Obituaries

Lester "Grumpy" Arthur Rono, Sr. Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:14am

LESTER "GRUMPY" ARTHUR RONO, SR., 80, of Crosby, died on June 6, 2024 at his home.  He was born on Aug. 29, 1943 in Perry Lake Township to Oscar and Hilda (Randall) Rono, Sr. He was a former employee of Scorpion, Land O’Lakes Turkey Processing Plant and MacMillian Bloedel.  He was also an area beef farmer. He enjoyed watching football. Preceding him in death are his parents; one son, Lester Rono, Jr.; six brothers, Oscar, Jr. “Babe”, David, Larry, Roger, Albert and Tony Rono; three sisters, Alice Simmonds, Caroline Warren and Nancy Perez.

Clement Victor Gagnon Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:12am

CLEMENT "CLEM" VICTOR GAGNON, 93 years young.  Born July 7, 1930 to Joseph and Isabelle (Schelling) Gagnon in Niles Center, IL.  Clem went to meet his Lord and Savior on May 21, 2024. Clem was known for his quick wit, his kind and sweet soul, a man that could fix anything and most importantly his love for Jesus.  He owned and operated Clem’s Renovating Service for many years and was a janitor for the Crosby-Ironton School District. Clem was most proud of his incredible achievement of being a 54 year member of AA.

Karen Jean Churchill Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:11am

KAREN JEAN CHURCHILL, age 71 of Brainerd passed away on June 3, 2024 at Carefree Living in Brainerd.  She was born on Oct. 22, 1952 in Crosby to Myron and Lois (Brager) Price. She was a former Para Professional for the Crosby-Ironton School District and was a former employee of Ruttger’s Bay Lake Resort in Deerwood serving at Auntie M’s Coffee House.

Celebration of Life for Duane C. Lindstrom

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:10am

DUANE C. LINDSTROM, 85, of Emily, passed away peacefully on June 2, 2024 at his home. A Celebration of Life is being planned for July.  Full obit will follow.   Arrangements are with the Koop Funeral Home in Crosby.

Patricia Lou Goodman Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:09am

PATRICIA LOU GOODMAN, 63, died Saturday, June 8, 2024, at her home in Duluth. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. at Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth, on Friday, June 14 with a visitation beginning at 10 a.m.

Durwin Albert Matuska Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:09am

DURWIN ALBERT MATUSKA, 70, of Crosby, died on May 18, 2024 at his home.  He was born on Feb. 1, 1954 in Minneapolis to Edward and Iona (Ahlbrecht) Matuska.  He was a retired employee of Ford Motor Company with 25 years of service.  He enjoyed gardening, bee keeping, a good poker game, hunting and fishing. Preceding him in death are his parents; one brother, David Matuska and one sister, Danielle Benson.

Celebration of Life for Hazel Mae Fletcher

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:08am

A Celebration of Life will be held in honor of Hazel Mae Fletcher on Saturday, June 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. at her home located at 38053 Raccoon Trail in Emily. Refreshments and finger food will be served. Please bring your own outdoor chair. Family and friends, please join the celebration.

Celebration of Life for Jean Bjerkness

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 10:07am

A celebration of life will be held for Jean Bjerkness at Heartwood Senior Living Community, 500 Heartwood Drive, Crosby, on Saturday, June 22 at 11 a.m. She was born Aug. 21, 1938 and died Jan. 16, 2024.

Keith E. Drake Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/18/2024 - 1:45pm

KEITH E. DRAKE, 85, of Deerwood, died in Benson on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.   He was born to Edward Ray Drake and Ivy Frances (Hyatt) Drake, at their home, on July 15, 1938. He is the sixth of eight children. Most of his growing up years were spent in the Brainerd Lakes area. He graduated in 1956 from Brainerd High School. In 1959, he married Diana Kay Holp and together raised four children. Through their 60 years of marriage they traveled, worshipped the Lord and drank many cups of coffee.

Kendahl "Ken" Duane Sweet Obit

Published by admin on Tue, 06/18/2024 - 1:44pm

KENDAHL (KEN) DUANE SWEET, 60, of Brainerd passed away on May 28, 2024 as a result of an automobile accident in Baxter. He was born in Brainerd on Sept. 14, 1963. Ken dedicated his life to helping others. Ken was a foster parent for kids in need for 20+ years before founding Pinehaven Youth & Family Services in 2007 where he remained the Executive Director until his passing. Ken changed more lives than you can count and always put others before himself. His utter selflessness, caring and compassion and witty, sarcastic sense of humor will be missed by all that knew him.