Ariz.; four nephews; and father-in-law and mother-in-law Marvin and Phyllis Hubert of Paynesville.

Tony was preceded in death by his grandparents.

Beverly Sommerfeld
Beverly Sommerfeld Beverly A. Sommerfeld, 58, of Paynesville died on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Paynesville Area Hospital after an extended illness.

Funeral services were held on Monday, Oct. 20, at the Daniel-Anderson Funeral Home in Paynesville. The Reverend Ric Koehn officiated.

Beverly was born on May 24, 1945, in Paynesville to Earl and Raberta (DeBlois) Voss. She grew up in the Paynesville area and attended local schools.

Beverly married Walter D. Sommerfeld on April 5, 1995, in Las Vegas, Nev.

Beverly was employed for several years as a health care provider at the Good Samaritan Care Center and the Paynesville Area Health Care System.

Beverly is survived by her husband, Walter; children, Terri Watts of Niagara Falls, N.Y., Tina Schroeder of Litchfield, and Patrick Wilson of Grove City; four grandchildren; her mother, Raberta Lang of Richmond; four sisters; and two brothers.

She was preceded in death by her father, Earl Voss.

Cal Berg
Cal Berg Calvin (Cal) J. Berg, 69, of Paynesville died Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003, at the St. Cloud Hospital.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. at the Evangelical Covenant Church in New London. Rev. Paul Anderson officiated. Cal was born on Sept. 6, 1934, in Willmar, Minn., to Carlton and Amy (Mattson) Berg. In 1958, Cal was drafted in the United States Army, where he was stationed in Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1960.

In 1961, Cal was united in marriage to Geri Canaday.

On Oct. 2, 1981, Cal was united in marriage to Carole Evenson. They lived in Atwater before moving to Paynesville in 1999.

Cal enjoyed raising, training, and breeding horses. He retired from Trinity Industries in 1990, after working there, at John Peterson Implement, at Willmar Drain and Tile, and for Jennie-O Foods. Cal was a past member of the Eagles of Willmar, Spicer American Legion, and the VFW.

Cal is survived by his wife, Carole; children, Debbie of New London, Jim (Shelly) Berg of New London, and step-son Michael (Jodi) Evenson of Spicer; seven grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and one brother, Doug (Judi) Berg of Bozeman, Mont.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Mary; and one grandson.

John Ampe, Sr.
John Ampe John J. (Jack) Ampe, 94, of Kimball, died Oct. 9, 2003, at the Hilltop Care Center in Watkins where he has lived the past 2 1/2 years.

A mass of christian buriel was held on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at St. Anne Catholic Church in Kimball at 10:30 a.m. The Rev. David Grundman officiated.

John was born on April 9, 1909, to Celeste and Cornelia (Moorse) Ampe in Ghent, Minn. On Nov. 25, 1937, he married Rose M. Schlagel.

John farmed and sold DeKalb Seed Corn, was a member of St, Anne Catholic Church, and former member of the Knights of Columbus. John was an avid bowler, dancer, and enjoyed sports.

John is survived by his best and dearest friend, Lucetta Walters; children, Shirley (Wes) Olson of Shoreview, Janice Kramer of Scappoose, Ore., Marlene (Pierre) Doley of Palos Verdes, Calif., John Jr. (Carole) Ampe of Dayton, Mike (Lynna) Ampe of Newport Coast, Calif., Jim (Karole) Ampe of Scappoose, Ore., Cindy (Ralph) Pauly of Warren, Ore., and Bob (Denise) Ampe of Lake Forest, Calif.; brother, Charles (Peg) Ampe of Paynesville; 22 grandchildren; and 29 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife Rose on Oct. 28, 1988, and six brothers, Peter, Mathew, Cyril, Celeste, Jr., Joseph, and Henry.

Elmer Knese
Elmer Knese Elmer H. Knese, 87, of St. Cloud, died on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2003, at St. Benedict's Senior Community Hospice.

