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Jeanette Peckels
Jeanette C. (Miller) Peckels, age 78, a resident of Minneapolis, MN, died January 22, 1998, after a courageous fight against cancer.
Mass of Christian Burial was held January 26 in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale, MN. Interment was in St. Vincent’s Cemetery, Osseo, MN.
Survivors include children, Eddie and wife Sharon, Kenny and wife Jill, Jan “Tootie” Gephart and husband Gary, Kathy Dubois and husband Mark, Jimmy and special friend Janice Anderson, Mike and special friend Cheryl Zigan, Billy and wife Barb, Chris Goodin and husband Rich, Sue Ahles and husband Don, Barbi Dahlheimer and husband Dick and Jerry “Chico” and wife Trish; 32 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters, Bob Miller and wife Eleanore, Gertrude Sherwood and husband Les, Freddie Miller and wife Eva, Dick Miller and wife Sue and Margaret Miller; sisters-in-law, Mary Miller and Zetta Miller; many nieces and nephews, a good number of whom live in the Little Falls area and special friends, Jewell Keith and Gene Merrill.
She was preceded in death by husband, Arganius; infant grandson, Alex; brothers, Clarence, Edmond, Raymond, Jerome and LeRoy and sister, Marie.
Leona Spilman
Leona May Spilman, age 62, a resident of Motley, MN, died January 25, 1998, at the St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud, MN.
Funeral services were held January 29 at Swan Valley Lutheran Church with Reverend Robert Twiton officiating. Burial followed in the Poplar Cemetery.
Leona was born October 14, 1935, in Carbon, IA, to Arthur and Mary (Dixon) Gebbie. She grew up and attended school in Carbon and Corning, IA. On August 13, 1956, she married Ernest Spilman in Sisseton, SD. Together they lived in California for a few years before returning to farm in central Minnesota. In the mid 60s they moved to Motley where she spent some time working at Morey’s. Leona was a member of the VFW Auxiliary, American Legion and the DAV.
Survivors include her husband, Ernest; two daughters, Susan Carlson of Willow, AK, and Margaret Dille of Mesa, AZ; a son, Ben Spilman of Motley; her mother, Mary Gebbie of Weatherford, TX; two brothers, Art Gebbie, Jr., of Weatherford, TX, and John Gebbie of Lacy, WA; four sisters, Lois Zackmeyer of Weatherford, Linda Sargent of Matthis, TX, Helen Gebbie of Clearwater, MN, and Arlene Bjerga of Las Vegas, NV, and 11 grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her father and a daughter-in-law, Linda.
Helen Sporlein
Helen Sporlein, age 78, a resident of Harding, MN, died January 20, 1998, at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd, MN.
Funeral services were held January 23 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Buckman, MN, with Father Ron Dockendorf officiating. Burial was in the parish cemetery.
Helen was born March 3, 1919, in Platte Township to John and Annie (Swaser) Dombovy. She married Henry Sporlein on June 7, 1938, at St. Michael’s Church in Buckman. They farmed in the Buckman area until 1945 when they moved to Chicago, IL, where Helen was a homemaker for 50 years. She so enjoyed coming back to Minnesota each year to visit all her friends. In 1995, she moved with her two daughters to the Harding area where she resided until 1996 when she moved to St. Mary’s Villa in Pierz, MN. She loved sewing, quilting and baking cookies. Red roses were her favorite flowers.
Survivors include daughters, Sharon Uko and husband Stephen, Marlys Bucholtz and husband Bill of Chicago; son, Robert and wife Nancy of Chicago; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; a sister, Frances Bacon Hoffman of Mount Prospect, IL, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Henry; daughter, Phyllis; two brothers and three sisters.
Casketbearers were grandchildren.
Lori Caye
Lori (O’Hotto) Caye, age 37, a former resident of the Sullivan Lake, MN area, died January 21, 1998, at her home in Eagan, MN.
Mass of Christian Burial was held January 26 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Harding, MN, with Father Roger Thoennes officiating. Burial was in St. Mary’s Polish National Cemetery.
Lori was born June 23, 1960, in Minneapolis, MN, to Eugene and Mary Ellen (Hillman) O’Hotto. She attended Brooklyn Park Elementary School prior to moving to Sullivan Lake, in 1969. She graduated from Pierz High School in 1978 and then moved to Minneapolis where she was employed with the Bureau of Engraving. She was united in marriage with Mike Caye on August 15, 1986. They have a beautiful son, “Mikey.” Lori has been a devoted and loving mother to her son through his health problems and battle with a brain tumor. She loved to read, do crafts with her son, go bargain hunting, loved her horses, Thunder and Lightning. She enjoyed the outdoors and being with her friends and family.
