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Edith A. Ferguson
Edith A. Ferguson, 75, died Aug. 26, 2004, at Elmwood Care Center, Elmwood Park, Ill.
She was born in LaCrosse, Wis., Dec. 15, 1928, to Arthur and Ella Brown Ferguson. She moved to Chicago in her teenage years. She graduated from Woller High School in 1946.
Edith Ferguson was employed at Marshall Fields as a sales consultant for several years. The later years she worked as a receptionist and desk clerk at motels up until the time of her death.
Her parents preceded her in death.
She is survived by cousins and a very good friend, Loretta Connelly.
A graveside service will be held Wed., Sept. 22, at 1:30 p.m. at North Prairie Lutheran Church, rural Lanesboro.
Grace I. Olson
Grace I. Olson, 95, of LaCrosse, Wis. and formerly of Houston, Minn. died Friday (Aug. 27, 2004) at the Bethany Riverside Nursing Home in LaCrosse.
She was born on April 7, 1909, to Leonard and Julia (Halvorson) Larsen in Minneapolis. She was raised in Houston.
She married Lloyd O. Carlson in Houston, Minn. he preceded in her in death in 1959. She married Harold M. Olson in 1957. He died in 1989.
Mrs. Olson worked at the Houston IGA, Belle’s Café and Solberg’s Café in Houston. Her interests included quilting, raising raspberries and the Houston Garden Club.
She is survived by a daughter, Julie (Ben) Iverson of Robbinsdale, Minn.; two sons: Karl (Imogene) Carlson of San Jose, Calif. and LeRoy (Norreen) Carlson of LaCrosse, Wis.; ten grandchildren and many great - grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents and two sons, Arvin and Howard Carlson.
Funeral services were Aug. 30 at the Bethany Evangelical Free Church in Houston, the Rev. T. Wayne Larson officiated. Burial was in the St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Rushford.
Captola (Cappie) Golden
Captola (Cappie) Bjorge Golden, 89, of Eau Claire, Wis. died Aug. 20, 2004, at the Fall Creek Valley Care Center.
She was born on June 29, 1915, in Harmony to Martin and Margaret Harstad Bjorge.
She graduated from Mabel High School and attended Winona State College. She taught in a rural school near Rushford and later taught fifth grade at Sacred Heart Parochial School for many years.
She married Francis (Curley) Golden on Aug. 23,1945. They lived all their married life in Eau Claire.
Mrs. Golden loved to sew and knit. She was an avid golfer and bridge player. She and her husband enjoyed several winters in Phoenix, Ariz. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Eau Claire.
She is survived by her sister, Delone Woxland of Rushford; and one sister-in-law, Loretta Casey of White Bear Lake, Minn.; many nieces and nephews and a special godchild, Michelle Smith Jarvis.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 1987.
Funeral services were held Aug. 23 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Internment was at the Calvery Cemetery, Eau Claire, Wis.
Lynn Colbenson
Lynn “Colby” Colbenson of Owatonna, died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm on Sat., (Aug. 28, 2004).
She was born Oct. 18, 1949, in Rushford and was preceded in death by her father “Cubby.”
She is survived by a daughter, Sarah; a son, Benjamin; two granddaughters; friend, Charles “Charlie” Hawkins; siblings, Paula, Ronald “Mike,” Roxi, Joan, Mark and many other nieces and nephews, relatives and friends.
A memorial gathering of family and friends was held Sept. 1 at First Memorial Waterston Chapel in Minneapolis.
Franklin M. Fitch Sr.
Franklin M. Fitch Sr., 80, of Pickwick Valley, died Aug. 22, 2004, at St. Anne Extended Healthcare.
Franklin Marshall Fitch was born May 23, 1924, at LaMoille, to Frank and Edith Cox Fitch. He attended LaMoille and Pickwick schools.
He lived and farmed his entire life in the Pickwick area. He married Opal McNally on Feb. 16, 1952, at Grace Presbyterian Church, Winona.
Mr. Fitch was a member and trustee of the Ridgeway-Witoka United Methodist Church. He is a member of Pickwick Masonic Lodge 110 AF&AM, where he served as Past Master; Pickwick Chapter 191 Order of Eastern Star, where he was past Patron.
He served on the ASCS Board for 34 years. He was a member of the Old Settlers Association, the Hiawatha Audubon Society and a member of the Pickwick Mill Inc. He served and helped start the Pickwick Fire Department and served on the Upper Valley and later Pickwick School boards. He served on the Homer Town Board and was sexton of Pickwick Cemetery.
Mr. Fitch enjoyed playing county softball and watching baseball. He also enjoyed going to horse pulls and being with his family and friends.
He is survived by his wife, Opal and family, Trudy Dennis Fitch and friend Arnie Veglund of Mabel, Franklin (Cindy) Fitch Jr. of Pickwick, Dorothy (Jonathan) Pettit of Rushford, and Perry (Tammy) Fitch of Pickwick; brother, Chauncey Fitch of Winona; brother-in-law, Walter Davis of Pickwick; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Edith Davis.
Funeral services will be today, 11 a.m. at Ridgeway-Witoka United Methodist Church, with Pastor Fauntie Wilcoxon officiating. Burial will be in Pickwick Cemetery. Visitation will be after 10 a.m. at the church.
Casketbearers will be Franklin III and Marshal Fitch, Wilbur and Joe Davis, Gene Klinger, and J.J. and Josef Pettit.
Bernadette A. Olson
Bernadette A. (Harcey) Olson, 96, of Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Rushford and formerly of Lewiston and rural Utica died Sunday (Aug. 22, 2004) at the Good Shepherd Home.
