Obituaries
Melissa Collier
May 26, 2026
Melissa Robin Collier passed away on May 26, 2026, at the age of 57 in Brainerd, MN. Born on September 2, 1968, Melissa was known for her straightforward nature and strong presence, always standing firmly by those she cared for.
Melissa is survived by her children Ian, Anthony, Tyisha, Sonya, Jacob, and Derek, as well as her cherished grandchildren Jaxon, Jackson,...
Robert Moengen
May 24, 2026
Robert Clayton Moengen, age 87, passed away peacefully on May 24, 2026, at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd, Minnesota, just 58 days after the passing of his beloved wife, Janice, with whom he shared 67 wonderful years of marriage.
Bob was born on May 5, 1939, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Clayton and Clara (Doelz) Moengen. He and Janice raised their...
Clarence H. Smith
May 24, 2026
Clarence (Pete) Howard Smith, 81, of Philbrook MN, unexpectedly passed away on May 24, 2026.
Pete was born November 16, 1944 to Edward Alan Smith and Lois Eleanor Smith in Philbrook, MN. He was one of twelve children Eleanor, Jim (Eileen), Jack (Dixie), Mary, Boone, LeRoy (Shirley), Sandy (Kenny), Hank (Cindy) and had many beloved nieces and nephews. Pete cherished his...
Peter J. Tigue
May 23, 2026
Peter Joseph Tigue, 74, passed away on May 23, 2026 at Good Samaritan, Woodland, in Brainerd, MN.
Peter is preceded in death by his parents.
Peter is survived by his sisters Anne (Jim) Kostreba, Mary (John) Tigue-Velardi, nieces Katie Landwehr, Sarah Falvo, nephew Ryan Landwehr, two great nieces and two great nephews.
Peter spent his working years in the accounting field, serving companies...
Lula Andresen
May 22, 2026
Lula May Andresen, 64, died May 22, 2026, in her home. She was born June 20, 1961, to Carl and Beatrice Bjorklund in Brainerd.
She is survived by her partner Dave Berry; brothers, Douglas (Pat) and Dennis (Gayle) of Salcha Alaska; sisters, Lorraine Roehl of North Pole, Alaska, and Sunny (Matt) Schultz of Cologne, Mn. Along with several God children, extended...
Ronald S. Birdsell
May 22, 2026
Ronald S. Birdsell, 72, of Fergus Falls, MN, passed away on May 22, 2026 in Fergus Falls. A private family graveside service will be held.
George Warn
May 22, 2026
George C. Warn, age 81, of Staples, Minnesota, passed away Friday morning, May 22, 2026, at Lakewood Care Center in Staples.
George was born December 8, 1945, in Eveleth, Minnesota, the son of Robert and Inez (Niemi) Warn. He grew up in Eveleth and married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Pogorelc, on June 11, 1966, in Eveleth.
For many years, George worked...
Coleman George Coughlin
May 15, 2026
Coleman George Coughlin, born May 7, 1986, passed away on May 15, 2026.
Coleman enjoyed playing the guitar, music, camping, fishing and above all spending time with his family, including their 2 dogs and 4 cats. He had a passion for living off the land, including gardening and foraging, and watching the night sky.
Coleman is survived by his wife, Tiffany; children,...
Ardell Davey
May 15, 2026
Ardell D. Davey, age 75, of Browerville, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on May 15, 2026, in Browerville.
A memorial service for Ardell will be held at 11am on Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the Brenny Family Funeral Chapel in Staples. A visitation will be held an hour prior to the service.
Ardell was born January 1, 1951, in Barclay Township to Roy...
Karen Oseland
May 15, 2026
Karen Kathleen Oseland, 82, passed away peacefully on May 15, 2026, surrounded by family. Karen was born on July 31, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, to Ivan and Kathleen (Grogan) Wedan. She was raised in Duluth, Minnesota, and graduated from Washington High School in Brainerd.
