Obituaries
Betty Pryor
Jan 27, 2026
Betty (Chitwood) Pryor passed away surrounded by love, leaving behind a legacy of devotion to family, faith, and service. She was a proud military wife for more than 20 years and was married to the love of her life, Wayne Pryor, for an extraordinary 71 years—a true testament to commitment and partnership.
Betty was a devoted mother of five children and...
Clinton Wheeler
Jan 26, 2026
Clinton Wheeler December 14, 1930 – January 26, 2026
Clinton Wheeler passed away peacefully on January 26, 2026, at the age of 95. Born on December 14, 1930, on the family farm, Clinton’s life was rooted in hard work, service, and a deep love of the land.
He attended country school and worked on the family farm until answering the call to...
Lorraine Shamp
Jan 24, 2026
Lorraine Hazel (Fiedler) Shamp, passed away peacefully on January 24, 2026 surrounded by her three sons.
Born on August 20, 1928, to Henry Theodore and Ruth Mavis (Converse) Fiedler in Howard Lake, Minnesota. Lorraine attended country school near Howard Lake, graduated in 1947 from Howard Lake High School. She attended Minneapolis Beauty College to become a beautician. While attending college, she...
Jenifer Drummond
Jan 24, 2026
Jenifer Drummond, age 69, was called home to be with the Lord on January 24, 2026. She was born on October 12, 1956, in Stillwater, Minnesota, to John and Gwendolyn (Reynolds) Drummond.
Mentally and physically disabled since birth, Jenifer was truly a blessing to all who knew her. Her gentle spirit, quiet strength, and presence touched many lives, reminding those around...
Deb Maros
Jan 24, 2026
Deb Jo Maros, age 69, of Staples, MN, passed away on January 24, 2026 peacefully at home.
Deb was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Richard and Irene Curtis on June 29, 1956.
Deb is survived by her husband Doug Maros, her daughters Hilary (Tim) and Amanda (Jeremy)and stepdaughter Shaunna. Grandchildren Hunter, Tanner, and Ellie. Deb will be remembered for the love...
Allan Amundson
Jan 24, 2026
Allan Roger Amundson was born on August 29, 1949. He passed at the United Hospital in St. Paul on Saturday, January 24th surrounded by family after a massive stroke on January 16th.
He was best known as ‘Mr. A’ to his many students he taught at Pequot Lakes Elementary School from 1972 through 2009. Teaching was more than a career for...
Dale Allen Strand
Jan 24, 2026
Dale Strand, 84, of Pine River, MN passed away peacefully on January 24, 2026 in Pine, River.
On February 29, 1964, Dale married the love of his life, Lavonne Strand. From that day on, the two shared more than 61 wonderful years together—proof that marrying on Leap Day was clearly a smart move.
Dale found joy in the simple pleasures of life:...
Kenneth Ellstrom
Jan 23, 2026
Kenneth Wayne Ellstrom, age 84, of Brainerd, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on January 23, 2026.
A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Baxter, Minnesota. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Lunch will be served following the...
Argyle Anderson
Jan 23, 2026
Argyle Lee Anderson
November 10, 1941 - January 23, 2026
Argyle Lee Anderson, son of Lavern and Louise (Hillman) Anderson, was born in November 1941 on a farm near Haydenville, MN. He grew up north of Marietta, graduating from high school there in 1960. In 1963 he married Kathlyn Johnson of Ashby, MN. In the early years, he farmed, then they resided...
JoAnne Germann
Jan 22, 2026
Jo was a loving, generous, and caring person who had three true passions in life: baking and cooking, sports, and socializing.
Jo learned to cook and bake early on, right at her mother’s side. By the time she reached high school, she was regularly asking her dad what he wanted for dessert. He loved to challenge her with tough choices—like chocolate...
George 'Dave' Faust
Jan 21, 2026
George David Faust (Dave) November 22, 1940 – January 21, 2026 George David Faust, known to most as Dave, passed away on January 21, 2026, at the age of 85. He was born on November 22, 1940.
Dave attended the University of Minnesota and proudly served in the Minnesota National Guard. As a young man, he loved Minneapolis, where he built...
Constance Harren
Jan 20, 2026
Constance “Connie” Harren, age 87, passed away peacefully on January 20, 2026, following a short and courageous battle with cancer.
Connie was born on October 2, 1938, in Upsala, Minnesota, to Edward and Evelyn (Klimmek) Klug. On November 12, 1960, she married Eugene Harren in Brainerd. Together, they shared more than six decades of marriage, building a home filled with love,...
Jeanne Hardy
Jan 19, 2026
Jeanne Karen Hardy was born September 17, 1944 in Wadena, Minnesota. She grew up on the family farm near Poplar, MN and attended country school until 8th grade. She graduated from Staples High School in 1961. While studying accounting at Wadena Technical College, she met Gorden Hardy. On March 7, 1964, they were married. In 1968 they moved to Merrifield....
Gene Erdmann
Jan 18, 2026
Gene Erdmann was born on April 24, 1954, in Fargo, ND, to August and Sarah (Knutson) Erdmann. He was raised in rural Cass County and graduated from Enderlin High School in 1972.
Gene married Bonnie Pfaff on May 24, 1975. Later that year, they moved to Glasgow, MT, where Gene attended trade school to become a plumber— though he preferred to...
Dennis Robideaux
Jan 18, 2026
Dennis Dean “Denny” Robideaux, age 90, of Pine River, MN, passed away on January 18th, 2026, at CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, MN due to a massive stroke.
Denny was born in 1935 in Pine River, MN, to Erwin and Bernice (Petersen) Robideaux.
He attended Hibbing, Blind Lake, and Pine River Schools and graduated from Backus High School in 1954. He...
Bradley Eugene Mertens
Jan 17, 2026
Bradley Eugene Mertens, age 75, passed peacefully into the Lord’s presence on January 17, 2026, after a long battle with illness, at St. Cloud Hospital.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 23, 2026, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Staples, Minnesota. Visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the...
Helen Petersen
Jan 17, 2026
Helen Constance Petersen, age 80, passed away Saturday, January 17th at Edgewood Vista Memory Care. Helen is remembered by many friends and family members in the Brainerd and Crosby area.
Born in Brainerd, Helen was one of 10 children born to Florence (O’Toole) and Harold Cecil Chamberlin and later stepdaughter to Madeline (LaSart) Chamberlin. She attended high school in Crosby, but...
Julie Pawlak
Jan 17, 2026
Julie Pawlak, 82, passed away on January 17, 2026.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Julie carried her love for family and community with her throughout her life. She later moved to Minnesota, where she and her husband fulfilled a dream moving to Hackensack and Man Lake where she had visited year after year since she was a child. They owned...
Brian Joel McKusick
Jan 13, 2026
Brian Joel McKusick was born December 10, 1980 to Kari and Dean McKusick. Brian was raised in Centerville, MN with his 3 siblings. This is where Brian made many of his lifelong friends. While growing up, Brian loved hunting and fishing. Brian won 2nd place in the state high school wrestling tournament.
In 2002, Brian’s daughter Lexy was born and in...
Lawrence 'Larry' Shake
Jan 12, 2026
Lawrence (Larry) Shake, 61, passed away peacefully on January 12, 2026, at A Daughters Love Care Center in Staples, MN.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday January 24, 2026 at 11:00am at Swan Valley Lutheran Church in Leader, MN. A visitation will begin at 10:00am, and a lunch will be served following the service.
Larry was born on March 20,...
