Decorating for the holidays is a big thing. Who doesn’t enjoy the glamor and glitz of the holiday seasons? 

Sam and Dorothy Worrell, former residents of Geneva, always decorated a little Easter egg tree by their front door. My mother had a Manzanita branch she decorated for a number of years at Easter time as well. Nowhere do I see the amount of decorating for Easter that seems to prevail at Christmas, Halloween and even the Fourth of July. 

It was interesting for me to read about an Easter Egg Tree that was decorated in Germany. It made me want to go right out and plant a bushy tree and start tracking down my Easter Eggs again.

The following story is a good one. It tells us how important little things can grow into important big things.

It seems in about 1945 a young lad, Volker Kraft, saw his first Easter tree. So impressed he knew that he too would have to have one for his very own. He married, had a family but that Easter egg tree never left his thoughts. In 1965, he and his wife put out a tree with 18 colored plastic eggs. It became a family tradition. Plastic eggs later made way for real eggs — that were blown out and used so the shells could be beautifully decorated. 

As the children grew, they took part in decorating the tree. The children grew older and moved away but needless to say the traditional Easter tree stayed. The grandchildren come home to decorate the now, giant tree. Every year the number of eggs hung on the branches grows and at last count in 2010, the number reached an incredible number of 9,500 Easter eggs!

The tradition still prevails and it takes many people to decorate the tree now. Several weeks before the annual holiday arrives, they start hanging the beautifully decorated eggs on the tree. The tree remains decorated in its full and colorful glory for a week or so following the annual holiday.

Yes, it makes me want to plant an Easter tree and hang it full of eggs of promise. At any rate, the thought is there. The tradition and beauty are beyond compare.

Speaking of tradition and beauty, Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America recently told a story about how an event occurred that opened her eyes, so to speak. She had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, “Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us know when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. “

Perhaps this is the power's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted.”

The class was completely quiet. They picked up their books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon the students took their teachers advice and noticed more things on their way home from school than they had seen that whole semester.

Remembering the teacher and the impression she made makes me appreciate all of the things we sometimes overlook. Today, do something different, take a walk, stop for an ice cream cone, admire someone’s child or pet. Live. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Have a great day! God Bless you every day of your life.

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

Also, if our NRHEG Star Eagle readers would like to share birthdays and anniversaries of your family and friends, or you know of some that should be deleted, or names have changed, 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.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, April 26th: Jim Arends, Lester Casterton, Teresa Deml Sisler, Beverly Harpel, Jean Larson, Pat Motl, Ashley Bangert, Mary Peterson, Pat Pichner, Steve & Judy Christensen, Bob & Gerry Flim, Allan & Darline Jensen.

• Friday, April 27th: Brian Schember, Norma Robertson, Heidi & Christopher Olson.

• Saturday, April 28th: Martin Rossing, Rodney Peterson, Mildred Flugum, Jamie Cameron, Jean & Chuck Groth.

• Sunday, April 29th: Derek Anthony Kubicek, his 5th; Jane Brocker, Roberta Dettman, Angie Hall, Mitchell Jensen, Pat & Linda Goodnature, Jennifer & Steve Schultz.

• Monday, April 30th: Nancy Williams, Jeff Misgen, Paul Moen, Dawn Cooper, Kevin Cooper, Jonathon Lein, Karey Dufresne, Judah Ashton, Jonathon Lein, Rick & Melonie Miller.

• Tuesday, May 1st: Carter Levi Titus, Jim Hanson, Shirley Pichner Helgeson, Christopher "Critter" Johnson, his 10th; Luke Dobberstein, Gene Budach, Sandi Otto Glenn, Richard Helmers, Sue Kasper Anderson, Tim Kasper, Norma Long, Cari Jensen, Thomas Van Riper, Veronica & Jim Graif, Heidi & Ryan Baldwin.

• Wednesday, May 2nd: Shayna Kress and Tyler Kress, their 2nd; Jack Benjamin Owen, his 3rd; Diane Smith, Ted Radke, Jill Goodnature Kubicek, Bonnie Shaunce, Stephanie Corey, DeWayne Farr, Nolin Joe Simmons, his 7th; Joshua Nicholas Paulsen, his 9th; Roger Anderson, Gerald & Mildred Flugum, Dean & Carolyn Wangen.

