Sometimes you feel you need "two of you" to accomplish everything that needs to be done, an extra pair of hands, a shoulder to lean on, and a leg up in that challenge which, in my case, seems insurmountable. It involves long hours, early and late times of day, it can be a little overwhelming, as well as raise the adrenalin, but in the end I come out feeling I am really the winner.

In my quest for letting people and organizations know what is happening here in our area, I hope they know they are appreciated. I have been able to meet and get to know so many interesting people and attend some great events.

Some I knew and some I just thought I did. There are always people who continue to amaze me with the things they have done, continue to do and have accomplished, not just for themselves but for others.

Life is hard, but there are those who are willing to work through it. My job has taught me to look beyond the “outer shell” and look inside and see some of the things that make people tick. Everyone has a heart and there are so many different ways they use it.

There are things I wish could be different, which could be an advantage to making life a little easier. I also recognize the dedication and determination that most people seem to have to not only survive but to benefit from in this rocky world we live in.

I can feel my frustration and theirs. It not only comes to mind, but realize there is no magic potion or ability to wiggle your nose that would help take some of that frustration away. I see how some people must cope with things. Technology has its purpose and know it is a necessity but I also see its cost. It makes one wish for the carefree days of tree houses, "lets' pretend," less paper work, taxes, insurance, regulations, licenses and the like.

Sometimes one wishes for longer days and weeks. But would that really help or just add more to our busy lives? I have had to start using a bigger date book. My old one was overflowing.

Lest we forget, as we value our time, it is best to take a good look at how we can make the most of that valuable time by putting things in perspective. What is really important and what isn't? Juggling jobs and time schedules can be quite a hassle, not just for oneself but for the entire family.  Sometimes a few minutes or seconds to share some extra kind and thankful words of praise or a voiced "I Love You" can raise the value of that time. There also should be time to ask God for help, even if it is only thought, not voiced, while you are busy and on the run.

Don't forget the little people, they too may be carrying burdens of their own they are reluctant to voice because they realize how busy your life is. Personally I feel we expect more of them than we should at times. Remember they are children. They get tired too. Would you have the time and energy to do the things that you expect others to do?

Saying, "Thank You" is a big thing. When I recently received a thank you note from someone I did not even know, it really made my day. It really made me want to do more and to do things better. That is when I realized that all of this work is worth it. I am glad our paper is a "people’s paper" and we can cover stories about people and not just the things the big newspapers publish. Time and time again I get comments about how good our local paper is.

I still feel it comes down to the individuals that matter. I would like to give honor and praise to all those who may silently work, provide and achieve so much for others. Sometimes I don't know them and maybe you don't know them either, but we should. I am so impressed with the so-called ordinary citizens who are a part of our little corner of the world — but there aren't people who are just ordinary.

Everybody I have met over the years has impressed me as being special in their own way and I can only hope they realize that. These are the people who make the most of what they have to offer. These are the people who smile and say, "How are you?" These are the people who live next door or maybe a world away. These are the people who make life worth living. We are around them every day and they just may need your smile and love as well.

People need people. It is as simple as that. Whatever we have is worth twice as much when we share it.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding annoucements.  In order to read about these important things we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us. 

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like include, or news to share please contact me via e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; by postal mail, P.O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035 or telephone, 507-256-4405.

This weeks birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, September 19th: Vicki Hill Kress, Carol Anderson, David Deml, Ben Cerney, Dan Underland, Kristine Sorenson, Bill Hatch, Jennifer Johnson, Gerald Trandem, Cindy Morris Erickson, Scott & Tracy Tracy, Kelly & David Wacek, Jill & Dustin Johannsen

• Friday, September 20th: Trinity Starr Wocelka, her second; Jade Hill, Tricia Wayne, Jade Hill, Alice Simonson, Sarah Mills, Cheryl Lonning, Bruce Born, Mardelyn Thompson, Jennifer Thorn, Jason & Michelle Gordon, Irvin & Kathy Jensen

• Saturday, September 21st: Addie Haugen, Tiffany Shelton, Tim Sorenson, Dan Richards, Ann Hamilton, Margaret Deml, Thomas O'Conner, Pastor Richard Spande, Richard Axmann, Sherri & Chad Fritz, Jodi & Brandon Wayne, Marty & Karen Johnson

