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Simpson, Fern Emma
Fern Emma Simpson, age 92, of Winona died on Thursday, April 17, at Lake Winona Manor.
She is formerly of 476 Kerry Drive, The Kensington and Lamberton Residence before moving to Lake Winona Manor.
Fern was born on September
21, 1910, in Elm Creek, Minn., to Carl Henry and Pauline (Schwab) Drager. On February 8, 1931, she married Edward C. Simpson at Sherburn and he preceded her in death on February 25, 1983.
Fern was a loving wife and mother. She is a member of Central United Methodist Church and its morning circle; member and past president of V.F.W. Post #388 Auxiliary, Lanesboro, Minn.; a past member of the Lanesboro Tuesday Club; and past president of the United Methodist Women, Lanesboro, Minn.
She is survived by two sons, Eugene (Marilyn) Simpson, Paynesville, Minn., and Dennis (Shirley) Simpson, Brooklyn Center; one daughter, Vicki (Dennis) Decker, Winona; a daughter-in-law, Muriel Simpson, Eagan, Minn; 10 grandchildren, one stepgrandchild; eight great- grandchildren; one stepgreat- grandchild and other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Edward, son, Clark Simpson, daughter-in-law, Dorothy Simpson; a great- granddaughter; three brothers and three sisters.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 22, 2003, at 11:00 a.m. at Central United Methodist Church, Winona, with Rev. Mary Hurmence, officiating. Interment will be at Lanesboro Cemetery, Lanesboro, Minn.
Visitation will be on Monday, April 21, from 6-8 p.m. at Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home, Winona, and at the church one hour prior to the service.
Casket bearers are Thomas Reeck, David Forsythe, Dale Scherbring and Paul Jandt.
Honorary Casket bearers will be her nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Central United Methodist Church or the Donor's Choice.
Arrangements are being completed by the Fawcett-Junker Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Winona.
Kolter, Frank Ralph
Frank Ralph Kolter, 90, Winona, died Friday, June 13, 2003, at Lake Winona Manor.
Frank was born June 2, 1913, at 871 East Sanborn St., Winona, to Jacob and Rose (Neigbor) Kolter. On June 28, 1939, Frank married Vivian Keller. She died March 19, 1993.
Frank started working as a caddie in the early 1920s at the Winona Country Club. He later became a salesman/delivery man for the Federal Bakery Co. He also worked for Mr. Busdicker and Hal and Ev Edstrom doing maintenance work and was general handyman. When he got married, he went to work in the plant for Watkins Co. During the World War II years (1942-1945) he went to work for FWD (Four Wheel Drive Co.) in Clintonville, Wis., as a tool and die machinist and was also a supervisor. They built military vehicles during the war. During this time, his dog "Mike, " served in the military. Frank and Vivian were very proud of this and in 1945, Mike was honorably discharged back to Frank.
After the war, Frank returned to Winona and Watkins and also started his Kolter bicycle business part-time out of his basement. Frank finally gambled and went full-time with the bicycle business in 1950, at the present site of Kolter Bicycle at 400 Mankato Avenue. Frank sold the business in May, 1981, to Greg and Barb Theis.
Frank was a sports enthusiast during his lifetime. He enjoyed ice skating early in his life and was one of the original group that started what is now known as the Winter Carnival. He and others put on ice shows, dancing and figure skating. In the summer, he roller skated. Frank was also an avid golfer, having started golfing in the 1920s and continued until 2002.
He was a local club champion, league champion out of Westfield, also city champion. In 1931, and 1934, he was Minnesota caddie runner-up in state championships. Naturally, he enjoyed a lifetime of bicycling. You could always catch him riding the bike paths around the lake and down by the river. He was a mainstay of the Steamboat Days and Goodview Days parades. He enjoyed being in the Steamboat Days parade yearly for almost fifty years, riding his hop-a-long or the high wheeler and the unicycle. In 1981, he was Steamboat Days Grand Marshall.