God bless you and have a great day!

It’s been a while since I’ve been up to our cabin, but I am planning a little trip north next week. This is a time that I’ve been looking forward to all winter and it’s finally here. The only thing that I do know for sure is that each time I make the initial first-of-the-season visit, I have to be prepared for anything.

In other years, I have been greeted with fallen trees across the drive, One year, I found a tree had fallen across the top of our old camper. Another time I stood there stunned with trees down everywhere blocking both doors to the cabin. I literally had to chop my way in. Luckily, I had my two grandsons, Trevor and Taylor along to help* (*see do most of the work).

Another time we had gone up in April and awoke the next day to six inches of snow. The first couple of years were pretty rustic and that particular year, we had just finished enclosing the cabin so it wasn’t insulated and we had no furniture of any type in place. We slept on the wooden floor in sleeping bags huddled around a kerosene heater to keep us somewhat warm. It didn’t seem to matter to the boys because they were “up north” and enjoying an early season adventure. It was a special time because we were the first ones to sleep in the cabin and that will be something that we will always remember.

Our family had owned the land for about three years before we started clearing a spot for the cabin, and when we did, the boys were there to help. Brian manned the chainsaw and Trevor drove his Uncle Travis’ ATV which was used to drag the trees out of the way after Brian had trimmed them and cut them up. Taylor and I dragged the brush into piles. 

I have to say that those boys knew how to work at a young age and nothing has changed today. We did all that work on a weekend and it was just the beginning of what would be a complete family project.

Soon after we purchased the land, we cleared enough trees to make a driveway and also opened up enough of an area to put our small camper on. Before the end of the summer, Brian, Trevor, Brian’s brother Brad and I hauled the camper up there and we somehow were able to get it situated in the area we had picked out. I do know that the driveway seemed a lot wider when we cut it out than it actually was. 

We had to do some widening before we could get the camper to its chosen resting place. In the end, we also had to winch the camper into place by doing a little Macgyvering. These are just some of the memories that I have of the first years we were there. 

I really felt like an outdoorsman.  Building the cabin with the two boys and grandkids still gives me a feeling of self satisfaction.

There were also some tough times along the way; like when Brian and I were digging the holes to put the posts in for the base of the cabin. It was one cold and rainy Memorial Day weekend and while Brian did most of the work, I did most of the falling down on the slope of the hill that was mostly wet clay, tree roots and rock. By the time the last post was in place, we were ready to relax around the campfire and Brian’s mother Jean soon had a hot supper ready for us, which we readily welcomed. 

After we had enjoyed a good hot meal, we both headed for bed and were asleep in no time. I have a picture of us sitting by the campfire shortly before supper. Every time I see it I think of that miserable day and am thankful that it is now history.

The other “cold memory” that I have is when Brian and I went to install the wood stove and chimney that went along with it. It was early March and about 08-degrees with a steady wind of 40 miles per hour coming straight out of the north. It took us a whole day to get it done and by the time we got it fired up, we were so cold it didn’t seem like we’d ever get warmed up. I can still see Brian up on the steep tin roof in that wind putting the chimney up. I don’t think either of us will ever forget that miserable day.

I also think about the day we started building the cabin with the help of my youngest son Brad and Grandson Dylan. Dylan was really excited to help us. I think he handled almost every piece of lumber as we unloaded it and stacked it by the building site. He surely didn’t want to miss out on helping and that is another memory that I’ll always cherish.

There is just something special about the whole family pitching in to help create something that we have built ourselves and will be able to enjoy for many years to come. We don’t have some of the conveniences of today’s world like running water or electricity, but to us it’s all about enjoying the outdoors and the things that nature has to offer. It’s amazing the things you notice when you start watching nature like you would a good movie. This movie is labeled non-fiction and hopefully it will never end.