• Sunday, September 22nd: Noah Rasmussen, Lee Nelson, Gary Jenkins, Kaleb Christensen, Diane Stollard, Kathy Underland, Doris DeNeui, Mark & Rachel Lee

• Monday, September 23rd: Aiden James Manges, Allison Groth Muilenburg, Melissa Lonning, Sara Corenlius Routh, Kristin Hamburg, Lance Jepson, Theresa Langlie, Debra Harding, James Robertson, Galen Montanye, Elizabeth Lageson, Mark Kasper, Robin Christensen, Judy & Tad Lunning

• Tuesday, September 24th: Gilmore Nelson, Nancy Pence, Jayna Domier, Jazmyne Tayton Martinez, Brandon Wayne, Cherysh Christina Hill Marcks, Brody Carlson, Michael Bedney, Trevor David Barber, Jill Vanden Heuvel, Kathie Lein, Susan Mickelson, Sophie Miller, Iris & Stanley Jensen

• Wednesday, September 25th: Amelia Christine Powers, her second birthday: Maykayla Jayme Haberman, Trevor David Barber, Geraldine Vangen, Tom Lageson, Pat Conklin, Suzanne Enzenauer Skaar, Cameron & Dayna Schember, Kellen & Alison Utpadel, Dwight & Loretta Schewe, Harmony & Ryan Anderson, Amy & Rick Storlie, Wendy & Marty Schultz, Larry & Elaine Paulsen

• Thursday, September 26th: Becky Tindal, Tammy Beenken, Lori Klemmensen Suchanek, Marc Horan, Verdel Humberg, Virginia Miller, James Henry Neidermeier, Connie Menefee Calderon, Lee Johnson, Glenn Beckman, Marty & Lee Nelson

• Friday, September 27th: Layla Grace Schultz, Judy Christensen, Naomi Wangsness, Mary Wayne, Gail Farr Christenson, Sara Holmes Wencl, Steve Lageson, Kristin Paulsen Zinke, Jacob Tasker, Chris Ritz, Katie Cameron, Eleanor Rodriguez, Carl Shadden, Daniel Van Kampen, Donna Mae McCamish, Kristin Severson, Lud Borchert, Jocelyn & Jason Heyer

May your special day hold the promise of many bright tomorrows!

As we head into the heart of the fall hunting season, the Minnesota DNR has released their latest survey on the pheasant numbers in Minnesota. They are not painting a pretty picture for those of us who spend time afield in search of most hunters’ favorite bird, which opens October 12 this year.

Although I have not been an avid pheasant hunter for many years, I am still concerned about the decline of the sport in our state. There are many things that factor in when looking for answers. I am not a statistician, but I feel very strongly that the loss of hunting habitat is the biggest contributor to the declining numbers. Weather can have an adverse effect on a hunting season, no matter what critter you are seeking to hunt, but that is only a temporary situation.

I’d hope most landowners would choose to keep some habitat available for wildlife because if we let the chase for the mighty dollar destroy the environment then we’ll also destroy our outdoor heritage. I know farmers need to make a living and they are the backbone of our community, but it does make me feel a little sad when I see marshland being tiled, groves of trees being cut down and habitat being plowed under. The Lessard-Sams Amendment we voted in a few years back has played a very important role in habitat preservation, but the portion of the bill that makes land acquisition possible has been under attack by some legislators from day one. A year ago there was a proposal that would have required the DNR to sell some public land before it purchased more. That didn’t make any sense to me because you weren’t gaining a thing. We in Freeborn County are lucky enough to have 11 WMAs available for public use and there are also landowners in the county that have set land aside for habitat. We need both public and private habitat to ensure our outdoor heritage will be preserved for future generations.

The Minnesota DNR has issued the following news release about pheasant numbers for the upcoming season:

Minnesota’s pheasant index down 29 percent from 2012

A long winter followed by a cold, wet spring contributed to a significant decrease in Minnesota’s pheasant count, which declined 29 percent from 2012.

