Obituaries from the week of February 18, 2009
Euclair Blegen, 86
Louis Frechette, 88
Eleanor Gullickson, 96
Mark Jemming, 44
Roland Schmidt, 86
Euclair Blegen, formally of Redwood
Falls, MN known to everyone as “Bud” peacefully passed away Friday, February
13, 2009 with his family at his side at Castleton Health Care in Indianapolis,
IN. A memorial service was held on
Monday, Feb. 16 at Randall and Roberts Mortuary in Fishers, IN. A memorial celebration will also be
held in Minnesota at a later date.
He was born April 13, 1922 in
Revere, MN to Ole and Anna (Halverson) Blegen.
Bud had owned and operated his own
plumbing, heating and cooling business in Redwood Falls.
He served in the U.S. Army during
World War II under General Patton. He was a tank commander with the 14th Armored Division and earned a
Bronze Star for bravery. He was a
member of the American Legion in Redwood Falls and Revere, the VFW in Redwood
Falls, and a lifetime member of the DAV. He loved traveling throughout the United States by car.
He is survived by daughter, Shelley
(Ken) Jenniges of Indianapolis; son Dennis Blegen of Jacksonville, FL; sisters
Ollie (Warren) Parker of Revere, MN and Opal (Dave) Neitzel of Placerville, CA;
brother-in-law Melvin Buse of Lamberton, MN; three grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents he is
preceded in death by his wife Anita (Day) Blegen; three sisters, Janice Blegen,
Evelyn Buse, Iola Frank; and a brother Arvid “Babe” Blegen.
Bud will forever be missed and
celebrated by those who loved him and whose lives he touches on his many
travels.
Memorial contributions may be made
to the local Parkinson’s Awareness Association.
Louis E. Frechette age
88 of Tracy, MN died on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at the Prairie Home Hospice
in Marshall, MN. Services were
held on Saturday, February 14, 2009 at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy
Louis Edward Frechette
was born December 16, 1920 to Ephrem and Marie (Vigniault) Frechette on a farm
near Walnut Grove, MN, Redwood County. In his youth, the family moved to Klossner, MN and New Ulm, MN before
returning to the Tracy area. He
attended and graduated from Tracy Public Schools and was baptized and confirmed
in the Catholic faith. After
graduating he went to work as a salesman selling many things over the years
such as automobiles, auto parts, guns, coins and just about anything that could
be sold.
On December 26, 1942
Louis married Arlene Heil at the Catholic Church in Worthington, MN. They lived on a farm near Walnut Grove,
then New Ulm before making their home in Tracy in 1952. Louis continued his life long career as
a salesman.
Louis enjoyed taking his
kids fishing, singing them songs, telling stories and making them pancakes
after church. He also enjoyed coin
collecting, guns, playing card games such as cribbage, Oklahoma and 500, going
for walks around town and just spending time with his family and friends.
On Tuesday, February 10,
2009 Louis died at the Prairie Home Hospice in Marshall, MN at the age of 88.
Louis is survived by his
wife, Arlene Frechette of Tracy, MN; four daughters, Colene (Lennard) Nydell of
Tracy, MN, Dianne (Bill) Grunz of Kasota, MN, Nancy Greenfield of Mankato, MN
and Jill (Mark) Fischer of New Ulm, MN; two sons, Tim Frechette of New Ulm, MN
and Guy (Teresa) Frechette of St. Paul, MN; twenty-seven grandchildren,
thirty-eight great-grandchildren, and five great-great grandchildren; nieces,
nephews, cousins and friends.
His parents, one infant
son David, three sisters, Lucille, Irene and Jeanette and one brother, Andre
preceded him in death.
Interment was in the New
Ulm Catholic Cemetery. The Almlie
Funeral Home of Tracy handled the arrangements.
Eleanor M. Gullickson age 96 of
Tracy, MN died Friday, February 13, 2009 at the Sanford Tracy Medical
Center. Services will be 11:00
a.m. Thursday, February 19, 2009 at Tracy Lutheran Church. Visitation will be from 4:00 until 7:00
p.m. Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at the Almlie Funeral Home in Tracy. Interment will be at the Tracy City
Cemetery. The Almlie Funeral Home
of Tracy is handling the arrangements.
Online condolences may be placed at
www.almliefh.com
Eleanor Maybell Gullickson was born
January 20, 1913 to Lorain and Alice (Julien) Mason on the family farm near
Currie, MN, Murray County. She was
baptized on May 4, 1913 and Confirmed June 19, 1927 in the Christian faith. Eleanor attended school in Currie
before finishing High School in Mankato, MN. She then attended one year of Teacher’s College in Mankato.
On June 30, 1946 Eleanor married
Arthur L. Gullickson in Pipestone, MN. They made their home on a farm near Tracy, MN. Over the years she worked in various cafés, such as,
Stokey’, Zeke’s Café, Neon Inn, Pizza Palace, Shirley’s Café and the Med Club.
She was a member of Tracy Lutheran
Church, and enjoyed playing cards, embroidery and crocheting. Eleanor also loved getting together for
coffee with her friends at “The Little Store” in Tracy.