Since we have owned this little piece of the north woods, I have grown to appreciate the outdoors even more. I have never considered myself a bird watcher, but I have really come to enjoy watching the birds and critters of the woods. It is a great pastime that I really enjoy. The extra bonus in all of this is being able to catch enough fish for a meal right out of our little lake.

Until next time, enjoy the outdoors and start making those outdoors memories that will last a lifetime.

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 doing?”

“I’m taking a break.”

“From what? You haven’t done a thing all day.”

“It’s hard work doing what I don’t do.”

I’ve learned

1. Some people live in the past because gas is cheaper there.

2. A sneeze is always aimed achoo.

3. I once was able to tell the make, model, and year of a car at a glance. Now I can’t tell which way a car is headed.

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 bucket list used to consist of fried chicken.

Voting on the way to the dump

It was back in the days before anyone could say, "That must be out by Walmart" and before anyone watched Antiques Roadshow. We took old stuff to the dump.

That’s what we were doing. I was helping my father spruce things up around the farm before winter. We talked about the upcoming presidential election of 1972. I knew for whom my father was voting. It would be Richard Nixon. There was no need to ask. My father couldn’t say "Democrats" without putting "those" in front.

He, however, felt the need to ask me for whom I was voting.

I tended to favor South Dakota candidates over those from California, so I said, "George McGovern."

My father suggested that we haul my vote to the dump.

Cafe chronicles

My stomach pressed against my back. It was time to loosen the purse strings and have my clothes tightened. I needed food. Any cafe with a roof and a table is good, but sometimes I like to eat in a fancy restaurant. You know the kind, the places with napkins. Where all you can get for $10 is directions to the exit. The kind of place that offers diet meals like brief stew and where when the server says, “Your food will be coming right up,” you know how she means that.

I ordered a piece of cake with ice cream in a snazzy restaurant. It wasn’t the kind of eatery where I overhear things like, “I have a doctor’s appointment later today anyway, so I might as well eat here.” I would have rather had pie, but the pie had been too popular and sold out. The cake was good, but not as good as the cake my grandma made. My mother told me that she could never make cake quite like my grandmother's. I asked Mom for the recipe. She told it to me the same way her mother-in-law had told it to her. It was a pinch of this and a smoosh of that. I decided to make the cake while mother was gone visiting. I wanted to surprise her when she got home, but I surprised myself, too. The cake was awful. I must have pinched when I should have smooshed.

Watching all

I watched a junior high baseball game on a spring day following the winter that wasn’t. A man seated next to me had come to watch his son play and he brought a younger son with him. The younger boy was playing games on some sort of electronic device while trying to watch his brother play ball.

"That was a nice double play," said the father.

"Why?" asked the boy without lifting his eyes from the video game.

"The second baseman gave the ball to the shortstop in the perfect place," added the father.

"Why?" asked his son.

"Because that made it easy for the shortstop to throw the ball to first base," said the dad, demonstrating much patience.

"Why?" asked the boy, showing remarkable consistency, as he continued to press game buttons.

It occurred to me, an innocent bystander, that the boy was multi-tasking while multi-asking.

Did you know?

A bag of seed corn has about 80,000 kernels.

According to a Gallup survey, Mississippi is the most religious of states. Vermont and New Hampshire are the least religious.

Nature notes

“I see yellow-rumped warblers much earlier than any other warbler. How do they survive in the cold without insects to eat?” This tiny bird, nicknamed “butter-butt” is omnivorous. People regularly report seeing yellow-rumps feeding at suet feeders and eating the seeds of last year’s flowers. The yellow-rumped warbler winters farther north than any other warbler. It has a slightly stouter bill and a digestive system unique amongst warblers that allows it to eat the waxy berries of such plants as bayberry, poison ivy, juniper, and cedar.

Meeting adjourned

A kind word is a warm blanket on a cold night.

Have you ever been asked to do something you didn’t think you would enjoy, so you said “no?” The following is my “I don’t want to but I’m really glad I did” fact and very little fiction story.

Pastor Matt of East and Central Freeborn Lutheran Churches scheduled a youth trip to the Twin Cities on an all-day Friday home 10 p.m. Saturday outing for teenagers of the two churches. The purpose was to expose the kids to other religions.