“Minnesota’s results reflect what we’re seeing in other states,” said Rachel Curtis, DNR wildlife research biologist. “South Dakota had a 64 percent decrease in its brood survey. North Dakota’s most recent rooster crowing count is down 11 percent from last year. And Iowa reported a 19 percent decrease in its August roadside count.”

Minnesota’s 2013 pheasant index is 64 percent below the 10-year average and 72 percent below the long-term average.

Pheasant hunters still are expected to harvest about 246,000 roosters this fall. That’s down 44,000 from last year’s estimate and is less than half the number of pheasants taken during the 2005-2008 seasons when hunting was exceptionally good.

The highest pheasant counts were in the southwest region, where observers reported 51 birds per 100 miles of survey driven. Hunters should find good harvest opportunities in west-central, east-central and south-central Minnesota.

“Pheasant populations respond to habitat abundance and changes in weather,” Curtis said. “The steady downward trend in Minnesota’s pheasant population during the past several years is primarily due to habitat loss. Weather has caused minor fluctuations.”

The most important habitat for pheasants is grassland that remains undisturbed during the nesting season. Protected grasslands account for about 6 percent of the state’s pheasant range. Farmland retirement programs such as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Reinvest in Minnesota and Wetlands Reserve Program make up the largest portion of protected grasslands in the state.

High land rental rates and competing uses for farmland diminish the economic attractiveness of farmland conservation programs. CRP enrollment declined by 63,700 acres in Minnesota’s pheasant range over the last year and contracts for nearly 400,000 acres of statewide CRP lands are scheduled to expire during the next 3 years. If not re-enrolled, this would reduce CRP acres in Minnesota by 30 percent.

To help offset continued habitat losses caused by reductions in conservation set-aside acreage, the DNR has accelerated acquisition of wildlife management areas in the farmland region of Minnesota. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service also acquires and protects habitat across the state. In addition, the DNR supports habitat conservation on private lands by working with a variety of partners in the Farm Bill Assistance Partnership and Working Lands Initiative.

— — —

Until next time, fall is a great time to do a little hunting or fishing but most of all; to just get out and spend some time in our great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting

"What are you going to do today?"

"I'm going to try to remember what day it is."

"That sounds exhilarating."

"It can be on the days that I remember what day it is."

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as: a journey of a thousand miles gets a late start.

I’ve learned

• The check may not be in the mail, but a credit card offer is.

• The shortest line will be the slowest.

• Make one person happy and you will make two.

Over here

I travel as a part of my job. I enjoy traveling, even with all its blemishes. I visited Kilkenny, Minnesota, a small town so proud of its Irish heritage that it holds a Half-Way to St. Paddy’s Day Community Celebration in September. The road to Kilkenny was dotted with sweet corn that had fallen from over-filled trucks. Road kill for vegetarians. When I was a boy, we raised sweet corn for Birds Eye. When I was a neophyte nebbish yoked to an agricultural enterprise, I watched geese fly overhead. I wanted to know where they were going long before I asked where they came from.

I knew where I’d come from and where I was headed as I pulled into a convenience store, that I still call a gas station. My car was thirsty. There were no other vehicles at the gas pumps. I filled the tank. The price was $3.58. I thought about the lack of customers and considered the law of supply and demand before I offered the clerk $3.50 a gallon. She laughed before charging me the full price.

The photos weren’t smiling back at me

I looked at some old photos. There wasn't a smile to be seen. An old Hank Williams song found a place in my mind.

"If it was rainin' gold I wouldn't stand a chance. I wouldn't have a pocket in my patched up pants. No matter how I struggle and strive, I’ll never get out of this world alive."

The folks whose images I looked at had hard lives. Because of the early deaths of loved ones, mourning was a natural facet of their lives. They grieved. Was that why there was no smiling? Getting your photo taken was a big deal that didn’t happen often. It was expensive. So you dressed up and tried to look serious. Dental hygiene wasn’t as prevalent as it is today, so maybe people kept their mouths closed to hide decayed or missing teeth. Those somber faces may have been because the exposures in early photography could last a long time. It would have been difficult to remain still for the required amount of time, let alone smiling while you did.