Survivors include her husband, Mike; son, Mikey at home; father, Gene O’Hotto of Crosslake, MN; grandmother, Lucille Hillman of Brainerd, MN; brothers, Rod O’Hotto and wife Deanna of Sullivan Lake and Greg O’Hotto of rural Brainerd and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Ellen O’Hotto on November 27, 1992.
Casketbearers were brothers-in-law, Terry, David and Kevin Caye and cousins John Hillman, Jeff and Brian Mustonen.
Katherine Lochner
Katherine Lochner, age 80, formerly of Buckman, MN, died January 25, 1998, at St. Otto’s Health Care Center in Little Falls, MN.
Mass of Christian Burial was held January 29 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Buckman, with Father Ron Dockendorf and Father Ken Brenny con-celebrating. Burial was in the parish cemetery.
Katherine was born August 16, 1917, on the family farm east of Buckman to Peter and Barbara (Druschba) Denzen. She attended St. Michael’s parochial school, then later she went to work as a housekeeper as many young ladies did at the time. During the war she worked in the defense plants. Then she helped take care of her aging parents until their death eight years apart. She was united in marriage to Wilfred Lochner on May 21, 1960, in Buckman. Following their marriage, she and Wilfred resided in St. Louis Park, MN, where she became a nurse’s aide in several nursing homes. When they retired, they lived in the village of Buckman near the church. In April, 1994, Katherine became a resident of St. Otto’s Care Center due to illness. Up until that time she enjoyed fishing, flowers, gardening and children.
Survivors include her husband, Wilfred; one brother, William Denzen of Little Falls; four sisters, Helen Boltz of Hopkins, MN, Sister Virgil (Marie) of St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, Mrs. Lawrence (Ceil) Otremba of Little Falls and Mrs. Doyle (Emma) Wilson of San Clemente, CA.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Casketbearers were Ron Laska, Larry Otremba, Bill Denzen, Jr., Steve Lochner, Brian Lochner and Mark Kelzenberg. Honorary casketbearers were Florence Mueller, Bertie Solinger, Mary Tholen, Armella Otremba, Anna Hanneken and Lucy Kelzenberg.
Sister Mary Venard (Alice) Niehaus
Sister Mary Venard (Alice) Niehaus, age 85, died January 26, 1998, at St. Francis Convent, Little Falls, MN.
Funeral and burial services were held at St. Francis Convent on January 28.
Sister Mary Venard was born June 6, 1912, near Melrose, MN. She was the fifth of 13 children born to the late Joseph and Agnes (Wessel) Niehaus. Alice graduated from the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, in 1933. She taught history, Latin and physical education at St. Francis High School, Little Falls, until she was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, on August 10, 1934, and given the name, Sister Mary Venard. She made first profession of vows on August 12, 1936, and final vows on August 12, 1939. She celebrated 60 years as a Franciscan Sister in 1994. Sister Venard received a master’s degree in history from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. She taught history, Latin, English, religion and was the librarian at St. Francis High School for 35 years. She also served as the director of candidates to her Franciscan Community. She organized and cataloged St. Francis Convent Library, while also teaching Latin, history, geography and theology at St. Clare College in Little Falls. She was the librarian and director of St. Clare Resource Center. She went to Lexington, Tennessee, in 1984 where she served as a day care aide, as a library assistant in Everett Horn Public Library and a volunteer teacher. Throughout the years, she was an active member of the Minnesota Historical Society. She retired to Franciscan Residence, St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1992.
Survivors include brothers and sisters: Alquin of San Francisco, CA; Anthony, Edward, Albert and Mary Agnes Wiechman, of Melrose, MN, and Hildegard Joyer of Sacramento, CA; numerous nieces and nephews and her Sisters in religious life.
Two of her sisters, Sister Mary Inez and Sister Mary Helen, also Franciscan Sisters, preceded her in death.
Gladys Gray
Gladys Gray, age 92, a resident of Little Falls, MN, died November 2, 1997, at St. Otto’s Care Center in Little Falls.
Funeral services were November 4, at St. Otto’s Chapel with Father Tony Kroll officiating. Burial was at the St. Francis Convent Cemetery.
Gladys was born in Pine County, MN on May 13, 1905, to Guy and Muriel Collette. She was united in marriage with Harold Gray and moved to Little Falls in the early 1970s. Gladys was an early resident of Alverna Apartments in Little Falls. Her favorite pastime was reading. She was a member of the Secular Franciscan Sisters.
Survivors include two brothers, Floyd and wife Ruth of Redwood Falls, MN, Cally and wife Vi of Austin, MN; nieces and nephews; and also survived by the Franciscan Sisters. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Harold; and two sisters.