Pastor Matt contacted Genie as a female chaperone to go along and also drive a vehicle, as there were too many going to fit in his vehicle. Genie said “yes” but she wouldn’t drive. The two of them (Pastor and Genie) gave me the old song and dance of “you have to” because. I bent a little and said, “okay, I’d drive only as a case of last resort.” Guess who got booked to go as the “last resort?”

Two days prior to leaving, I was given a schedule with certain do’s and don’ts. For example, Friday dress was informal with dress pants and collared shirt for the guys. Long pants or long dress with shoulders and ankles covered with a scarf to cover their head for the gals. Saturday dress was informal with common sense. We would be sleeping at a church Friday night. We were to each chip in $10 to cover mainly meals. A good attitude was required.

We departed from East Freeborn Lutheran at the early hour of 7 a.m. Pastor Matt, Genie and I were the adults with teenagers Jessie, Jarod, Hunter, Chris, Brennon, Nikki and Nichole for a total of ten. Pastor Matt warned me that one of the ten might be a problem and to do the best I could keeping this person in line! The two girls rode with us as Genie was the female chaperone and the five guys rode with Pastor as he was the male chaperone.

Our first visit was at Luther Seminary with a tour, chapel at 11 a.m. and lunch provided by Luther in the cafeteria. It was a very impressive college-type campus.

Next stop was at the Islamic Center of Minnesota in Columbia Heights. We listened and watched a Muslim service led by Abukhadra Masjid. After the service, he explained their beliefs to us as visitors.

Next stop was the 6 p.m. service at the Jewish Temple Israel in Minneapolis. A member gave us a tour with questions and answers after the service.

Friday evening we stayed at Hope Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. The ladies camped out in the youth room, the guys in the gym, and me in the deer hunter’s head pastor quarters where his unexpected radio music started at 7:15 a.m.

After a quick McDonalds breakfast, it was off to Patrika (the Hindu temple of Minnesota) in Maple Grove for a tour. The tour guide was very interesting — especially his wife being Irish Catholic.

Our next stop was the 5 p.m. Church of the Open Door service in Maple Grove. (After touring MOA — that is the modern name for Mall of America.) This is a good-sized church with a $4.6 million budget.

We headed back to I-35 and home via East Freeborn. All the attendees agreed it was a very good experience but the Twin Cities was a bit too big for them.

From Genie and I, thanks to the various places for hosting us. A special thanks to the parents for letting us go along with your teenagers as it helped us understand and appreciate the younger generation.

Remember reading Pastor Matt warning me that one of the ten attendees might be a problem? I asked him the next day who, as I thought the teenagers were very well behaved. His answer, “the person looking back at you in the mirror!”

— — —

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent. 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. This is the Hanson’s 37th summer at Beaver Lake. They leave the lake in mid-October to go south — to Albert Lea — and return in April. Bob says if you enjoy his article, 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. 

After a much more seasonal week the scurs set their sights on the third week in April. Will the cooler temperature trend continue or will we return to the St. Patrick’s Day heat wave? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers in the forenoon becoming mostly cloudy by afternoon. Highs 65 - 70 and lows around 45. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance for showers especially in the daylight hours. Highs of 50 - 55 with lows of 35. Partly cloudy on Friday with highs of 50 - 55 and lows near 35. Partly cloudy Saturday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs around 55 and lows near 40. Sunday, partly cloudy a warming trend into next week. Highs of 60 and lows of 40 – 45. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs near 65 and lows of 45. Mostly sunny and warmer with highs of 65 - 70 and lows of 50. The normal high for April 21st is 60 and the normal low is 38. The scurs will be having a weenie roast with all the sticks and branches from the highs winds now that the trash fire police have lifted the burning ban.