Frank was affectionately called Mr. Bicycle, Spokes and Curly.
Frank was currently a member of Westfield Golf Club, Red Mens Club, Elks Club, Winona Athletic Club (lifetime member), Polish Heritage, and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.
Frank was a gentle, loving and generous man to all whose life he touched, especially to all his nieces, nephews and cousins. He will be sadly missed.
Frank is survived by a brother, James (Mary), of Henderson, Minn.; sisters, Grace Duffy, of Ohio, and Evelyn Hewitt, of Florida; sisters-in-law, Gert Kolter, of LaCrosse, Wis., Lila Douglas, of Winona, Janice (Bill) Tiffany, of Pepin, Ruth Keller, of Tennessee, Fern Skellinger, of Washington, and Adelheid Keller, of Fountain City, Wis.; a brother-in-law, Vilas Keller, of Winona; and special cousin, Esther Tillman, of Red Wing, Minn., and their families. Also surviving are many, many nephews, nieces and cousins. The Winona nieces and nephews are, Robert (Beverly) Douglas, Jackie (LeRoy) Anderson, Pat (Richard) Olson, Judy (David) Trocinski, and their families.
Frank was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Vivian; brothers, Danny and Harry (Gert); sisters, Sarah and her husband, Harry Cada, and Florence and her husband, Ralph Gamroth; and his loved dog, "Mike."
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Tuesday, June 17, at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, with Rev. Daniel R. Dernek officiating. Interment was in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Pallbearers were nephews Robert Douglas, Richard Olson, Dave Trocinski, Dave Kolter, LeRoy Anderson, and Ron Cada.
Honorary pallbearers were some of his golfing foursomes, Jerry Wehrenberg, Rusty Podjaski, Stan Knopick, Emil Nascak, longtime league partner and neighbor Tom (Skunny) Kukowski, and Greg and Tim Theis.
A memorial is being arranged.
He has taken Vivian's hand. They are together.
A Watkowski-Pronschinske Funeral Service.
Thiele, Bonnie Jean
Bonnie Jean Thiele, 52, of 5 Ontario Lane, died Sunday, June 15, 2003, at St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, Minn.
Bonnie Jean was born August 30, 1950, at Covington, Ky., to Willy and Jewel Robinson Race. She moved to Winona in 1981. She received her GED in 1993, and graduated from Winona Area Technical College in 1994. She was employed for the past seven years by Watlow Controls.
She married Ralph Thacker in 1965. They were later divorced. She married Robert Boals Sr. on December 31, 1976. They were later divorced. She married Steven J. Thiele on June 10, 1995, in Homer, Minn. They honeymooned at Graceland.
Bonnie Jean collected Elvis memorabilia, crystals, and she loved to clean.
She is survived by her husband, Steven; a son, Bobby (Trisha) Boals Jr., of Winona; three daughters, Marie (Frank) Brumley, of Somerset, Ky., Theresa Thacker, of Union, Ky., and Cindy (Jason Kerfoot) Williams, of Walton, Ky.; fifteen grandchildren; one great-grandson; her father and mother-in-law, Wally and Leona Thiele, of Winona; a brother, Billy Race, of Elsmere, Ky.; three step-daughters, Teri Thiele, of Ames, Iowa, Darci (Brian) Prodzinski, of Homer, Minn., and Sherry (Stanley) Fultz, of Walton, Ky.; and a step-son, Brian Boals, of Covington, Ky.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a son, Ralph Thacker Jr.
Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Friday, June 20, at Martin-Myhre Funeral Chapel, with Rev. Hugh Drennan of Grace Presbyterian Church officiating. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Martin-Myhre Funeral Home on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. and on Friday after 2 p.m.
"Bonnie's southern drawl captivated everyone and she loved y'all."
Martin-Myhre Funeral Home.
Patterson, Ruth E. (Luedtke)
Ruth left the arms of her daughter Debbie and her family, to walk with the Lord. She passed away on March 25, 2003, after a 2-1/2 year battle with cancer.
