Francis “Elaine” Engen, 84

Francis “Elaine” Engen, age 84, formerly of the Slayton and Tracy areas, passed away at the Prairie Home Hospice House in Marshall on Saturday, June 14, 2014. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 21st at St. Stephen Lutheran Church. Visitation will be 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service Friday at the Hamilton Funeral Home. Visitation will continue at the church on Saturday, one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Willow Lake Lutheran Cemetery in Murray County. Condolences may be sent to www.hamiltonfh.com.

(Francis) Elaine was born on July 17, 1929 in Clearwater County near Clearbrook, Minnesota to Fredrick E. and Ragna (Melhus) Howard, the first born of three children.  Elaine was baptized in the Catholic Faith in Clearbrook, Minnesota. She received First Communion and Confirmation in Currie, Minnesota.  Elaine attended parochial school and the Sunrise Country School in the Currie area through eighth grade.

She began working in the Slayton and Tracy areas as a “Girl Friday” for several farm families, housekeeping and caring for their children. 

On September 11, 1949, Elaine was united in marriage to Donald Engen in Slayton. After their marriage, the couple moved to Faribault, where Donald worked on a fishing crew and Elaine prepared meals for the crew.  Then the couple moved back home to Shetek Township to farm with Donald’s parents, Oscar and Jessie Engen.

Elaine and Donald were blessed with 5 children. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend and enjoyed gardening, canning, sewing and helping on the farm. 

Elaine’s greatest love in life was her family and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Her beloved husband Donald, died on January, 28, 1992. 

Elaine was an active member in her church, Willow Lake Lutheran, teaching Sunday School, dedicated to the Ladies Aid and quilting. She was an avid reader, especially American History, (sometimes reading all night).  She was a collector of recipes and loved to cook and bake.  Homemade bread and soup were her specialties, which she would frequently feed her neighbors and friends. Elaine was always willing to help and often cared for aging neighbors.

In April 1993, Elaine married Harold Leversedge and he later passed away October 2011.

Elaine joined Donald in Eternity on Saturday, June 14, 2014, at the Prairie Home Hospice House in Marshall, from Lewy Body Dementia.

She is survived by her five children; David (Eunice) of Sioux Falls, SD, Dale (Paula) of Bemidji, Denis (Brenda) of Westbrook, Julie (Dean) McDaniel of Marshall, Nancy (Joe) Beech of Hendricks; 12 grandchildren; Samantha, Hildegarde, Alanna, Mareva, Sara, Lisa, Jamie, Jessica, Benjamin, Brienna, Tiffany and Rachel; 21 great-grandchildren Garrett, Collin, Alex, Brittany, Devin, Derrick, Taylor, Mara, Thomas, Matthew, Damian, Devin, Chandler, Isabelle, Sydney, Darian, Noah,Gracie, Emma, Alexis and Hunter;  1 great great granddaughter Rylee; siblings, Leota Oslund of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, Roger (Marcella) Howard of Osceola, Wisconsin; one niece, two nephews, and many cousins and friends.

Russell Shoeman, 72

Russell Dean Shoeman of Alaska passed away June 07, 2014

Russell was born May 17, 1942 to Leo and Thelma (Greenman) Shoeman in  Tracy,Mn  Lyon County.

He  is survived by his (wife) Joyce, son Russell Dean Jr.,  Mary Lou Kukas of Brooklyn Center, MN, sisters, Shirley (Gary) Siegrist of Minneapolis, MN, Janice (Lloyd) Nevin of Star Prairie WI and Lois (Don) Reynolds of Charlotte, NC; many nieces and nephews.

His parents, Leo and Thelma, brother Robert preceded him in death.

Interment will take place privately, at the Tracy City Cemetery. The Almlie Funeral Home of Tracy is handling the arrangements.

