Obituaries from the week of Sept. 16, 2009
Donald Becken, 85
Donald “Don” Becken, 85, of Hallock,
MN passed away on September 1, 2009 while residing at the home of his daughter
and son-in-law, Adeline (Ade) and Jim Miller in Tracy, MN.
Donald Olaf Becken was born in
Halma, Minnesota the son of Ole and Jessie Becken. He had one brother, Warren
and two sisters, Marjorie and Phyllis. He was raised on a farm near Hallock and
graduated from Hallock High School. At the time of his death, Don was the last
living boy of his high school graduating class. Following his high school
graduation, he went on to business school in Fargo, North Dakota and also
completed a Watch-making course in Chicago, Illinois.
Don and his brother owned and
operated a mink ranch and raised over 1200 mink. He later went on to serve his
country in WWII for two years in the United States Army. Don was one of the few
soldiers that went overseas on the Queen Mary. Following his military service,
Don came back to purchase a retail store in Greenbush, Minnesota. He asked his
sweetheart, Vi, to marry him and help run “Becken’s”. They were married on June
23, 1954. Don and Vi owned “Becken’s” for over 20 years while raising 3
children in an apartment above the business.
When Don and Vi decided to retire,
they wanted to move closer to Don’s father in Hallock, MN. There they built a
new home next to his father’s house which is where he and Vi resided throughout
their retirement. After his move back to Hallock, Don worked for the Hallock
school district as a custodian/bus driver.
December of 2008 found Don not being
able to live by himself because of his illness. He moved to Tracy, Minnesota to
live with his daughter and son-in-law, Ade and Jim Miller. Don’s health was
failing fast and it wasn’t until June of 2009 that he was diagnosed with ALS
(Lou Gehrig Disease). Don fought a tough painful battle but died peacefully
with his daughter at his bedside, knowing he was going to see all his loved
ones in heaven soon.
Don loved his wife Vi more than
anything on earth. They both loved the outdoors and planted many hundreds of
trees. Don lived for deer hunting season when he and his son, grandsons and
friends could hunt for the “biggest buck” on his land. Those that knew Don knew
that he had a passion for painting. For almost 70 years he painted over 1,300
pieces! Don loved to golf with his good friend, Wilbur Koop, and visit with his
very good neighbors, the Myron and Joyce Jans family. He always talked about
his coffee times with the “boys” at Cenex and each day he looked forward to
going to the Senior Center for a meal, then some card playing, or pool.
Survivors include his daughter
Adeline (Jim) Miller of Tracy, MN, his son, Allen (Roxanne) Becken of Owatonna,
MN, grandchildren, Heidi (Travis) Sohn, Nicholas, Emily, Molly Miller, Jillian
(Ryan) Schiel, Darrick, Dillon and Crystal Becken, Sister-in-law Eleanor Becken
of Coon Rapids, MN, sister, Phyllis (Ben) Finazzo of Cold Springs, MN, and
sister, Marjorie (Lloyd) Mathews of Otsego, MN. Don was preceded in death by
his parents, wife Violena, daughter Donna (Charles) Pugliese, and brother,
Warren. May they all rest in peace.
Funeral Services for Donald O.
Becken will be Saturday, September 19th at 1:00 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church
in Hallock, MN with lunch served afterwards.
Joy Farr, 89
Joy Farr, age 89, of Marshall,
passed away at the Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center on Sunday, September
13, 2009. Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, September 16,
2009 at Wesley United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Tracy City
Cemetery. Condolences can be sent
to www.hamiltonfh.com
Joy M. Ingham was born on September
21, 1919 in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin to Walter and Mary (Gustafson) Ingham. She
was baptized and confirmed at the Tracy United Methodist Church and was in the
graduating class of 1937 at the Tracy High School.
On May 31, 1942, Joy was united in
marriage to Kenneth F. Farr in Lamberton. They lived with Kenneth’s parents and
farmed the homestead with them for the first two years of their marriage.
Kenneth and Joy then rented a farm near Tracy and farmed that for 6
years. In 1952, they purchased their own farm west of Balaton where they
worked until retiring and moving to Marshall in 1982.
Joy passed away at the Avera
Marshall Regional Medical Center on Sunday, September 13, 2009. She had reached
the age of 89 years, 11 months and 22 days.
She is survived by three daughters,
Betty (Ned) Overcash of Sioux Falls, Kathy (Robert) Schrupp of Plymouth and
Karen Sands of Cresco, IA; nine grandchildren; fifteen great grandchildren;
also many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her
parents; husband, Kenneth; two sisters, Ethel Ingham and Edith Taarud; and a
brother, Harold Ingham.
|