She was born to Martin and Etta (Warnken) Luedtke, on the family farm in Hart, Minn. She worked hard on the farm and at other jobs in Winona, like Miller Foundry, Grant's, and Ted Maier Drugs. She always tried to make a nice home for everybody on the farm.
She moved to Winona to live with her daughter in 1976, and that's where she called home until she got cancer. She always had an open door and a smile on her face. There she met her lifelong friend Sandy Newhouse and her family through the years, her husband Ken and their children Keta and Erica. They were there for us day or night.
Ruth cherished the ground her grandchildren Kristofor and Kelsey walked on. She enjoyed the daily phone calls from her brother Martin in Milwaukee, Wis., and the visit from her sister Gladys and her nieces Nancy and Maryln from Massachusetts, also her niece Margie from California and Sheryl and Kathy for their visits.
Ruth is survived by her daughter Debbie (Patterson) Ken Konkel; grandchildren, Kristofor and Kelsey Konkel; brothers, Orville, of Rushford, Minn., and Martin of Sussex, Wis.; and sisters, Gladys, of Massachusetts, Edna, of St. Paul, Minn., Loretta, of Winona, and Marion, of Rushford.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Robert and her very special sister, Violet.
A memorial service will be held at Central Lutheran Church in Winona on Sunday, June 22, with Rev. Michelle Rem officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to her daughter Debbie Konkel, N13242W Prairie Road, Trempealeau, WI 54661.
Retzlaff Clifford Loyd
Clifford Loyd Retzlaff, 94, of Seattle, Wash., and formerly of the Galesville-Trempealeau, Wis., area, passed away in Seattle on Friday, May 30, 2003, following a massive heart attack.
Cliff was born March 5, 1909, in South Beaver Creek, Jackson County, Wis., to Gustave and Edith (Stark) Retzlaff. He received his elementary education at the rural Lee School in Jackson County.
In 1941, he joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Army Signal Corps serving General George Patton in the Africa and Sicily campaigns. Following a leg injury, Sgt. Retzlaff was hospitalized at Mayo General Hospital in Galesburg, Ill. for several months.
On July 19, 1944, he married Lynda Rose Duff at St. Thomas Pro-Cathedral in Winona. They moved to LaCrosse, Wis. after his Army discharge. He was a farm laborer and worked as a band instrument repair man for Terry's Music Store and Danny Lebakken's, both in LaCrosse, until his retirement. They moved to Seattle in 1983.
Cliff is survived by his son, Gerald (Jerry) Retzlaff and wife, Barbara (Mason); two grandsons, Daniel and Mark Retzlaff, all of Seattle; a sister-in-law, Evelyn Grover, of Galesville; a brother-in-law, Bob Weld, of Shell Lake, Wis.; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Preceding him in death were his wife, Lynda; his parents, Gustave and Edith Retzlaff; a sister, Adeline; and a brother-in-law, Alvin Swenson.
Cliff was an active participant in reunions of the 142nd Armored Signal Corps, was a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, as well as a member of the American Legion and the Elks Club.
A private committal service was held June 3, at Holyrood Mausoleum in Seattle. There will be a Memorial Mass at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Seattle on June 26.
Kotnour, Thomas J.
Thomas J. Kotnour, 83, of Faribault, Minn., died Friday, June 13, 2003, at the Pleasant Manor Nursing Home in Faribault.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, June 17, at Divine Mercy Catholic Church at Immaculate Conception in Faribault. Interment will be in Holy Trinity Cemetery in Rollingstone, Minn. on Wednesday, June 18, at 12 noon.
Thomas John Kotnour, the son of Frank and Mary (Soukup) Kotnour, was born December 23, 1919, in Winona. He graduated from Winona High School and St. Paul Vocational School. He served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II and was united in marriage to Maxine Herber on May 11, 1944, in Rollingstone.