Amy Staeffler, 97

Amy (Jacobs) Staeffler, age 97, of the Rushmore area, died Sunday, June 15, 2014, at Prairie View Senior Living in Tracy.  She was born on Feb. 14, 1917 in Stockholm, SD, the eighth child of Hannah and Jens Peter Jensen.  Hannah died a week later.  At the age of two weeks, Amy came to live in Albert Lea, MN with her mother’s sister Laura and husband George Holst who later adopted her. 

Raised as a Danish farm daughter, Amy started cultivating corn at the age of 12 with a team of horses, and helped with haying and milking chores.  She explored every nook of the farm, gathering wild flowers, frogs for fishermen friends, and trapping gophers, earning a penny per gopher.  There was hardly a tree she didn’t climb, sometimes to gather apples or catch a roosting chicken, but most often for sheer fun.

Amy was active in 4-H and won awards, including one for bread baking.  Her grandchildren could always count on having “grandma’s buns” when they visited.  Jars of sweet pickles were targeted by grandchildren who explored the basement pantry.  Her homemade pies were simply the best.  

Amy enjoyed school and graduated from 8^th grade at the age of 12.   She was kept at home for a year before starting high school in Albert Lea, boarding in town during the winter months and working for room and board, graduating in 1934.  She was a member of the Honor Society.  Having no money for college, she was resigned to staying at home to look for a job.  Two days before college was to begin she met her high school Latin teacher, who upon learning about the situation, opened doors for a scholarship that would pay for a year’s tuition.  Amy sold her 4-H lamb for $10 and set out for Winona a day after school had begun with $5 for the bus trip and $5 in case she had to come home again in the event she didn’t find work to pay for room and board. 

Upon receiving her diploma from Winona State Teacher’s College and completing five years of teaching, Amy was awarded a Life Time Teaching Certificate.  Her first position was in a two-room school in Myrtle, MN and later in Rushmore, MN where she met and married Walter D. Jacobs on Mar. 17, 1942.  They farmed near Rushmore, Adrian and later Reading before retiring in Rushmore.  They had three children, David, Barbara and Elaine.   

Amy returned to teaching in Rushmore in 1956, retiring in the mid 70s.  Walter passed away June 6, 1985.  Amy married Robert Staeffler on May 14, 1988, moving to Ellsworth, MN, then Worthington and Tracy.  Robert passed away Jan. 22, 2006.    

Amy was an industrious homemaker, outstanding cook and seamstress.  After retiring she sewed a quilt for each child and grandchild.  She was an active member of the Presbyterian Church, first in Rushmore and later in Reading and Ellsworth before becoming a member of Westminster Presbyterian in Worthington.  She was a lifelong student and encouraged her children and grandchildren in that endeavor.  

Amy became a resident of Prairie View Senior Living in Tracy in 2005 and passed away at the age of 97 on June 15, 2014.

Amy is survived by three children, David (Luella) of La Crosse, WI, Barbara (Robert) Purves of Tracy, Elaine (Bill) Feikema of Faribault; stepdaughters, Linda Boyken of Watertown, SD and Marcia (Don) Linssen of Worthington; six grandchildren, Laura (Joe) DePoorter, Nathan (Lynn) Jacobs, Jason (Danielle) Jacobs, Sarah (Craig) Resch, Mark (Irena) Purves, and Patricia (Lance) Hammer; eight great grandchildren:   Alex, Megan Amy and Amber Resch, Jacob and Janell Hammer; Matthew, Evan and David George Jacobs, five step grandchildren and nine step great grandchildren.  

She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands Walter D. Jacobs and Robert Staeffler; granddaughter Janelle Feikema; step son-in-law, Harry Boyken; brother, Howard Holst, sister, Sylvia Johnson and her Jensen siblings.

Funeral will be 2pm Friday at the Dingmann Funeral Home, in Worthington, officiated by Pastor Dave Erickson. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Friday. Burial will be in the Sunset Rest Cemetery in Rushmore.

To view an online obituary, sign a virtual register book or order flowers, please visit www.dingmannandsons.com.