Leo Joseph Chicos, 99, formerly of West Concord, passed away in Rochester on Monday, September 28, 2015.

He was born near Hartland in Freeborn County to Peter and Agnes (Mucha) Chicos, Sr. on December 27, 1915, the sixth of 12 siblings. The family later moved to the New Richland area where Leo attended rural school. As a young man, he became a part of the CCC organization during the depression building and improving areas of Southeastern Minnesota. Later Leo moved to the Dodge Center area where he worked for family, farming with relatives.

Flu vaccine is available at Mayo Clinic Health System. Flu vaccine clinics have been scheduled from 1 to 7:30 Oct. 8 on the fifth floor of the clinic; and 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 10, in the Anticoag Clinic, located on the first floor of the medical center across from the Ambulatory Surgery Unit. Appointments are required for all clinics and can be made by calling 507-668-2041.

To schedule an appointment to receive the flu vaccine outside of these clinic dates, you must make an appointment by calling 507-668-2041. If you already have an appointment with your provider, you can ask to receive the flu vaccine at that time. Flu vaccine is also available at Express Care within Albert Lea’s Hy-Vee for those 12 and older. No appointment is necessary at Express Care. Flu vaccine is covered by most insurance.

Flu vaccine clinic dates at other MCHS locations:

Group hopes to raise $80,000 by end of 2015

The larger the fund balance, the more dollars become available to grant.

It may sound like the New Richland Area Foundation has plenty of funds available for granting to local projects with currently approximately $420,000 in the fund. However, that is not the case. The grant dollars available comes from a formula used by the Minnesota Community of Funds based on the investment interest.

Though this year’s granting dollars available was $15,000, the NRAF grants committee continues to be challenged with requests of more than $35,000 each year from the school and community. Therefore it is their plea to request the community’s help in growing the fund so that more dollars become available to grant each year. The NRAF has granted out well more than $60,000 in the last four years as it continues to support local school and community needs.

The first ever Goal Campaign is to reach $500,000 by December 31, 2015.

Thomas Desmond Donnelly IV, Geneva, Minnesota died October 5, 2015. Tom was born on October 15, 1951 on an island just east of Ireland to Thomas and Elizabeth Donnelly.

He spent his childhood in England, Okinawa, Texas and graduated from Dugway High School in Utah where he was on the varsity teams football, basketball and golf. He studied macrobiotic cooking in Boston where he met his future and former wife Sheila O’Leary. They were married in Donegal, Ireland in 1975.  They later moved to the Blooming Prairie area where they farmed organically with draft horses raising cattle, sheep and chickens. 

Tom, or Digger, as he was affectionately known, dug graves to the top of his head at 13 different cemeteries. 

Miles R. Wilson, age 23, of Spring Park, passed away suddenly at work September 30, 2015. He was the loving and devoted son of Frank and Sherrie Wilson. 

Miles is a 2010 graduate of Mound Westonka High School and earned his B.A. in geography at Gustavus Adolphus, graduating in 2014. Miles worked for the DNR in water conservation for three years. He is remembered for his gentle disposition, sense of humor, reliable friendship and passion for hockey. jet skiing, dirt bikes, snowmobiles and his new best friend his nine-week old puppy, Kingsley, a miniature Australian shepherd. 

Lenard E. Lageson, 81, passed away Wednesday, September 30, at the Cottagewood Senior Living Center, Rochester, MN.

He was born March 22, 1934, in Ellendale, MN to Ernest and Bernice Lageson. On June 20, 1953, he married Everal Cornelius. She preceded him in death on March 14, 2014.

Lenard will be remembered for his keen sense of humor, love of music, cooking, collecting and selling guns and antiques. He was a “cowboy” at heart.

Lenard is survived by daughters, Diane (Rob) Kestner; Elaine (Rick) Zimmermann, Vicki Krauss; and a son, Allan; grandchildren, great grandchildren; sisters, Shirley McCarty, Mary Ann Cotte and Connie Olson.