A euphoric anniversary

Ours is a marriage of long ago but not far away.

You know what they say in French. Of course you do. They say everything in French.

We were teenagers, I’d just been named the promising young squirt of the year by the American Grapefruit Growers Association, when I asked Gail, "Are you walking my way?"

"Yes," she responded. She’d just had a fight with her parents and wanted to disgrace them.

"So am I," I replied smartly.

"You're the most handsome boy in Hartland," she said sweetly.

"You're kidding," I was more than willing to be flattered.

"I was kidding," she admitted.

It was the thought that counted.

We celebrated our anniversary recently. My wife’s family likely drowned their sorrows.

Happy anniversary, honey.

Nature notes

Fred Fiebelkorn of Thompson asked why there are so few monarch butterflies this year. Monarchs are scarce this summer. There were only 60 million monarchs wintering in Mexico last winter. That’s 80 percent below the 350 million average. The monarchs covered only 3 acres of forest, compared to a 17-acre average. Drought and excessive heat during the summer of 2012 resulted in low reproduction. This spring was unusually cold across the middle of the country and that delayed the northern migration. The first monarch generation was slow to develop in the southern states and late to migrate northward. Monarchs can produce a new generation in about 30 days. The monarchs that migrate to Mexico this fall are the great-great-grandchildren of those that left Mexico last spring. Monarchs have a high reproductive potential and they breed across a wide area. I hope that brings recovery. I’ve seen good numbers of monarchs wherever there are blazing stars.

Meeting adjourned

If you can't be kind, impersonate someone who can.

Once again, it is time for one of the two “must attend” local social events of the year. There will be hand shaking, back patting, a friendly “how are you?” along with “it’s good to see you.” All this will accompany a pleasant smile at the same time. 

There will be old and young and in-between ages of males and females. All those attending are in the VIP classification — including you. Wayne Indrelie and I along with members of the Albert Lea American Legion will be there to greet the great you at the door.

You are such an important person that we will let you enter through a special door. You will even be just ahead of the person behind you.

This is an eating event, so get those taste buds ready. If you’re a light eater, fast for at least a day before attending. If you’re a heavy eater, fast for at least two days. A word to the wise, “be sure your undergarment has good elasticity.”

Wild rice, chili, potato and chicken noodle soups will be served. Key lime, chocolate, apple and pumpkin are some of the pie choices, along with vanilla ice cream. Norwegian juice (coffee), water and 1919 root beer for your beverage choice. 

Live background music featuring local celebrities will be featured prior to your eating.

Ah yes, all for your presence, so come on down. Put on your eating shoes and boogie on over. The parking lot attendants are waiting for your vehicle.

Many of you know what I’m referring to, you just don’t know when. This year the soup and pie supper at Central Freeborn Lutheran Church (just north of Albert Lea) will be from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, September 30, 2013. Be one of the first 700 and you won’t have to worry about running out of food as we’re planning on 700-plus.

The net proceeds of the soup and pie supper will benefit the American Legion of Albert Lea (debt reduction) and senior resources of Albert Lea with supplemented funds by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Please bring a non-perishable food item or two to help support the local food shelves.

If you’re unable to attend (you’re in the hospital or at a funeral, your own) a donation would be most appreciated.

Short Shorts: A. This is a food event with no counting of calories allowed. B. In attendance will be a lot of people whose word you can rely on, plus a few politicians whose word you can’t rely on.

———

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.

“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, though his actual words were somewhat different. (Someone must have seen it differently on the Internet, so it must be true.)

I thought of this quote the other week when I logged into Facebook and saw rumors spreading about the death of a dear friend from our area. I knew she was sick, but had heard positive reports recently, so I was shocked. Thankfully, this report was also exaggerated, though it was a good example of how things can get out of hand due to social media.

Last week I talked about some of the positive aspects of Facebook and its ilk. Now it’s time for the flip side.

The previous example was not the first time I had seen an untrue rumor online. It happens too frequently. It’s a little like playing the old telephone game. One person tells another something, but by the time it reaches the end of the line, the message is so garbled as to be unrecognizable from the original.