Progress in the fields was localized with some completing corn planting, some getting a start and some holding off. Who is right? Everyone potentially. With ideal corn planting dates from now until the end of the month, everyone has a chance to cash in on our good fortune in the weather department. Rainfall has been more abundant especially to our west but with all the showers added together, it tends to average out. It has continued the tendency of spotty rains with accumulations of an inch or more being the exception and not the rule. Sunday’s sky and weather were definitely threatening in appearance although when looking at some of the suspicious low hanging clouds they were scud clouds with no rotation. On Friday there was rain off to our west that had a dickens of a time getting here as the air was so dry, much of it was evaporating as the moist air was meeting the drier air over the top of us. Now we have overcome that to some extent and it will be interesting to see if we’ve primed the pump or merely given ourselves some hope that timely rains will come. 

The spotty rains did allow me to get the rest of the early garden planted. The potatoes didn’t make it in the ground on Good Friday but did this past Saturday along with Don’s onions, some sugar snap peas, lettuce and a packet of free radish seed. Oh, I’m sure I paid for it in the order somehow but it’s always fun to plant something you wouldn’t have otherwise tried. That’s part of what makes raising a garden so entertaining. You never know how it’ll turn out until you plant it. Take the first planting of radishes for instance. Planted the day after St. Patrick’s on ground with a south facing slope that has countless loader buckets of composted sheep manure, they emerged in less than 5 days. A slam dunk to have radishes in 23 – 25 days just like it said on the package, right? You are wrong, brassica breath. They responded negatively to the cooling temperature trend and the frost bleached the leaves to the point that it looked like they’d been sprayed with something. They’re alive, but in order to truly thrive they need to string together more than a day or two at a time with high temperatures over 60 degrees.

Frost did a number on some of the trees and other plants around the yard too. The rhubarb was a little droopy but has since recovered to its former grandeur. Likewise the apples appeared to have taken it better than initially thought as did the pears. There will be some fruit mortality but likely there will be some fruit set. Some of the trees really didn’t bloom that much this spring anyway after bearing heavily last year coupled with a dry late summer and fall. The wildlife may be the biggest loser in all this and it may translate farther than just our yard. The bur oak tree was just starting to leaf out and flower when the frost hit. All the leaves the size of a squirrel’s ear froze off and within days were crispy reminders that it was seriously cold. The story was similar on the northern red oak and pin oak although there are signs on some branches there may be some buds that weren’t completely damaged. On some larger trees, it appears in the upper stories that the frost didn’t hurt them as much. In other words the oaks may have taken a hit and that could translate into fewer acorns available for things like squirrels, deer and wild turkeys. 

It’s doubtful the birds and squirrels will suffer too much at the ranch. The ear corn gathered last fall was virtually untouched so it should keep fine until it’s needed. The birds of course always have sunflower and thistle seed to snack on so they’ll be fine too. Speaking of birds, some new arrivals here in the yard as well as by the pond. A Brown Thrasher was doing his best Jimmy Page impression, hidden in the leaves atop of one of the poplar trees. Actually I think Jimmy Page probably does a brown thrasher impression with his guitar but I digress. A pair of Sandhill cranes made a brief visit, their eerily primitive sounding call echoing from the hollow below the hill. There was one more egg in our pet Kestrel’s nesting box at the edge of the pond. It appears five is all she’ll have. That’ll be plenty of little mouths to feed once they hatch. I wouldn’t want to be a small rodent out in the open during that timeframe. 

Ruby had another big weekend as it was time for her annual pilgrimage to the vet’s office for vaccination and heartworm checkup day. There were doggies and owners of all kinds and it was good for her to get that exposure. She’ll remember it’s necessary to behave and listen in that scenario even more the next time out. Ruby did about as well as one might expect a two-year-old Border Collie to do. Her attention span isn’t perhaps what it could be, but there were other dogs that wanted to play and it’s tough to resist that urge with an active dog. Perhaps the best part of that day was that Ruby got to meet Agnes, one of my faithful readers. While she didn’t look like I’d told her she would, Ruby liked her anyway. On Sunday as a reward for all of the good behavior, Ruby spied leftover French toast and pancakes from another Lions Pancake Feed. She gobbled the first pancake down, tail wagging, sure in the knowledge that there would be many more to devour over the course of the week.

See you next week…real good then. 