In addition to his wife, Lenard was preceded in death by a son, Roger; two grandsons, and his parents.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Cottagewood for their loving care and Heartland Hospice.  Rochester Cremation is assisting the family.

Condolences can be sent to the Lenard Lageson Family c/o of Vicki Krauss, 114 Michael Street #2, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 54729.

NRHEG improves record to 5-1

YOU MAKE THE CALL — Panthers running back Perry Peterson stretches for the goal line as a LeSueur-Henderson defenseman hangs on Friday, Sept. 25 during NRHEG’s Homecoming at New Richland. Referees ruled Peterson was stopped short of the touchdown. The Panthers won, 35-14. (Star Eagle photo by Chris Schlaak)

By JIM LUTGENS

Editor/Publisher

As far as Dan Stork was concerned, only one thing really mattered last week: the football game Friday night.

All the festivities, parades and crownings don’t mean much, according to Stork, if you don’t cap Homecoming week with a win.

The Panthers did exactly that, crushing LeSueur-Henderson 35-14 while improving their record to 5-1.

Coach Stork, of course, had praise for his players, but he also had words of kindness for the opposition.

“I have to give LSH a lot of credit,” said Stork. “They're a solid team that plays very physical. Their coaching staff had their kids well prepared.”

The NRHEG volleyball team had lost back-to-back conference matches to Medford and Blooming Prairie.

The Panthers weren’t about to let it happen again.

They never gave visiting Maple River much of a chance in their Homecoming match, defeating the Eagles 3-0 at New Richland Thursday, Sept. 24. Game scores were 25-23, 25-11, 25-22.

“After losing two conference matchups, tonight’s win was needed,” said NRHEG coach Onika Peterson, whose team improved to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

The NRHEG High School boys’ cross country team had its day in the sun last Tuesday, and they made the most of it.

The Panthers turned in their best effort of the season in their only home meet, placing fifth among seven squads at Riverview Golf Course.

“It was a good team effort,” said coach Mike Weber.

RAACHE, a home school from Rochester, won with 34 points, followed by Loyola/Cleveland with 48, Tri-City United 77, Maple River 111, NRHEG 148, JWP/WEM 148 and Austin Pacelli 172.

It probably seems like the most senseless thing you can do, and you are probably right, but not for me.  Who in their right mind would cut apart a beautiful picture into 50, 100 or 1000 pieces and then struggle to put it back together again?

Problem solvers, that’s who!

You might say I have an addiction to jigsaw puzzles.

There is usually one in process of being completed on my mother’s bar in the corner of the kitchen.  Sometimes they are easy, other times often incredibly complex and hard. They are a diversion, a time out, a chance to give yourself time to think about something different, or a time to think of nothing at all but the task at hand.

You can learn a lot from the process of completing a puzzle. Think of how much better the world would or could be if we looked at it like we do a puzzle. I hope each one of us would find all the pieces needed, and then help to make them fit our lives, where we fit in and where we fit into the big picture. It would help complete our lives and make this a better world.

If you look back at the whole picture as a pile of individual pieces it is almost overwhelming, though you find yourself wanting to get busy and start putting them together. Each of us has our own style of “puzzling,” but most start with the “edge” pieces. The edges are the framework in which we seek to fit the pieces of lives.

Picture the puzzle of the world as it is today. Yes, we are all enclosed in that border and if each one country, or person, did their part to put the pieces of their world together, with the pieces all fitting together, wouldn’t it be wonderful?

Back to our own family scene. The puzzle is there. Sometimes we make ourselves find at least one piece to put in place each day. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience, but we make it. Some days the pieces fit so easily and sometimes they are almost impossible, to the point you would like to chuck it all back in the box and give up. Sometimes looking at the pieces from a different angle makes a big difference. By twisting and turning, comparing the colors, and going back and looking at the whole picture, it really helps to solve the situation. I am talking puzzles, but I am thinking life.

