Obituaries

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved brother and friend, Michael (Mike) Zinnel. Mike passed away at his home on January 16, 2025 at the age of 72.

Richard was born to Richard G and Florence L Lober on March 13, 1941. He grew up in Fulda, Minnesota, graduating from Fulda High School in 1959. After high school he attended DeVry Tech in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated with a degree in computers in 1961 and started work with computer design at Minneapolis Moline. When Minneapolis Moline closed their Minneapolis operations, he went to work for EMR in computer research and development. In 1976 EMR was purchased by Sperry Rand/Univac, and Dick moved back to Fulda where he helped his parents with projects and chores in and around the family home. After his dad died, he continued helping his mother at the family home. In 1997 Dick and his mom sold the house in Fulda and moved to Slayton. His mom passed away in 1998, and Dick then moved to Sioux Falls, SD. Eventually, he returned to Slayton, MN and moved into Sunrise Terrace where he lived until he passed away suddenly on Jan 21, 2025, at the age of 83 years. All of his nieces and nephews have special memories of their time spent with “Uncle Dick”: birthdays, snowmobiling, ice skating, swimming, learning to play pool, ping pong, and backyard volleyball to name a few; more recently there were lunch dates hosted at his friend, Lucille’s farm, or at The Hub Drive-In or with drive-in food at the park with the next-generations of nieces and nephews; quiet conversation was a great way to learn about family history. He will be missed!

Henry Marvin “Jack” Van Dam was born on December 20, 1938, in Slayton, Minnesota, to Henry Jr. and Eva (Van Ruler) Van Dam. The local schoolteacher boarded with the family, and she looked after Jack after school. As he was quite the rambunctious young man, she joked that he was like a little jackrabbit, and that is how he earned the nickname “Jack,” which is how most people knew him.

Mass of Christian Burial for David James Lanners, 65, of Wood Lake, MN will take place on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic church in Currie, MN beginning at 2:00 p.m. Public visitation will take place on Monday, April 21, 2025 at the Horvath Remembrance Center in Tracy, MN from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. and will continue Tuesday afternoon at church one hour prior to the funeral mass. Burial will take place at Immaculate Heart of Mary cemetery following the funeral mass.

Nancy Lee Burns, age 72 of Westbrook, passed away Monday, April 14, 2025. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 21, 2025 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Westbrook. Visitation will be from 9:00-10:30 a.m. prior to the service at church on Monday. Interment will be in the Westbrook Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice. com. Stephens Funeral Service - Westbrook Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Henry M. (Jack) Van Dam passed away on Tuesday, April 8. A Visitation will be held at the Chandler Funeral Chapel in Chandler, MN on Friday, April 11, 2025 from 4-7PM. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at the Chandler Reformed Church at 10:30AM with burial to follow at the Chandler Memorial Cemetery.

Joan Heather Harmsen, 100, of Salem, Oregon died on March 19, 2025 in the loving embrace of family. Joan was born December 21, 1924 in Melbourne, Australia to Angelina Challen and John Clement. She was raised and graduated high school in Adelaide, Australia. She met John Vincent Harmsen while he was in the service, stationed in Australia during WWII. They married on May 17, 1944 and she left her homeland to settle with him on the Harmsen family farm outside of Lake Wilson, MN. While there they had two children, Linda and John. After a few years they moved into town and had three more children, Heather, David and Victoria. Joan was a member of many civic organizations, enjoyed volunteering at church and school, and gave tap dancing lessons. One of her proudest moments during these years was becoming a citizen of the United States, a country she admired and loved. Joan later worked outside the home doing office work and bookkeeping and by 1971 had saved enough to take her children to meet their grandparents in Australia. Upon Vincent’s retirement in 1980 they relocated to Independence, OR and in 1990, a few years after Vincent’s death, Joan moved to Salem, OR. A life-long advocate of higher education, Joan achieved her long-held dream of obtaining a college degree from Western Oregon University, at age 59, graduating with honors. She subsequently taught for a few years before retiring. In addition to possessing a strong compassion for others, Joan was a gifted performer and enjoyed participating in plays, especially if singing and dancing were part of the role.

Lois Patricia (Brink) Anderson, 92, passed away on March 16, 2025, in Mesa, Arizona. She was born on August 13, 1932, in Lura Township, South Dakota, to Melvin and Pearl (Jacobson) Brink.

Donald “Donnie” Schettler, age 81 of Tracy, formerly of Wilmont, passed away peacefully March 24, 2025 at his home surrounded by family and friends. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Currie. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service at church on Saturday. Interment will be held at Fort Snelling Cemetery at a later date. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice. com. Stephens Funeral Service - Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Linda (Baumgartner) Horn, age 69 of Tracy, passed away Sunday, December 8, 2024 at her home. Memorial Services will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 4, 2025 at the Tracy Area Funeral Home. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will be held at Prairie Hill Cemetery in Fulda. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice. com. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.