As English teachers, we constantly tell our students to double-check online sources. Unless you find something on CNN or ESPN or some other major outlet (that does its own research), don’t trust it. The same should go for rumors: you’d better be sure before you put something on your Facebook status or tweet something.

And it’s not just our kids. Look at all the professional athletes who tweet before they think. Those athletes often face monetary repercussions. What kids don’t realize is they could be affected monetarily down the line for things they post now.

Here is a difficult concept for our teenagers to grasp today: privacy is gone unless you personally do something about it. Facebook defaults quite often to allowing everyone to see everything you post. And teens being teens, they often post trash, picking fights online because it’s safer than doing so in person. College kids post drunken pictures, not thinking about who might see them.

Having been part of interview teams the last two years at school, you’d better believe I snooped around potential candidates’ Facebook profiles. This has become common practice in the business world. If you find someone who’s posting pictures online of getting drunk and worse, is that someone you want working for you?

You can set your privacy settings so only people you “friend” can see what you post, but there’s another problem. Some people friend anyone who asks. I’ll occasionally get requests from people I don’t recognize. I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I haven’t seen a former student in some time, and they may have a different name through marriage, so I’ll look for mutual friends to try and make a connection. If nothing rings a bell, no go.

I’ve asked kids about the number of friends they have and just how many are people they actually know outside this online world. The answer is often startlingly small. I talked to my own kids this summer about online predators and how to filter people who “follow” them on Snapchat or Instagram.

Here’s another area that leads to struggle: time. I do have to keep an eye on the clock when I’m logged in. It’s very easy to get focused in a poker room or keep playing some Zuma until I beat my high score. As I write this, I’m going back and forth to check if I have another life yet in Candy Crush while I contemplate my next thoughts. It’s way too easy to waste an hour in front of the computer, not being very productive. I can’t imagine if I got Facebook and Twitter connected to my phone!

Still, as I mentioned last week, social media is not going away. We need to focus on the positive and work on training our youth to overcome the negative before it gets much more out of hand. Otherwise, some people might quickly learn the fable of the boy who cried wolf if they continue to spread those rumors.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is vaguebooking, which is purposely writing an unclear social media status in order to garner attention, as in, “She was vaguebooking by putting ‘Don’t know what to think anymore,’ and trolling for attention from others instead of just writing what was wrong.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs topped off their forecast last week with some much needed rainfall. Will we be treated to another rain before next week or will the blast furnace return? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 60s. Partly sunny with a better chance of showers and thunderstorms on Thursday. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the lower 50s. Mostly sunny for Friday and Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Sunday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s. Mostly cloudy Monday with a chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Mostly cloudy with a continued chance for rain on Tuesday. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 30s. The normal high for September 22nd, the first official day of autumn is 70 and the normal low is 47. The scurs will be getting sticky fingers from making s’mores around the roaring fire on these cool nights. 

The Full Moon for the month is on the 19th and it is the Full Harvest Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Rice Moon as the wild rice was ready for harvesting. The Sioux were also keeping an eye on potential foodstuffs as they called this the Moon When Plums are Scarlet. At the ranch it is known as the Moon Where Garden Produce Abounds, at least most years. While the season was not perhaps as kind to us this time, we still have much to eat and are grateful for it.

Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer made another visit and left some information about what’s going on in the sky for the start of the fall season. Look for the Big Dipper in the northwestern sky after sunset. As legend has it, this time of year the Big Dipper is right side up and holding its water, signifying the drier fall weather we generally expect. This as opposed to the spring when it appears to be dumping its water and giving us the rains we need. Notable among the planets in the sky this September is extremely bright Venus in the western sky. From the 15th – 19th Saturn will be slightly above Venus at dusk. When the noted Swedish astronomer leaves, one can only pause and ask himself, who was that masked man?