My grandmother used to say, “Give me a scissor and I’ll make it fit.” It was funny, but it was not the answer. Doing the wrong thing, or taking the easy way out wouldn’t solve the problem or situation. It is just frustrating at times to leave things the way they are instead of  working in a way to make them as they should be.

Life is a puzzle. But it is workable if we truly try. It is all in how you look at it and do your share to make the picture perfect.

Such is life. 

— — —

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, October 2nd: Laurie Jensen, Taya Richards, Amanda Hullopeter, Makayla Vangen, David Lembke, Christopher Bergerson, Adrian Jensen, Allen Jensen, Andrea Zamora, Wilma Ditlevson, Dawn Hanna, Chuck & LuAnn Hanson, Amy & Alex Kromminga, Brooke & Tim Krohn, Brody & Katie Richards, Bob & Kathy Hanson

• Friday, October 3rd: David Bunn, Lori Neidermeier, Dawn Enzenauer, Colette Holmes, Carrie Thompson, Wendy Thostenson Bogen, Paul Wayne, Lisa Zabel, Edna Thomas

• Saturday, October 4th: Susan Cornelius Wehr, Helen Jagusch Mantahei, Skyler Hanson, Clair Clausen, Michelle Lageson, Jerome Simon, Dale Waage, Jeff Waage, Lori Zabel, Matt Redmon, John & Cynthia Nelson, Krista & Randy Baana

• Sunday, October 5th: Kijah Joy Mikesell, Bethany Otto, Graciela Solveig Ortiz, Larry Pence, Karen Wiersma, Julie Cornelius, Jamie Farr, Elizabeth Randall, Peggy Sorenson, Linda Harding, Karen Kasper, Ray & Bunny Jepson, Jim & Pat Lyle, Wayne & Jo Schimek, Mandi & Darren Johannsen, Doug & Deb Braaten

• Monday, October 6th: Evan Matthew Beckman, Mesa Jo Grace Krause, Jackson Wyatt Lageson, Mark Plunkett, Marlin Beckman, Kaira Glienke, Melissa Horan, Aurie Brighton, Caden Reichl, Gail Turvold, Julie Born Beenken, Scott Holmes, Tait Misgen, Cindy Kasper Johnson, Jayme & Ryan Paulson

• Tuesday, October 7th: Ethan Hullopeter (2014) Candace Lageson Baker, Carolyn Weller, Jason Huber, Todd Wayne, Debbie David, Garrett Briggs, Jill Bergdale, Kris Strenge, John & Ellen Hanson, Denise & Jerry Abbott, Jamie & Brian Riley, Pat & Barb O'Conner

• Wednesday, October 8th: Axel Schlaak (2014) Mandy Moon, Lauren Olivia Sommers, Haley Hanson, Barb Hagen, Barb Dobberstein, Barb Strenge, Mary Kay Spurr, Brad Anderson, Doug Anderson, Hazel Spiering, Daniel Paulson, Kay Nelson, Julie & Brian Dahl

• Thursday, October 9th: Matt Kubiatowicz, Joshua Kasper, Cheryl Paulsen Wilson, Randy Mucha, Nancy Jo Anderson, Ashley Hove, Keith Neidermeier, Dennis Blouin

• Friday, October 10th: Pat Goodnature, Trevin Stollard, Aarin Gray Pirsig, his 2nd; Eric Anderson, Nicole Anderson Loken, Luverne Hamor, Haley Hanson, LeRoy Ingvaldson, Nicole Lonning, Betty DeRaad, Elena Grace Spande

• Saturday, October 11th: Alisha Moody, Reed Michael Kath, Mitchell Edwards, Ebonie Mullenmaster, Mayro Leak Kubista, Melissa Otto, Jenna Swearingen, Mike Trumble, Cory McGrath, Shawna Besco, John Cyr, Alisha Moody, Lee & Jody Loverink

May all of your favorite things be within reach?  Have a wonderful day!