SENIOR LEADERSHIP — NRHEG volleyball players got together for a group photo before last Tuesday’s victory over Blooming Prairie. From left: Stormy Mulder, Anna Schlaak, Harlee Vokoun, Amy Thompson, Tori Raimann and Rachel Ledding. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

It was an up and down week for the NRHEG volleyball team.

The season, however, continued on an up note.

The Panthers improved to 6-1 in the Gopher Conference and reached the 20-win plateau with a 3-0 victory over Blooming Prairie last Tuesday and a 2-2 showing in Saturday’s Faribault Invitational.

Coach Joe Kuechenmeister expected a tough match against Blooming Prairie after the Panthers’ come-from-behind victory over the Blossoms earlier this season.

“We knew we were going to have a battle on our hands,” said Kuechenmeister.

But the Panthers came away with a sweep, 26-24, 25-22 and 25-13.

NRHEG football team defeats United South Central, 17-6

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

NRHEG football coach Dan Stork came away from Friday’s game against United South Central with one thought.

“Winning ugly,” said Stork, “is better than losing.”

The Panthers weren’t pretty — and neither was USC, for that matter — but NREHG prevailed, defeating the Rebels 17-6 in a Gopher Conference game in New Richland. It was a mistake-filled, penalty-plagued and, for USC, turnover-ridden contest.

“We did some very good things tonight and did not turn the ball over at all, but we also made some mistakes that simply should not happen in week seven,” said Stork, who attributed the errors to two factors.

“Part of that is do to the revolving door that we have had with injuries,” said the coach. “And part of it is just not being focused. We need to clean things up.”

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

T.J. Schiltz continued to shine for the NRHEG boys’ cross country team, winning his fourth meet of the season and cracking the 17-minute mark for the first time at the USC/AC Invitational last Tuesday.

Schiltz, a sophomore, won the race with a time of 16:48.

“T.J. was superb,” said Panthers coach Mike Weber. “He has been working on getting his times down into the 16-minute range. He was able to do so with his best effort of the season. It was a nice job by T.J.”

Also having his best day of the season was senior Jade Waltz, who finished 17th in 19:36.

“He was able to go sub-20, and the plan is to repeat this during each of our races in the post-season,” said Weber. “As coaches, we believe that Jade can keep his time down.”

This morning, my yard was filled with birds eating and chattering. They were busy, almost frantic, and then, they were gone.

Later, I saw flocks of birds over the farmers’ fields, picked or otherwise, winging their way gracefully, fighting the wind, obviously on their way to other territories.

And then I thought of their long trek to warmer places when winter starts to show its cold head. It seems impossible that those little bodies and wings can carry them so far. 

Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, weather or habitat. Migration is marked by its annual season trip. In contrast, birds that are non-migratory are said to be resident or sedentary. Approximately 1800 of the world's 10,000 bird species are long-distance migrants.

The primary motivation for migration appears to be food, while the primary physiological cue for migration are the changes in the length of the day. There are also hormonal changes in the birds. Birds need to alter their metabolism in order to meet the demands of migration. Some hummingbirds choose not to migrate if fed through the winter.

The storage of energy through the accumulation of fat and the control of sleep in nocturnal migrants requires special adaptations. In addition, the feathers of a bird suffer from wear and tear and require molting. The timing of this molt is usually once a year but it can occur twice a year. Some birds molt prior to moving to their winter grounds, while others molt prior to returning to their breeding grounds.

Most birds migrate in flocks. Geese conserve their energy if they fly in a V formation verses flying alone. It is interesting to note that many of the smaller birds, warblers, hummingbirds and flycatchers migrate large distances, usually at night. They land in the morning and may feed for a few days before resuming their migration.

According to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, there are about 836 species of migratory birds. Of those, about a quarter of them will be endangered — often killed — by human activities, pesticides, poisoning, or attacks by cats and other predators. About 100 million birds will die from hitting buildings. Five million will die when they are attracted to communication towers and wires. Sixty million will collide with cars; and cats will kill and munch on an estimated 39 million.