She was born April 18, 1908, and was adopted by Edwin and Jessie (Schakel) Harcey of Minneapolis. As a child her mother died, she later moved to Utica to live with her Uncle and Aunt Frank and Lela Harcey. She graduated from St. Charles High School in 1925 and from the Teacher Training Program at the Minneapolis Vocational School in 1926.
She taught in several Winona County rural schools, including; Braithwait School, Worth School, Grover School and later Saratoga Town Hall School.
She and Reuben Olson were married December 1, 1928 in Lanesboro and had been married for 56 years. They farmed in the Clyde area of rural Utica for many years. Mr. Olson died May 6, 1985. Mrs. Olson later moved to Lewiston, and in 2003 she entered the Good Shepherd Home at Rushford.
Mrs. Olson was a member of North Prairie Lutheran Church and its W.E.L.C.A. group. She also belonged to Clyde Royal Neighbors and Homemakers. She was known for being a collector.
Survivors include two sons, Ted (Wanda) Olson of Lewiston and David Olson of Bell Buckle, Tenn.; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and six great-great grandchildren. In addition to her husband Reuben she was preceded in death by a great-grandson.
Funeral Services will be 1:30 p.m. today (Aug. 26) at North Prairie Lutheran Church in rural Lanesboro with the Rev. Ronald Warnes officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call one hour before services today at the church.
Clarence W. Bjorlo
Clarence W. Bjorlo, 89, of Houston and formerly of Spring Grove, died Saturday (Aug. 21, 2004) at Valley View Nursing Home, Houston.
He was born Dec. 10, 1914, in McKenzie County, N.D., to Andrew and Dina (Strand) Bjorlo. He was baptized and confirmed in Rossland Lutheran Church, south of Williston, N.D.
He attended Williston High School.
In 1934 Mr. Bjorlo left drought-stricken North Dakota to join his parents and family who had earlier moved to Seattle, Wash.
In 1938, he met Rosalie Onstad. They were married in Seattle on July 20, 1940.
He, his wife and family moved to Spring Grove in 1943, where they farmed.
In 1945 they moved into town where Mr. Bjorlo worked for Myhre Hardware.
He purchased the Culligan business and later a furniture and floor covering store, retiring in 1980.
Mr. Bjorlo served two terms as mayor of Spring Grove. He also served on the Spring Grove school board.
In 1997, he and Rosalie moved to Heritage Court in Houston.
He is survived by his wife, Rosalie; five children, Gerald (JoAnne) of Melrose, Minn., Joel (Marilyn) of Winona, Andrea (Rolland) Ledebuhr of Minnesota City, Richard (Louann) of Rushford, and Rondi Adams of Willmar; 13 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; a sister, Margaret Auld of Seattle, Wash.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers.
Funeral services were Aug. 25 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Spring Grove, the Revs. Stephanie Frey and Zane Anderson officiated. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Donald R. Runger
Donald R. Runger, 67 of Scottsdale, Ariz., died August 5, 2004 in Phoenix. Born Aug. 15, 1936 in Winona he grew up in Rushford where he attended Rushford High School. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and later became a member of their Board of Trustees, serving a tenure as Chairman. He also served on the board of Progress Industries in Newton, Iowa.
Mr. Runger began his banking career with the First National Bank in Dubuque, joined Hawkeye Bancorporation in 1970 and served as President of the Jasper County Savings Bank in Newton. He transferred to Des Moines in 1983 where he served as bank president and ultimately corporate officer, retiring as Vice-Chairman in 1995. In retirement he split his time between a home in Arizona and many visits to family and friends around the country. He was an active member of Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church and the Troon Country Club.
Mr. Runger is survived by his wife, Carol, son John (Mary) Runger of Chicago, daughters Sheila (Mike) Neleman of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Teresa (Randy) Johnson of Kingsport, Tenn.; Jolene (Neal) Hopper of Atlanta, Georgia; Jennifer (Pete) Eastman of Des Moines, Iowa; a sister Sharon (Jim) Low of Wausau, Wis; a brother Roger of Rushford and seventeen grandchildren.
Funeral Mass was Aug. 9 at Our Lady of Joy Catholic Church, Carefree, Ariz.
A Midwest memorial service, with the Runger family in attendance was held Aug. 11 at Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa.
Adam John Christensen
Adam John “Tubbs” Christensen, 19, much loved son of Tony and Becky Christensen of rural Rushford, was tragically killed in a truck/deer accident in the early morning hours on his way home on Tuesday (July 20, 2004).
Adam was born on July 19, 1985 at St. Francis Medical Center in LaCrosse, Wis. to Tony and Becky (Burfield) Christensen. His early years were spent growing up in LaCrescent, Minn. In 1995, he moved with his parents to Rushford where he thrived in his life living in the country. Adam loved animals and especially his cat “Samuel” and dog “Tasha.” A 2004 graduate of Rushford High School, Adam was enrolled at Winona State University and intended to major in business. Adam was employed at Rushford Foods and at Johnson’s Rolling Acres. Adam enjoyed picking on his brother Lucas, being with his friends, sports, the outdoors, his pickup truck and living life to its utmost.
He is survived by his parents, Tony and Becky; one brother, Lucas, paternal great-grandmother, paternal grandparents, maternal grandmother, thirty aunts and uncles, fifty cousins, and seven second cousins.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather and a cousin.
Funeral services were July 23 at the Rushford-Peterson High School Gymnasium in Rushford, the Rev. David Watson officiated. Adam’s body will be cremated with the scattering of his cremated body at a later date.
