Obituaries

William Clark Freitag, age 69, passed away peacefully on December 7, at 11:40 a.m., at Mother Joseph Nursing Home in Aberdeen, South Dakota, with his beloved wife Nancy holding his hand and his son by his side.

Connie Taylor was born on January 8, 1952, in Tracy, Minnesota to Harold and Doris Benson Lerohl. She grew up in Storden and graduated from Storden High School in 1970. She then attended Jackson Vo-Tec for office administration graduating in 1971. Following graduation Connie moved to Fairmount, MN and worked at Railway Motors until moving to Okabena, MN where she worked at the the Okabena High School. In 1978 Connie moved to Marshall, MN and went to work for Schwans. On June 2, 1984, she and Freeman Taylor were married at Bethany Lutheran Church in Storden. Following their marriage, they made their home in Longmont CO, until 1992 when the moved to Greeley CO. In 1995 they moved to Enid, OK. Connie assisted Freeman with his Schwans route paperwork and billing. In 2008 they retired and moved to Slayton, MN. Due to failing health Connie moved to Our House Hospice Home in Slayton on November 13, 2025. She passed away there on Friday, November 14, 2025, at the age of 73. She was a member of Skandia Evangelical Free Church in rural Balaton, MN. Connie enjoyed being with family, bowling, cross-stitch, embroidery, cooking, baking, playing cards, traveling, and fishing.

Mark “Scooby” Fox, age 67, of Lake Shetek in Slayton, MN, passed away on December 3, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. Born on September 26, 1958, the youngest of vve children to LeRoy and Margaret Fox, Mark grew up with family, friends, and a knack for playful mischief.

Catherine Ford, age 84, of Woodstock, Minnesota, passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the Pipestone County Hospice Hospice House in Pipestone. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 10:30 AM at St. Leo Catholic Church in PIpestone with visitation held one hour prior from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Interment will be in the St. Martin Catholic Cemetery near Woodstock following the service. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Hartquist Funeral Home. Please visit www.hartquistfuneral. com to sign an online registry and to read Catherine’s life history.

Ken Knuth, age 85, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 30th, 2025, at home in Slayton, Minnesota. Ken was born April 6th, 1940, to Bernard and Rosetta (Westphal) Knuth on a farm east of Woodstock, Minnesota. The eldest brother of five sisters, Ken enjoyed growing up in a close-knit family in a small town with plenty of friends and neighbors. Ken graduated from high school in Ruthton, MN, in 1958 and attended South Dakota State University, graduating with an electrical engineering degree in 1966. While in college, Ken met the love of his life, Marlys (Humphrey). They were married on November 19th,1966, and together raised four children: Shannon, Nathan, Benjamin, and Nicolas. Having grown up with a switchboard in his living room, Ken learned from a young age the business of telecommunications and actively participated in his family’s phone company, Woodstock Communications. Ken continued to contribute to the telecommunications field throughout his career, distinguishing himself as an industry leader. Ken was active with Finley Engineering for over 40 years, first as a regional office manager and eventually as the President and CEO. He held board positions in the Minnesota Telecom Alliance and helped organize and served as board chair at Midwest Wireless Corporation. Even late into life, Ken remained a licensed Professional Engineer in dozens of states, in which he took great pride. Ken spent a lifetime building connections, not only literal technical connectivity, but also connections between his family, friends, colleagues, and business community. Ken was the kind of person who could listen to differing points of view while holding on to his own values. In both work and life, Ken led with a steady blend of vision, practical wisdom, and quiet determination. Those who worked with him remember his ability to inspire confidence, mentor young leaders, and approach challenges with courage and common sense. In his free time, Ken enjoyed breeding and raising Shire draft horses, yearly fishing trips to Canada, and spending time with family and grandchildren. Ken always enjoyed following the sports and other activities in which his children and grandchildren participated.

Nancy Hanson - daughter, sister, wife, Mom, Grandma, teacher, Air Force Wife and Mom and Notre Dame Graduate - always serving as a woman of faith. For Nancy the Christmas and Easter promises of her faith are now real as she passed away Dec 5 in Granger, IN.

Antonio Martin Perez, age 21 passed away Monday, November 17, 2025. A private family celebration of life will be held later this month.

Kenneth “Ken” Knuth 85 of Slayton, MN passed away at his home on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Funeral services will be at St. Ann’s Church in Slayton on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. Visitation will be on Friday, December 19, 2025, at the church from 4-6 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Interment is at St. Ann’s Cemetery in Slayton, MN. Totzke Funeral Home of Slayton is entrusted with arrangements. To view online obituary and send condolences visit totzkefuneralhome. com

Constance “Connie” Taylor 73 of Slayton, MN passed away on November 14, 2025, at Our House Hospice Home in Slayton. A memorial service will be on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at Skandia Free Church in rural Balaton, MN at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service the church on Saturday. A private interment will be at Bethany Lutheran Cemetery in Storden, MN.

Lance Larson was born on October 22, 1989, in Worthington, Minnesota to Darin and Lisa Miller Larson. He grew up in Avoca, MN until 1995 when Lisa and the kids moved to Slayton, MN for a little over a year. They then moved to an acreage near Avoca. Lance graduated from Fulda High School with gold cords in 2008. He then attended STI in Sioux Falls, SD for Electronics Technology graduating in 2010. In 2010 he moved to an acreage near Avoca and then to his current acreage near Westbrook, MN. Over the years Lance worked for Raven, C & B, Kibble, and Toro. He currently was working for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the Talcot Office and as a self-employed Electronic Technicians/AMS. Lance was a proud father of two children, Logan, and Jadyn with Jenn Leysen. He was raising his children like he was raised to be independent thinkers and doers like himself. He would work in the shop every night with the kids on different things teaching them life lessons. Lance was very family oriented whether it was his family, siblings, or aunts and uncles and their kids’ family time was important to him. He loved spending time at the lake cabin on the pontoon or boat, fishing, knee boarding, wake boarding and barbecuing. Lance passed away unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at the age of 36. He was a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Slayton. Lance enjoyed any kind of auto or ag equipment improvements, welding, cutting down trees for winter heat, wood milling, snowmobiling, and fishing.