Karen married the love of her life, Leonard Oseland, on July 3, 1961, in Brainerd, Minnesota. Together...
John Primrose
May 14, 2026
Born on June 4, 1939, in Denver, Colorado, to John W. Primrose and MarthaEllen (Knox) Primrose, John graduated from Hastings High School in Hastings, Nebraska, in 1957. Following high school, John joined the U.S. Navy, where he met and married Sally Lopez. After his honorable discharge, he returned to Nebraska to begin the next chapter of his life and career.
John...
Barbara Corner
May 11, 2026
In Loving Memory
Barbara Jo Corner, age 82, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2026, in Duluth, Minnesota. Born on June 26, 1943, in Brainerd, MN, Barbara was the beloved daughter of Chester and Johanna Roberts.
Barbara was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Myasthenia Gravis (MG) at a young adult age; a challenge that shaped much of her life. She said, “I...
Deb S. Paul
May 10, 2026
Deborah Sue Paul (Deb) passed away quietly at her home on Mother’s Day, 5/21/2026. Born 3/28/1951 in Bismarck, ND, Deborah Sue Lyon was the daughter of Bill and Maxine Lyon. The family, along with her two siblings, Stephanie and Jim, later moved to Pelican Rapids, MN.
Deb was well known and loved during her high school years, where she was a...
Mark Harkess
May 10, 2026
Mark Lee Harkess, 64, of Motley, Minnesota, passed away in Duluth on May 10, 2026.
Mark was born in Minneapolis on December 3, 1961, to Donald and Doris Harkess. He married Robin Neumann on August 28, 1993, in Carver County. Mark worked at Miltronic in Waconia, Minnesota, where he dedicated many years of hard work and friendship with coworkers.
He enjoyed working...
Daniel Owen
May 10, 2026
Daniel Clifford Owen Sr., 74, passed away peacefully on May 10, 2026. Daniel was born on July 4, 1951, in Willmar to Jordan “John” and Clistia Ann (Parker) Owen.
Daniel proudly served his country in the United States Coast Guard, an experience he greatly enjoyed and often spoke about with pride. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend whose...
JoAnne 'Jody' Hansen
May 7, 2026
JoAnne 'Jody' Hansen, 77, of Breezy Point, MN passed away on May 7, 2026 in Brainerd, MN.
A full obituary will be posted soon.
Eugene "Timber' J Witt Jr.
May 7, 2026
Eugene Witt Jr. (Timber) age 70 of Brainerd, passed away at home surrounded by family on May 7, 2026. After a short battle with cancer. Timber was born in Brainerd, MN on January 29, 1956, to Eugene Sr. and Marie Witt. Timber married his bride JoAnn in August 1982. Timber went on to start his own Roofing Company known as...
Ione Schaaf
May 7, 2026
Ione Marie Schaaf was born in New Ulm on July 19, 1936, to Wallace and Marie Carlson (Nee Plagge). She lived in Lafayette and graduated from New Ulm High School in 1954. Ione married Arlan Miller in August of 1955 in Lafayette. They lived in New Ulm and had 2 children, Tamme and Doug.
In 1981 Arlan and Ione moved to...
Dale Johnson
May 2, 2026
Dale Arthur Johnson, age 86, of Pillager, MN, passed away peacefully on May 2, 2026 at Highland Senior Living in Little Falls, MN surrounded by family.
Mass of Christian burial will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 12:00pm at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Staples, MN, with visitation one hour prior. Interment will follow at Evergreen Hill Cemetery.
Dale was...
William Goff
May 1, 2026
William Edward Goff (“Bill”) passed away on May 1, 2026, at the age of 92. Bill was born on November 7, 1933 in Staples, Minnesota to Lee and Francis (Jay) Goff. Bill attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and graduated from Staples High School in 1951. On April 7, 1953, Bill married the love of his life, Janis Simon. Together, they...