Mass of Christian Burial was on Monday, Oct. 6, at 11 a.m. at St. Benedict's Senior Community Chapel. His brother-in-law Reverend Charles Henry officiated. Entombment was in the Assumption Cemetery Mausoleum, St. Cloud, with military rites provided by the St. Cloud Veterans of Foreign Wars Granite Post #428.

Elmer was born on Dec. 13, 1915, in Roscoe to Lucas and Katherine (Hilger) Knese. He was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII serving in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Elmer married Mary L. Henry on June 3, 1946, at St. Mary's Cathedral in St. Cloud. He was employed as a salesman by the Hilger Company and Huntington Labs for many years. After his retirement, Elmer was employed by Coborn's on 5th in St. Cloud.

Elmer was a member of the St. Cloud Eagles Aerie #622, the St. Cloud Veterans of Foreign Wars Granite Post #428, and St. Mary's Cathedral Parish.

Elmer is survived by his wife, Mary Louise of St. Cloud; children, Carol (Richard) Arend of Rochester, William (Suzan-Oda) Knese of Watertown, S.D., Jean (Fred) Jeffery of Duluth, Rose (Mickey) Weintraub of Shawnee Mission, Kan., Valerie (Tor) Guimaraes of Cookeville, Tenn., Mary Ruth (Dwane) Schmidt of Blaine, and John (Mary) Knese of Littleton, Colo.; 15 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; one brother, Raymond of St. Cloud; and six sisters, Inez Fischer of Paynesville, Rosemary Pontarolo of Lemon Grove, Calif., Helen Knese-Reid of La Mesa, Calif., Irene Tonkovic of Falls Church, Va., Margaret Logan of Monticello, and Mary Zirbes of St. Cloud.

He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Aloysius, Frederick, Leo, and Robert; and two sisters, Lillian Kost and Irma Novey.

Anita Rohling
Anita Rohling Anita C. Rohling, 76, of White Bear Lake, Minn., died on Sept. 30, 2003.

Mass of Christian Burial was at 11a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 835 2nd Ave NW, New Brighton. Interment was at St. John's Cemetery.

Anita was a legal secretary for Quigley, Quigley and Donahue in St. Cloud and later was a full-time mom and grandma. She was active in lay Carmelites, Legion of Mary, and St. John's nursing home ministry.

She is survived by her husband, Mel; children, Linda (Ron) Zappa of New Brighton, Jeffrey (Sara) Rohling of Rancho Bernardo, Calif., Jane (Paul) Murphy of Lake Elmo, and Roberta (Brad) Peters of Forest Lake; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a brother, Werner (Louella) Kraemer of Paynesville; a sister, Sally Kraemer; and many close friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mary and George Kraemer; and brothers, Michael, Raymond, and Sev Kraemer.

Norman Schuelke
Norman A. Schuelke, 77, of Fort Atkinson, Wis., died on Sept. 23, 2003, at the Fort Atkinson Memorial Health Services.

Norman was born on Sept. 22, 1926, to Theodore and Freida Schuelke. Following graduation from Bellingham High School in 1944, he served with the Merchant Marines for four years and during the Korean conflict served with the U.S. Army.

On May 23, 1953, Norman married Betty Scheiwe of Fort Atkinson. He was employed as a tool and die maker at the former Thomas Industries for 10 years, and later with the former Parker Pen Company, now known as Gillette Co. in Janesville, Wis., until his retirement in 1992. He was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson.

He is survived by his wife, Betty of Fort Atkinson, Wis.; sons, Stephen (Sue) of Warrens, Wis., and Theodore of New York Mills, Minn.; daughters, Ann (Bob Beranek) Schuelke of Sun Praire and Theresa (Rod) Wendorf of Fort Atkinson; six grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and one brother, Harry (Winnie) Schuelke of Paynesville.

He was proceded in death by his parents and one sister, Sophia Burns.

LaVerne Huso
LaVerne Huso, of Phoenix, Ariz., died Sept. 20, 2003, following a battle with cancer.

LaVerne is survived by her husband, Robert of Phoenix; children, Terri and Mark; and five grandchildren, all of Phoenix.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Miller of Paynesville, and son, Edward of Phoenix.


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