Funeral services for Christine “Terri” Lundeen-Holmen will be held 10 a.m. Saturday April 21, 2012 at Trinity Lutheran Church 222 6th Ave SW Rochester, MN with the Rev. Jim Kroonblawd officiating. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until time of service at the church. Burial will take place in the Spring Valley Cemetery.  

Christine (Terri) Lundeen-Holmen, age 54, of Spring Valley, MN, joined the Lord Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 at her home.

Christine was born May 26th, 1957 in St. Paul at Mounds Park Hospital. She was raised by her parents Kenneth and Charlotte Lundeen in Scandia, MN and graduated from Forest Lake High School in 1975. On July 20th, 1981, she was united in marriage to David Holmen at Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia, MN. Christine and Dave were married for 30 wonderful years. Christine loved to play the piano and organ and enjoyed the happiness that music brought to her life. She also enjoyed crafts, making wreaths, and shopping for unique gift items. This passion led to the opening of her own gift shop in downtown Spring Valley. She ran this shop for five years and took great pride in it. It wasn't so much the business aspect of the shop that she enjoyed. . . it was interacting and conversing with the customers that she liked most. Christine also had a passion for entertaining guests and throwing large dinner parties. Some would say she took this to a whole different level. Whether it was a holiday dinner, birthday, or just a simple get-together with friends and family, you could be sure that the table would be set perfectly and the food would be fantastic (and plenty of it)! She also had a huge heart for her children and grandchildren and loved to spend as much time with them as possible. She saw each holiday and birthday as a special time when she could shower them with extra attention. Although she had many hobbies and interests and they all filled her with happiness, it was her faith that came first and wherein she found true joy and peace. She delighted in reading the Gospel, strengthening her personal relationship with God, and sharing her faith with others. Christine is survived by her husband, David, of Spring Valley; children Derek (Christa) of Rochester; Brandon of Sisters, OR; Megan of Spring Valley; grandchildren Brenna, Derek II, Jade, Talon, and Mason; parents Kenneth and Charlotte Lundeen of Scandia, MN; brother Steven Lundeen (Cathy) of Danbury, WI; sister Lori Steele (Mark) of Forest Lake, MN; sister Cindy Kiekhafer (Todd) of North Branch, MN. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Condolences may be left at www.Hindtfuneralhomes.com.

Andrew Charles Sonnek, 38, died Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at his home in Rochester of natural causes. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waldorf, MN. Visitation will be held at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells on Monday, April 23, 2012, from 5 to 8 p.m. with a Rosary at 8 p.m.; and visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Father Peter Klein will officiate.  Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells is in charge of the arrangements. 

Andrew was born October 4, 1973 in Wells, MN, to Charles Dominic and Betty Jean (Bartelt) Sonnek. He graduated from Waldorf-Pemberton high school, the class of 1993. He then attended Riverland College in Albert Lea to become an electrician. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local #343 in Rochester. Andrew enjoyed classic cars and antique tractors, and enjoyed tinkering with all things mechanical. Family was very important to him, especially his nieces and nephews. He would come home in the fall of the year to help out during the harvest season.

Andrew is survived by his parents, Charles and Betty Sonnek of Waldorf, MN; brothers and sisters: Charles “Rick” (Kandy) Sonnek of LaCrescent, MN; Tim (Barb) Sonnek of New Prague, MN; Beth (John) Thompson of Rochester, MN; Amy (David) Adams of Minneiska, MN; Steve (Vonnie) Sonnek of St. Clair, MN; Chris (Karen) Sonnek of New Richland, MN; Kellen Sonnek of Minnesota Lake, MN; Perry Sonnek of Woodville, WI; Joy Sonnek of Waldorf, MN; Sara (Russ) Kientz of Kansas; Peter (Lori) Sonnek of Waldorf, MN; Anthony (Brenda) Sonnek of Mapleton, MN; Matthew Sonnek of Duluth, MN; brother-in-law: Trevor Buswell of Guyton, GA; many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins along with their families, and numerous good friends.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, sister Ruth Ann Buswell and brother Jonathan Charles Sonnek.