Remember when grain elevators were swamped with sparrows looking for an easy treat? Favorite religious songs have always been, "His eye is on the sparrow,” and "I know He watches me,” giving rise to the fact that He cares for the ordinary person and creatures.

Male birds are usually more spectacular in color, possibly to give the female a better camouflage coloring. My mother enjoyed the effects of a robin that looked like he had been splattered with paint for some time, but it disappeared in late summer.

Thank you to farmers who will let one go in and glean "run overs" of corn and stray corn. If one feeds the birds, they should start early, be consistent and plan to feed in abundance. They will be rewarded for their efforts. It is hard to believe there is anything more spectacular than a bright red cardinal in the deep green evergreens in a snow-white environment.

My sister, Kaye, says that the robins in Cave Creek, Arizona are much lighter shades of orange than we see in Minnesota. Her husband, Mike, says it is because they eat less protein, or worms.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates a minimum of 10 billion birds are bred in North America. The fall populations may be on the order of 2 billion; just an educated guess.

Weather, predation, starvation and human-related deaths have a huge impact on our feathered friends. Seeing the effects of oil spills on waterfowl is enough to make you cry.

Ducks and geese seem to have no fear of the human population, perhaps because of the feeding, especially from kids. I enjoy watching the ducks and geese feeding, seeing them on our area lakes and streams and flying overhead. They are a sight to behold as they waddle across the street with their children all in a row. 

I really miss them while they travel off to other corners of the world during our long cold winters. My mother and I help supply the many different species of birds that visit our yards with dry bread and corn shelled and on the cob.

Fall hunting season is upon us and hearing the popping of guns is reason to wonder how many will be left post season. I also wonder how much meat will be used of the many ducks and geese that are killed. I guess I would never be a hunter, as I would have a difficult time shooting any of the great creatures that live here in our little corner of the world.

Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented that they like to read about the local happenings and family events such as family and school reunions, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and birth and wedding announcements.

In order to read about these important things, we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us, so we can then pass along the news to you. If you have news to share, 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.

• Thursday, October 20th: Kimberly Wangsness, Matthew Beckman, Shannon Smith, Diana Beckmann, Jenny Herbst, Erick Widlund, Gladys Winter, Casey Kunkel, Nicole Larson, Doris Scripture Steele, Rick Kelly, Adam Lang, Scott & Joni Groth, Laurie & DeWayne Jensen, Jim & Nancy Bottelson, Brad & Nicole Edwards

• Friday, October 21st: Todd Utpadel, Brian Riley, Deb Mucha, Peter Benson, Natalie Kuehni, Steven F. Christenson, Diane & Dan Gallentine, John & Trisha Cyr.

• Saturday, October 22nd: Scott Sorenson, Jennifer Pence, Lyle Swearingen, Brian Johnson, Kelsey Wayne, Dave De Vriendt, Mabel Dobberstein, David Polzin, Colleen Thompson, Sage Tristan Lang, Clifford Coy, Diane Gallentine Pfieffer, Edna Callahan, Kailey Ann Christensen.

• Sunday, October 23rd: Jacklynn Kress, Marian Dahl, Gene Grubbish, Kimberly Kilian, Grant Ver Hey, Stewart Hatch, Rick & Lana Thompson, Dan & Tina Schmidt, Gary & Deb Nelson.

• Monday, October 24th: Noelle Mae Brekke, her second; Jacob Keith Rigby, his 3rd; Jeff Dobbertstein, Bobby Dobberstein, Joseph Bailey, Dan Willert, Eunice Hanson, Bob Wayne, Ashley Ashton, Gil & Kay Nelson.

• Tuesday, October 25th: Mavis Bartsch, Jady Beenken, Dean Van Hal, Charlotte Haberman, Heidi Crabtree Owen, Mikaela Krikava, Spencer & Barb Kubat, Dean & Sandy Jensen, Breanna & Timothy Breidenbach, Heidi & Jason Owen.

• Wednesday, October 26th: Nadine Strenge, Jannell Tufte, Jeanne Holland, Heather Hove, Reece Gabriel Routh, Jake Andrew Wiersma, Kevin Hamor, Conner Dean Phode.

