Obituaries
Duane Woldahl
Mar 21, 2026
Duane “Dewey” Woldahl, age 91, of Staples, Minnesota, passed peacefully into eternal life on March 21, 2026, at his home in Lakewood Manor, surrounded by family and friends.
Dewey was born on August 16, 1934, in Ashby, Minnesota, to Joe and Monte Woldahl. He proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, enlisting in 1954 and serving during the...
Theresa M. Ray
Mar 20, 2026
Theresa Madonna Ray, “Donna,” our beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother, 86, of Walker, MN, passed away on March 20, 2026 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Park Rapids, MN. Born December 2, 1939, in Benson, MN, she moved to Minneapolis in 1957, married Arland in 1960, and together they had six children. In 1976 she married Arthur Ray, and together...
Elizabeth Hildahl
Mar 19, 2026
Mrs. Elizabeth Eileen “Betty” Hildahl, 93, of Staples, MN, passed away on March 19, 2026, at the Lakewood Care Center in Staples. She is now with her Lord Jesus.
Elizabeth was born on December 13, 1932, to Robert and Oakley Gilbertson in Fulda, MN. She graduated from Fulda High School. After graduating, she worked as an administrative assistant in the Twin...
Mary Joan Plouffe
Mar 18, 2026
Mary Joan Plouffe, 81, passed away on March 18, 2026, in the ICU at St. Cloud, surrounded by the care and compassion of those attending to her.
Mary was a woman who found deep joy in life’s simple blessings. She loved crocheting and spent many peaceful hours tending to her garden, where she grew green beans, squash, and sweet corn. From...
Delbert Norwood
Mar 18, 2026
Delbert Francis Norwood passed away on March 18, 2026, at his home in Hackensack.
Delbert was born on December 16, 1955, in Redfield, South Dakota, to James and Marilyn Norwood. He graduated from Swanville High School in 1975 and later attended school in Staples, where he studied diesel mechanics.
Delbert was a hardworking man throughout his life. He spent many years working...
Elizabeth McElmurray
Mar 17, 2026
Elizabeth Arrena McElmurray
July 6, 1941 – Forever in Our Hearts
She did not chase the spotlight. She did not seek praise or accolades. Elizabeth Arrena McElmurray simply showed up — every single day — with a quiet, unshakeable love that made everyone around her feel like they were exactly where they were supposed to be.
A Life Rooted in Humble Beginnings
Elizabeth was...
Robert 'Bob' Jensen
Mar 17, 2026
Robert (Bob) Joseph Jensen, 69, passed peacefully on March 17, 2026, right where he belonged—surrounded by the loving arms of his family on the same rural Minnesota farm that had shaped his earliest memories and held his final breath.
Born in Saint Paul, Nebraska, on April 29, 1956, to Kenneth and Helen Jensen, Bob grew up amid the wide-open fields and...
Douglas J. Wannebo
Mar 16, 2026
Douglas Jerome Wannebo, beloved husband, father, veteran, and friend, passed away peacefully surrounded by family. He lived a life defined by strength, dedication, and quiet generosity.
Douglas served his country in the United States military during the Vietnam War, an experience that shaped his resilience and deep sense of duty. He carried that same commitment into every aspect of his life,...
Ron Meyers
Mar 12, 2026
Ronald Robert Meyers, 67, of Crosslake, MN, formerly of Brooklyn Park, MN, passed away March 12, 2026. He was born August 9, 1959 in Robbinsdale, MN.
He was preceded in death by father, Robert Meyers.
He is survived by mother, Arleen Meyers; wife, Nila Meyers; daughter, Alexis (Jason) Campbell and son, Brandon (Nora) Meyers; grandchildren, Elias and Liam Campbell and Ryder, Cole...
Joyce Wagner
Mar 11, 2026
Joyce Ann Wagner, 84, of Baxter, passed away on March 11, 2026.
Joyce was born on June 25, 1941, in Brainerd, Minnesota, to Alvin and Lillian (Rasmussen) Theien.