Corey C. Lundholm, age 44, of Hastings passed away suddenly on April 16, 2012.

He was born to Clyde and LaVonne (Franz) Lundholm on June 12, 1967 in Mankato, MN.

He graduated from Winona State University and taught and coached in Dade City, Florida. He married Carmen Steele on June 29, 1991 in New Brighton, MN. Corey worked at Koch Refinery and Xcel Energy. He loved to travel, ride roller coasters, spend time with his family and fishing. He had a talent and special love for music and singing. He wrestled in high school, making it all the way to the state tournament.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents. He is survived by wife, Carmen; children, Cullen; Kiley and Lacey; parents, Clyde and LaVonne (Franz) Lundholm; sister, Dawn (Joel) Meyer; father–in-law and mother-in-law, Michael (Irene) Steele; brothers-in-law, Craig (Nikki) Steele; Bob Steele; other relatives and friends.

The funeral service, officiated by Pastor Doug Duin, will be held Thursday, April 19 at 11 a.m. at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 400 W. 9th Street in Hastings. Visitation is Wednesday, April 18 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Wise Family Funeral Home, 400 Spring Street in Hastings and one hour prior the service at church. Interment will be at Lakeside Cemetery, Hastings. Pallbearers are Craig Steele, Brady Meyer, Jordan Meyer, Cody Meyer, Cameron Meyer and Dennis Loutenbach. Memorials preferred.

Visit www.wisefamilyfh.com to view the memorial video and sign the online guest book.  The Wise Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

The funeral service for Ardella Schroeder-Olsen will be held on Friday, April 20 at the LeSueur River Lutheran Church in New Richland at 11 a.m.  Pastor Paul Meierding will officiate. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday at Friedrich Funeral Service as well as one hour prior to the service at the church.

Ardella Schroeder-Olsen passed away peacefully on April 16, 2012 in Waseca. 

Ardella Eleanore (Reese) Schroeder-Olsen was born on December 1, 1918 along with her twin Ardis in Waseca County. She was baptized at LeSueur River Lutheran Church and attended District #8 Public School. She attended bible school and was confirmed at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland. She attended New Richland High School for one year, and finished in Ellendale, graduating in 1937. Graduating from high school was something she was very proud of and she would bring it up often. She was also proud of the fact that her mother was a twin and, of the nine siblings, there were two sets of twins.

In April of 1938, she married Alvin Carlson at the Associated Church in Owatonna, MN. They were the parents of four children: Richard, LaVon, Eugene, and James.

Ardella married Walter Schroeder on New Year’s Eve in 1954. They had one son: Steven Schroeder. They started farming in Clarks Grove, MN and moved to New Richland and continued farming until 1969. They operated the APCO station in New Richland for 15 years. She also worked at Brown Printing for 20 years before retiring in 1981. She was widowed in 1982.

Ardella met and married Cortes Olsen in 1987. They traveled extensively during their years together and were married 12 years before his death in 1999.

Ardella is survived by three children, LaVon Tracy, Eugene (Connie) Carlson, and Steve (Diane) Schroeder; two step sons, Roger Schroeder and Harlan (Beverly) Schroeder; ten grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; two sisters, Doris Voigt, and Maxine Hanson; and one brother, Martin Reese.

Ardella is preceded in death by two sons, Richard and James Carlson; husbands, Walter Schroeder and Cortes Olsen; two step sons, Harold Schroeder and Jerry Schroeder; three sisters; and two brothers.

Ardella will be missed by all who loved her. Sweet rest in Heaven Mom.

Michael Skov, 47, of Manchester died Saturday night after a head-on crash on Minnesota Highway 13 north of Albert Lea.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Skov was driving a 1993 Buick LeSabre north on Highway 13 around 10:30 p.m. when he crossed into the southbound lane and collided head on with a 2008 Cadillac CTS.

The driver and passengers of the Cadillac were all treated and released from Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. They were all wearing their seat belts.

Skov was a co-owner of the Bend in The Road tavern in Manchester. He had been residing in New Richland assisting his father with a recent illness.