• Thursday, October 27th: Jason Born, David Anderson, Bruce Yanke, James Bremer Jr., Mitchell & Amy Edwards, Donly & Joanne Cromwell.

• Friday, October 28th: David Thompson, Jan Sorenson, Lisa Morin, Rick Horan, Randy Horan, Todd Brotizman, Rich Weckwerth, Sue Westrum, Tanner Jorge Wilson, Lyle & Darlyne Paulson, Jane & Jeff Allen, Amanda & Paul Rovnak.

May you find joy and pleasure all around you on your special day!

I am writing this column from Northern Minnesota at the Community Center in Marcell. It is a nice facility that offers me the opportunity to enjoy time up north and still be able to write a column.

This year, my eldest son Brian and I are once again spending time together at the cabin. I guess you could say that it has become an annual tradition for us. It actually started years ago when we would vacation as a family at Spider Lake, which is in the same area. 

You see, Brian had gotten into bow hunting for deer, and I was always a big fan of fall fishing. So, we decided to take a week and rent a cabin at Spider and combine the two.

On one particular trip, it was extremely cold and there was snow on the ground. Now, this is not totally unusual for October, but it made staying outside for any length of time miserable. With the high temperature for the week only in the 30s, we were limited in how much time we could spend on the water.

Dave the resort owner, who we had known for many years, gave Brian a tip on where to put his deer stand. It was actually a good spot, but with all the public land, you could pretty much go anywhere. Even so, Brian trusted Dave’s advice , and set his stand up facing it.

He would get up fairly early and go sit in the stand for a couple of hours. He then came back to the cabin to warm up and eat breakfast. After that, we would head to the boat and go out on the lake to fish for a couple of hours. You couldn’t really stand to be on the lake for more than a couple of hours, as the cold would start to set in. Pretty soon our hands and fingers refused to do what our mind was telling them.

Brain didn’t get his deer and we didn’t catch a lot of fish, but we still talk about what a fun trip it was. There is just something about the memory of warming up by that old oil stove in the cabin that makes such a special memory.

After we built our cabin, we renewed this tradition. Now we spend some time working on the cabin and still manage to do a little hunting and fishing. Brian has pretty much put his bow hunting days behind him and now leans more toward pheasant, waterfowl and grouse hunting.

Waterfowl hunting is something that all of my grandsons love to do, Trevor, the oldest, is as much into hunting as he is fishing. I don’t think he can ever get enough of either. I’ve heard he has found a recipe for making jerky out of goose meat that is pretty awesome. So far, none of it has come grandpa’s way, but I’m sure he will be happy to share it with me eventually.

This week at the cabin has been mostly work, but we still have taken time to enjoy the wildlife that is still abundant in the area. I do miss the sound of the resident loons that usually reside on our little lake. I guess they’ve already headed south. We have a pair of osprey that have been spending time around the lake. There have also been a lot of ducks on the lake this year. We’ve also spotted a few grouse.

There are also eagles in the area. In fact, one flew directly overhead as we were working outside the other day. This is what spending time in the outdoors is really all about. It’s just fun to observe the critters of nature in their natural environment.

12 Minnesota state parks to close temporarily this fall for deer hunts

DNR reminds visitors to wear blaze orange when visiting state parks during hunting season.

Numerous special deer hunts are scheduled to take place at Minnesota state parks this fall. Access to the parks will vary around the state during the hunts, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Some state parks will remain open to all visitors. Some will have limited public access, and some will be open only to hunters with special permits. The deadlines have passed for youth and adults to apply for a special permit to participate in the hunts, which include regular firearms, muzzleloader and archery options.

The DNR advises anyone visiting a state park during these hunts to wear blaze orange or other brightly colored clothing. Visitors should also check for hunt-related information at the park office when they arrive and look carefully for hunt-related signage.

“The DNR allows these annual hunts as a way to help control the deer population at state parks,” said Ed Quinn, resource management coordinator for the DNR’s Division of Parks and Trails. “When there are too many deer in one area, the native plants and animals can be negatively affected. Our goal is to ensure healthy natural communities.”