Tom worked with sheet metal construction in St. Paul, Rochester, and Winona. The couple had lived in St. Paul and St. Charles, before moving to Faribault in 1959. He worked for a number of years with sheet metal and heating maintenance at the Faribault State Schools, retiring in 1982.
He was a member of the Faribault Council 889, Knights of Columbus, the American Legion Post 43, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1562.
He is survived by his wife, Maxine Kotnour, of Faribault; two sons, Tom (Judy) Kotnour, of Faribault, and Paul (Pat) Kotnour, of Cottage Grove; a daughter, Mary Kotnour of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and by other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant son, Karl in 1950, a sister, Helen Valentine, and a brother, Frank Kotnour.
Parker Kohl Funeral Home.
Hessig, Kermit A.
Kermit A. "Kermie" Hessig, 91, of Brackettville, Texas, and formerly of Elba died May 23, 2003, at Velverde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio, Texas.
Kermie was born October 15, 1911 in Beaver to Victor and Emilia (Apple) Hessig During WWI he served in the Marines and fought in the Pacific Theatre. Kermie married Pearl Erpelding; she died in February of 1973. He later married Maria Fuchs Montgomery.
Kermie was a bar owner. For 40 plus years he owned and operated 'Kermies Bar' in Elba, retiring in 1978 and moving to Texas in 1989. He enjoyed traveling and yard work. He loved to care for his fruit trees and roses.
He was a member of St. Charles Moose Lodge, and the St. Charles Veterans of Foreign War and American Legion Posts.
Survivors include his wife Maria, seven step-children, Walter Montgomery of Burleson, Tex., Brigitte Roschen of Rochester, Debra Books of Mazeppa, Larry Montgomery of Leesburg, Fla., Rose Loftus of St. Charles, Garrett Montgomery of Merrit Island, Fla., and Brian Montgomery of Elba; 18 step-grandchildren, 8 step-great-grandchildren and a sister-in-law, Delores Erpelding of Winona. A sister, Hazel Becker, two sisters-in-law, Vonda Koehler and Daisy Becker, and a brother-in-law, Floyd Erpelding have preceded him in death.
There will be a Memorial Mass 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Elba with the Rev. James Callahan officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Friends may call from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Hoff Funeral Home St. Charles Chapel. They may also call one hour before services at the church.
Military graveside honors will be provided by the St. Charles American Legion and VFW Posts.
Ozmun, Harriet M.
Harriet M. Ozmun, 87, of Winona, died Monday, June 16, 2003, at Winona Community Memorial Hospital.
She was born April 20, 1916, in Montgomery, Minn., to August and Elizabeth (Dircks) Turek. Harriet and Lloyd J. Ozmun were married September 14, 1937, in New Market, Minn. He died June 19, 1969.
She was a member of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Parish, past member of the Winona Country Club, life member of the Elks Club, and a member of Westfield Golf Club. Harriet was a co-owner with her husband, of Ozmun Trucking.
Survivors include a son, Richard (LaVonne), of Winona; two granddaughters, Marna (William) Ozmun-Bye, of Eden Prairie, Minn., and Wendy (Scott) Wallace, of Tampa, Fla.; a sister, Katherine Klotz, of Savage, Minn.; a special brother-in-law, Robert (Pat)Ozmun, of Winona; and a sister-in-law, Leona Belden, of Winona.
Her parents, husband, a brother and a twin sister preceded Harriet in death.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Thursday, June 19, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Church, with preliminary services at 9:30 a.m. at Watkowski-Pronschinske Funeral Home. Entombment will be in St. Mary's Cemetery. Rev. Eugene Klein will officiate.
Friends may call Wednesday from 5-8 p.m.at Watkowski-Pronschinske Funeral Home with a Christian Wake Service at 7:30 p.m.
Pallbearers will be Robert Ozmun Sr., Robert Ozmun Jr., John Ozmun, Dave Lunde, Francis Lappier and Earl Hanson.
A Watkowski-Pronschinske Funeral Service.