In the fall of 2006 she became a
resident of Country View Assisted Living in Walnut Grove, MN. On Friday, February 13, 2009 Eleanor
died at the Sanford-Tracy Medical Center at the age of 96.
Eleanor is survived by her one
daughter, Linda (Darrell) Williams of Balaton, MN; two granddaughters, Dawn
Hutson of Waldorf, MD and Laura Gullickson of New Prague, MN; one great
granddaughter, Kayla Robben of Waldorf, MD; nieces, nephews and a host of
friends.
Her husband, Arthur, parents, one
son, James, two sisters, Luella and Opal and one brother, Loren preceded her in
death.
Mark W. Jemming age 44 of Des
Moines, IA, formerly of Milroy, MN died unexpectedly at his home on Sunday,
February 8, 2009. A visitation and
prayer service was held on Monday, February 16, 2009 at the Almlie Funeral Home
in Tracy, MN. No other services
will be held.
Mark William Jemming was born
February 16, 1964 to William and Thresa (Bergman) Jemmings in Marshall, MN,
Lyon County. He was baptized and
confirmed at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Milroy. He attended Milroy Public Schools graduating in 1982.
Over the years, Mark worked for Gary
Stolp Construction, St. Aubin Drywall and Fagen. He lived in Milroy until 1998 when he moved to Des Moines,
IA to work for American Siding and Window Systems. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, meeting
new people and having a good time.
On Sunday, February 8, 2009 Mark
died unexpectedly at his home in Des Moines, IA at the age of 44.
Mark is survived by his father,
William Jemming of Olivia, MN; one daughter, Destiny Jemming of Hendricks, MN;
three sisters, Lisa Jemming of Reno, NV, Pat (Bruce) Pape of Milroy, MN and
Trudy Nephew of Milroy, MN; nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
His mother, Thresa Jemming and
maternal and paternal grandparents preceded him in death.
The Almlie Funeral Home of Tracy
handled the arrangements.
Online condolences may be placed at
www.almliefh.com
Funeral services for Roland R.
Schmidt, 86, of Tracy were held on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 at Tracy Lutheran
Church.
Roland Raymond Schmidt was born
August 15, 1922 to Emil and Bertha (Stahn) Schmidt on the family farm south
east of Tracy, MN in Springdale Township, Redwood County. He was baptized and confirmed in the
German Lutheran Church in Tracy and attended Country School District #98. He then attended Tracy Public
Schools.
Roland was married to Esther Else
until her death in 1954. On
December 12, 1962 Roland then married Marcella Truwe and they made their home
on the Schmidt family farm, which became a Century Farm in 1984.
Roland was a farmer his whole life
and enjoyed working the land. He
retired from farming in 1984 but continued to work beside his son, Larry
wherever he could, until the time of his death. It is said that one never really retires from farming, once
it’s in your blood; it never leaves and is a part of every breath you
take. That described Roland’s
life, but his greatest pride and joy was his family and spending time with his
grandchildren.
Between the planting and harvest,
Roland could be found mowing lawn, puttering around his farm making
improvements and in his gardens. He spent many hours there and the fruits of his labor were plentiful, as
he shared many vegetables with his family and friends. His flower gardens were also
beautiful. He also had horses on
the farm and loved working with them. From his younger years farming with a team of horses, he continued to
raise them throughout his life. He
had a good sense of humor and liked to tease. His children will always remember him teaching them to
respect animals, nature and the land. Roland busied himself in the winter with his famous Vegetable Beef Soups
and Bean Soups, which he loved to share with others. He enjoyed reading horse magazines, watching western shows
and was never at a loss when asked to fix something. He was a member of the Tracy Lutheran Church, the Pony of
America and the Appaloosa Horse Association.
On Friday, February 13, 2009 Roland
died after a courageous battle with cancer on the farm where he spent his whole
life, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 86.
Roland is survived by his wife,
Marcella of Tracy, MN; two sons, Allen (Mary) Schmidt and Larry Schmidt, both
of Tracy, MN; three daughters, Rolana Schmidt of Tyler, MN, Theresa (Dave)
Thomson of Ortonville, MN and Lynda Schmidt of Marshall, MN; nine
grandchildren, Joshua Schmidt, Leah Schmidt, Caleb Schmidt, Bobbi Jo Alberda,
Donald Thoma, Lindsey Thomson, David Thomson, Paige Thomson, and Jared Schmidt;
six great grandchildren, Julia, Jenna, Jada, Ariel, Bailey and Jayde; one great
great granddaughter, Jane; two brothers, Myron (Marion) Schmidt of Slayton and
Elgin Schmidt of Lakefield; one sister, Bernice Edwards of Tracy; many nieces,
nephews and friends.
His parents, Emil and Bertha, first
wife, Esther, one grandson, Philip, one sister, Aileen, and mother-in-law,
Bernardine preceded him in death.
Burial was at the Tracy City
Cemetery. The Almlie Funeral Home of Tracy handled the arrangements. Online
condolences may be placed at www.almliefh.com
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