The DNR thanks park visitors for their patience and understanding at parks where access will be limited during the hunts.

The following parks will be open only to hunters with special permits (hunt dates in parentheses):

  Afton State Park (Nov. 5-6).

  Frontenac State Park (Nov. 7-9 and Nov. 19-20).

  Lake Maria State Park (Dec. 3-5).

  Lake Shetek State Park (Dec. 3-4).

  Lake Vermilion State Park (Nov. 5-13).

  Myre-Big Island State Park (Nov. 26-28).

  Nerstrand Big Woods State Park (Nov. 26-27).

  St. Croix State Park (Nov. 11-14).

  Whitewater State Park (Nov. 19-20).

  Wild River (Nov. 5-8).

  William O’Brien State Park (Nov. 5-6).

Until next time get out and enjoy the natural wonders of our great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers.

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

“The door on the bathroom won’t stay closed.”

“I know.”

“Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

“I am. I look the other way whenever anyone is in the bathroom.”

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: you don’t have to believe everything you hear in order to repeat it.

I’ve learned

1. There is no such thing as an odor-free litter box.

2. “Ironically” has come to mean “coincidentally.”

3. The person seated behind you at a sporting event will have the loudest voice.

How to tell a winter

1. The wider the middle brown band is on a woolly bear caterpillar, the milder the coming winter will be.

2. The first trackable snowfall occurs six weeks after the snowbird (junco) returns.

3. The height of the galls on goldenrods indicates the depth snow will be.

4. Count the number of days from the first snowfall until Christmas. This will be the number of snowfalls during winter.

5. Frequent halos around the sun or the moon forecast a severe winter.

6. When leaves fall early, winter will be mild. When leaves fall late, winter will be severe.

7. An abundance of acorns is a sign of a rough winter to come.

8. Onion skins very thin, mild winter coming in.

9. Count the number of foggy mornings in August. That will be the number of snowfalls in the winter

9. If you have been paying attention, you know that there was already a #9.

10. If squirrels drive snowplows, it’s going to be a bad winter.

Facts or folklore? Probably a bit of each. One thing for sure, one of them will be right.

Putting on the pounds

We gain weight as we get older. There are many reasons that are given for this increase in size. The true reason we cast a bigger shadow with age is because of all the gum we swallowed when we were kids. Food sticks to our ribs because of the gum that is already stuck there.

A world record

At the Midwest Birding Symposium in Ohio, I took part in an effort to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. I was one of 801 people who did the call of a barred owl. It was a hoot.

Safe driving

Once upon a time, I helped put on safe driving classes. Included in the presentation was a student hitting the brakes of a car he or she was driving and learning how long it takes to stop. We preached that drivers should maintain one car length behind the car ahead for every 10 mph of speed. There are updated recommendations today.

I took to the freeway recently and decided to see if the old method was still useful. At 70 mph, I positioned myself seven car lengths behind the car ahead of me. It looked good. Too good. A car from the left lane pulled in front of me and settled into the right lane. I adjusted my position so that I was now seven car lengths behind the new arrival to my lane. I had to slow down a bit in order to accomplish this task and this required the car behind to pass me and then pull back into the right lane just in front of me. This necessitated my dropping farther back in order to maintain the required space. Vehicles kept leapfrogging my car. I continued to drop back to provide proper spacing; so much so that after two hours driving away from home, I was back home.

Soups and pies supper

There are many soup and pie suppers. What makes Cross of Glory Lutheran Church’s different? It’s a soups and pies supper. Silverware is available for those who feel the need to use such gear. Men are encouraged to wear soup blotters (neckties). Please bring your appetite to Cross of Glory in handsome Hartland on November 2 from 4:30 to 7 and fling a fang into fabulous food. Servers are standing by.

Banking on you

Help Farmers State Bank celebrate its 100th anniversary. The bank is looking for old photos of Hartland. Please stop by the bank or contact me at 507-845-2836 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have one.