The welcome rains on September 14th and 15th weren’t of a lot of help to the crop in the field, but they will help make fall tillage easier as well as put some moisture back in the profile we have used up. It should also help hayfields, prevented plant acres and pastures. Corn that was planted in the mid-May planting should be closing in on blacklayer or physiological maturity. Soybeans are turning on a more widespread basis with some of those 2.3–2.5 varieties even starting to show some color. Speaking of color, some have asked what the reddish tinge is on some of the prevented plant acres seeded to oats. It is primarily crown rust, common especially as oats are seeded later in the season. The spores that infect the oats are produced from pustules on buckthorn, the alternate host. The spores are transported from the southern states on wind currents. Infection can also come from spores produced locally on infected populations of buckthorn. Oat varieties vary in their susceptibility/resistance to the disease.

Autumn is a wonderful time to observe the flora and fauna out of doors. Salamanders were crossing the roads following the recent rains looking for a place to burrow in before freeze up. The zucchini appears to have borne its last for the season, although it appears it had some help. Examining the undersides of the leaves, there were loads of aphids on the newer leaves, although the small parasitic wasps had been doing their part to control them, judging by the mummified aphid carcasses. A 5-spotted hawkmoth was seen working the 4 o’clocks the other night at the ranch, about 2 or 3 times the size of the white-lined sphinx moths it was sharing the flowers with. Betsy’s Dad recently spotted night hawks on their migration through the area. More were noted Monday night in our own neighborhood as I checked the electric fence at the kindly neighbors. Bur oak acorns have been especially plentiful this fall, so much so that the squirrels haven’t touched the corn from their feeder. The sheep also have been enjoying them and by November when we bring them home from pasture, there will be few acorns left on the ground under the trees.

Fudgie survived what is likely her last brushing of the season. She’s shed off nicely and looks about 5 years younger. Am starting to think there may actually be a dog under all that fur after all. Both dogs have been busy keeping tabs on the road construction project as it nears completion. It has involved a lot of barking and growling, especially after our phone and Internet service were interrupted. And then the dogs got into the act! 

Seriously though, those of us in the neighborhood are just glad to have the road paved again. One was starting to wonder who hadn’t paid their taxes. The pavement had deteriorated to the point where hunks were missing. The only positive was those who love to drive well over the speed limit took a different route. The workers on the construction project have been extremely courteous, especially when we’ve been stopped by the flag persons. One night Mrs. Cheviot was attempting to get to our driveway when she was stopped until one of the operations could be completed. The young lady running the stop sign asked where she was going and Mrs. Cheviot explained that we were the second place down, the place with the sheep. The young lady exclaimed, “Oh, we love the sheep!” Apparently the flag crew had set up in our driveway earlier and watching the critters had provided a brief diversion from what is likely a dull, thankless job at times. Glad the sheep could brighten someone’s day. Wonder how many they’d like to take home?

See you next week. 

Funeral services for Lorretta M. Anderson, of Macomb, Illinois, will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday Sept. 21, 2013 at the LeSueur River Lutheran Church in New Richland, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Pastor Brian Gegel is officiating. Burial will take place at LeSueur Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to LeSueur River Lutheran Church or Pontoppidan Lutheran Church. Friedrich Funeral Home, New Richland, is assisting the family.

Lorretta M. Anderson, age 92, passed away at 7:45 a.m. Thursday September 12, 2013 at Countryview Care Center in Macomb.

Palmer “Spank” Granholt, age 62, of rural Bloomer, WI, passed away on Saturday, September 14, 2013 after a short, courageous battle with cancer.

He was born to Palmer “Bud” and Betty (Bothum) Granholt in Albert Lea MN on August 16, 1951. He was raised on a farm in rural Glenville, MN. He married LuAnn Lee in October of 2005, making their home in Bloomer, WI.

He is survived by his wife: LuAnn; children: Mark Granholt of Scotsdale AZ; Becky of Colorado and Chad Sommer of Bloomer; granddaughters: Ashleigh, Elle and Claire Reece of Burnsville MN; mother: Betty of Albert Lea MN; brother: John (Ann) Granholt of New Auburn WI; sister: Kathy (Greg) Nelson of Glenville MN; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by son: Rod Sommer; father: Palmer “Bud” Granholt Sr.; brother: Ronnie; infant sister and grandparents.

A celebration of his life will be held at their home on Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 1 to 4 p.m. Olson funeral home in Bloomer is assisting the family. Online condolences may be expressed at olsonfuneralhomebloomer.com