Joyce is survived by her son, Craig of Brainerd; her daughter, Kristin (Richard) Woods of Pillager; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two sisters, Janice of Rogers and DeEtte of Fridley; one brother, Norman of Hot...
Bruce Femling
Mar 10, 2026
Bruce Gerald Femling, age 76, passed away in the comfort of his home in Baxter, Minnesota, on March 10, 2026, surrounded by his loving wife and family, after multiple years of medical issues including heart disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for which he had a lung transplant in 2016.
Bruce was born on October 12, 1949, to Cecil and Elaine Femling...
Jeffrey Hallanger
Mar 9, 2026
Jeffrey D. Hallanger, aged 62, of Minneapolis, MN passed away March 9, 2026, at HCMC, Minneapolis, MN.
Jeffrey was born in Minneapolis on November 17, 1963, the son of Gary Hallanger and Janis Hallanger. At a very young age, Jeff moved with his family to Brainerd, MN and grew up there. He graduated from Brainerd High School in 1981. After graduation,...
Donald Etzler
Mar 9, 2026
Donald D. Etzler Born October 25th 1950, age 75 of Lincoln, MN arrived at Heavens Gate Truck Stop at Mile Marker 111, on March 9th 2026.
He started driving truck at the age of 17, enjoyed woodworking, watching old western movies, operating CAT equipment, sharing stories, jokes, and tales of the road. The open road was his love, setting the brakes...
Duane Strack
Mar 9, 2026
Duane A. Strack, age 83, of Motley formally of St. Cloud and Lake Alexander passed away on March 9, 2026.
Duane was born January 28, 1943, to Sylvester and Veronica (Dockendorf) Strack in St. Cloud, MN. Duane lived on a farm in Stearns County, raised and educated in St. Cloud and was a retired Municipal Sales Representative for DeZurk in Sartell....
Grace Anderson
Mar 7, 2026
Grace Erna Anderson, age 101 ½, of Pine River, MN, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Society in Pine River.
Grace was born to Charles and Grace Habeck on September 22, 1924, in Jackson, MN. She had three brothers and three sisters and grew up in Round Lake, MN, graduating from Round Lake High School. Grace...
Richard Philipson
Mar 6, 2026
Richard Elmer Philipson, age 73, of Brainerd, passed away on March 6, 2026.
Richard was born on May 20, 1952, in San Diego, California, to Richard and Barbara (Havick) Philipson. He later found the love of his life, Debbie Adams, and the two were united in marriage on February 14, 1986, in Harvard, Illinois. Together they built a life centered around...
Vernon Ferrian
Mar 6, 2026
Vernon Alvin Ferrian, 85, passed away on March 6, 2026, at Woodland Good Samaritan in Brainerd, Minnesota.
Vernon was born on May 11, 1940, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Frank and Lorraine Gertrude (Bertram) Ferrian. On September 2, 1963, he was united in marriage to Carolyn Ann Bruder in Long Prairie, Minnesota. Together they built a life centered around family, work ethic,...
Richard Arones
Mar 5, 2026
Richard Arones, age 87, of Pine River, MN, passed away on March 5, 2026, in Duluth, MN.
Richard is survived by his wife, Ingrid; son, Bret (Donna) Arones; daughter, Lani (Jeff) Harty; grandchildren, Jennifer, Krystal, Savannah, Corey, and Britta; and great-grandchildren, Carson, Austin, Harper, and Hazel.
Barbara Marlene Mares
Mar 5, 2026
Barbara Marlene Mares, 74, of Pillager, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on March 5th, 2026, surrounded by family.
Barbara was born January 21st, 1952, in Brainerd, Minnesota, to Howard and Bernice Gillson. She lived most of her life in Pillager and the surrounding area, where she built a life centered on service, creativity, and love for her family.
She graduated from Pillager High...
Phyllis Duval
Mar 4, 2026
Phyllis A. Duval passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on March 4, 2026.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM on Friday, March 20, 2026, at Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Crosslake. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will follow at Pinewood Cemetery.
Phyllis was born on September 17,...