Nature notes

There is no scientific evidence that a surfeit of acorns foretells a mild winter. Mast crops are cyclical. Acorn production is a reflection of past conditions rather than a forecast. The weather when the oaks flower in the spring is significant. Oak flowers are wind-pollinated. Warm and dry conditions foster that process while cool and wet conditions have the opposite effect.

Talking to the Holstein

I was talking to the Holstein the other day. The Holstein is a retired milk cow, so she has time to talk. I asked her if she had any words to live by.

The Holstein chewed her cud thoughtfully and said, “In the pasture of life, don’t be a cowpie.”

Meeting adjourned

Forget small slights immediately. Remember small kindnesses forever.

Hello again everyone. First of all, I’d like to apologize for not having a column in a while. My life has been really busy with classes, homework, studying, and the new job I recently acquired. These last couple months have flown by. I can hardly believe we’re almost halfway done with October already.

Lately, two of the most common questions I’ve been asked are: “How’s college?” and “How’s living in Mankato?”

The answer to both is the same, “I love it.” Post-secondary is probably the best school-related choice I’ve made, and living in Mankato is great. As for college, people also ask, “Why do you like it so much? What’s it like? Isn’t it a lot more difficult?”

There are many reasons why I like college more than high school. In college, we’re treated like adults. I remember in every year of school from sixth grade and up, the teachers would tell us, “We’re not going to hold your hand anymore. It’s all up to you.” I really don’t know why they tell you that when they still do it. In college, teachers don’t have to say that, because it’s pretty clear we’re on our own. 

They’re a lot more strict when it comes to assignments and exams. In all but one of my classes, if you don’t hand in a paper the day it’s due, you don’t get credit for it. No exceptions. It’s up to you to pass the class. Not that I mind; I like the responsibility and independence that comes with being a college student. I like how we aren’t held back by people who might not understand the class.

After all, the classes you take there are all your choice. You’re paying to go to them, and if you don’t want to be there, nobody’s making you stay.

Speaking of students, people at MSU are a lot less judgmental than students in high school. Nobody in college cares what you wear, what brand your clothes are, how your hair is done, etc. High school, on the other hand, is (as a friend of mine once said), “Pretty much a fashion show and a popularity contest in one.” I do not miss the immaturity, drama, judgment and slower pace of high school.

Living in Mankato, I love that there are so many people, places, and things to do. I’m glad I made the decision to live here. Yes, it is difficult, and I’m almost always broke, but at least I’m happy, right? And now that I have a job as a sales associate at J.C. Penney’s, my financial situation should start looking up.

I’m lucky to be able to do this with my life. If anyone is considering post-secondary in high school, I strongly recommend it. When I tell people that I’m in post-secondary, the response I get from almost all of them is, “I wish I would’ve done that. It’s a really smart choice.” I mean, think about it: up to two years of college for free. Who would want to turn that down?

Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone for the positive feedback on my column. When I first started writing it I really didn’t think anyone would like it that much. Your kind words are what encourage and inspire me to keep writing. If you have any questions or comments for me, send me an e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The scurs were on top of their game last week, telling us it would start to cool down. Somehow that shouldn’t come as a surprise the second week in October. More fall this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a high of only 45 and lows dropping to 30. Thursday, mostly clear skies with highs of 50 – 55 and lows staying above freezing at 35. Warmer on Friday with mostly sunny skies. Highs near 60 and lows of 40 – 45. Saturday, partly cloudy with highs again around 60 and lows near 40. Minute chance of an overnight shower. Partly cloudy on Sunday with a tiny chance of a shower. Highs near 60 and lows around 40. Cloudy and cooler on Monday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs of 50 and lows around 30. Mostly sunny Tuesday with highs around 50 and lows near 35. The normal high for October 21st is 58 and the normal low is 34 so temperatures will be seasonal. The scurs are eyeing the candy dish sure in the knowledge it will soon be full of Halloween treats.

