Obituaries

Tom Fitzgerald was born on January 20, 1954, in Slayton, Minnesota to Harold “Holly” and Doris Gilbertson Fitzgerald. He grew up in Iona, MN and attended St. Columba Catholic School and graduated from Slayton High School in 1972. On August 30, 1975, he and Debra “Deb” Schettler were married at Our Lady of Counsel Catholic Church in Wilmont, MN. Following their marriage, they made their home in Iona where they raised their three children and created an amazing life together. Tom worked for Highland Manufacturing in Worthington, MN retiring in 2016. Due to failing health Tom moved to South Shore Care Center in Worthington, MN on April 9, 2025. He passed away there on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the age of 71. He was a member of St. Columba Catholic Church in Iona until it’s closing in 2024. He also was a member of the Iona Volunteer Fire Department for over 20 years and a proud member of the NRA. Tom enjoyed spending time with family and friends, hunting, gardening working in the garage and gambling.

Dennis Frank Klein was born on November 1, 1943 to Anthony “Anton” and Johanna (Vortherms) Klein in Le Mars, Iowa. He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1962 in Alton, Iowa. Dennis was in the Air Force from 1962 to 1966 and was stationed in California and Greenland where he worked in a warehouse and orchards. Dennis achieved the rank of First Class (Regaf). Dennis met Julie Bohlke at the VFW in Wilmont, Minnesota while attending a wedding dance of friends. On February 1, 1969 Dennis and Julie were united in marriage after their first attempt to have a wedding was delayed due to a snowstorm. After living in Westbrook, Minnesota for three years, they moved to Iona, Minnesota in 1972. Dennis was a hard-working and dedicated farmer for over 50 years, raising livestock and grain. After retiring, he helped other farmers and was a dishwasher at Generations in Luverne. On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Dennis died peacefully after a short fight with cancer at the Hospice of Murray County facility in Slayton, Minnesota at the age of 81 years, 5 months, and 8 days.

Rosemary York was born on April 15th, 1959, in Owatonna, Minnesota to Eldred and Mary Trettel Phillips. She grew up on a farm in Deerfield Township, Steele County MN. She attended Medford Public Schools, graduating in 1977. After high school, she studied at Mankato State University for four years, graduating in 1982 with a degree in elementary education. She spent the next few years teaching. In 1985, Rosie moved to Lake Wilson, MN working as a special education teacher for Chandler-Lake Wilson Schools. Rosie met James York, a Lake Wilson farmer, in 1985. They were married on August 1st, 1987. Then in 1989, Rosie finished her master’s degree. Jim and Rosie had a son, Mark, and two daughters, Laura and Linnea. Rosie was a dedicated special education teacher to hundreds of students at Chandler- Lake Wilson Schools and Murray County Central Schools until her retirement in 2015. She taught for 33 years. Rosie loved being the wife of a farmer and a mother to her three children. Outside of work, Rosie enjoyed making hot dishes for her family, gardening, hanging laundry outside in the summer, playing piano, going to church, and going for walks. She also was a very competitive Kings on Corner card player. Rosie fought Parkinson’s for over a decade while keeping a cheerful attitude and a strong faith in God. She continued to be a homemaker, spend time with her family and grandkids, and travel through it all. She passed away on Palm Sunday, April 13th, at the Pipestone County Hospice Home with her family by her side at the age of 65.

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.