The area did manage to garner some rainfall this past week as well as more wind. Rainfall was extremely variable with 2” falling near Easton and only a 10th in Bugtussle proper. West of town in suburban Matawan nearly an inch was measured while at the ranch we manage to scare up .3”. At least the fire dangers have subsided somewhat, although there was a fire again last Friday during some of the windy conditions. Eventually this will come to a halt once everything is in the bin or hauled to town. What a difference a week made temperature-wise though. Last weekend folks were cruising around in their shorts and this weekend it was time to break out the coveralls. Harvest progress finds many finishing up with corn, a nearly unprecedented feat. With the army of tillage implement operators working the fields seemingly right behind the combine, area fields follow the season; they get dark pretty fast.

Road construction season has been never ending in this area, seems like. With Highway 30 and 83 under construction, it’s been difficult to get around easily. The harvest season plus the number of people detouring around the construction has put additional pressure on the gravel side roads. The washboards it has helped create can rattle your dentures loose and with little rain, it’s difficult to grade the roads. 

Around the yard at the ranch sure signs that summer is over include the sudden bright coloring of the flowering kale and cabbage. Some prefer the purple while others are sold on the white centered varieties. It’s nice to have some of both, me thinks. The 4 o’clocks have pretty much thrown in the towel for the season. There is still an occasional bloom but they are small and inconspicuous. The plants have been focusing most of their time on producing the grenade-shaped seeds that usually mean lots of volunteer plants next spring. Ditto with the morning glories. Some flowers yet as the plants begin to degrade into the twisted, tangled mass that catches snow if not removed.   The surprising plants include the impatiens that after a watering and a little rain, continue to bloom far past what we’re use to. 

The fall birds are making a subtle return to the feeders as well. A hairy woodpecker was the most recent returnee to the sunflower feeder. The red-bellied woodpecker has made himself at home on the ear corn even though he sometimes has to wait for the squirrel to leave to gain access. The juncos are back and seem to like the fact the summer vegetation is still intact, making wonderful places for them to hide from would be attackers such as a sharp shinned or Cooper’s hawk. 

What a difference a week makes. The weekend of the 8th and 9th I was manufacturing a corn shock with a pair of shorts on. This past weekend though it was a good idea to get bundled up while finishing the last of the vegetable harvest. The potatoes, onions and carrots were dug. The onions were disappointing as expected. Planting them in June was probably not a best management practice although while small in size, they still do the job when fried up with some of the new red Pontiac potatoes. Still tough to beat Pontiacs for frying. Some of the stabbing victims made it from the garden to the pan in under an hour so they don’t get much fresher than that. The carrots were exceptionally nice again this year and yielded a large washtub full. Best of all since it has been dry, there was very little soil clinging to them. Some of them were so long that they broke off in the dry hard soil when trying to extract them with the potato fork. Didn’t seem to matter when they were scrubbed up and microwaved. 

Ruby got to help with the vegetable digging process. As each forkful of soil was lifted to expose the potatoes, she was right on top of it, waiting for one of those spuds to make a false move. Picking tomatoes meant a lot of watching too as some of the damaged fruit made its way over the fence to the sheep. Yes sheep will eat just about anything including overripe tomatoes. Something being thrown and sheep to watch as a result. A little red and white Border Collie can’t ask for much more than that.

See you next week…real good then.

Alex John Karsten, age four months, died of mitochondrial disease at his home in Owatonna, MN on Saturday, October 15, 2011.  Funeral services will be held Wednesday October 19, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Meridan, MN, Pastor Gary Rusinko officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and will continue one hour before services on Wednesday. Burial will be at LeSueur River Lutheran Cemetery. 

Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells is assisting with arrangements.

Remembering the life of Clayton L. Walstrom…

The Funeral Service for Clayton L. Walstrom of New Richland, will be held at 12 noon on Monday, October 17, 2011 at the First Congregational Church in New Richland, MN. The Reverend Pamela Jensen will officiate. Interment will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery, New Richland. Visitation is from 4-8 p.m. on Sunday at Friedrich Funeral Home, New Richland, and one hour before the service at the church.

Clayton died on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at the Methodist Hospital in Rochester, MN, surrounded by his loving family. He was 81 years old.

He was born on May 5, 1930, in rural New Richland, the son of Lester and Lillie (Verplank) Walstrom. Clayton attended country school and then graduated from New Richland High School in 1948.