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LaVerne Charlie Miller, 80, of rural Owatonna, died Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at his home surrounded by his loving family.
He was born June 30, 1943 at home on the farm in Lemond Township, the son of Charles and Virginia (Fischer) Miller. He attended country school and high school in Owatonna through the 10th grade.
He married Beverly Holleschau on May 12, 1973 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Owatonna. They made their home on the Miller family farm where they raised their family.
LaVerne was a farmer, milked cows, and raised beef cattle. He always enjoyed mowing and putting up hay. He was a devoted John Deere man all his life. He enjoyed attending anything where John Deere equipment was shown and especially enjoyed auctions.
In his free time, he enjoyed dancing with Beverly, snowmobiling, fishing and ice fishing, drives in the country, anything made with blueberries, eating at The Kernel in Owatonna, watching western shows, wrestling, old time music, card games (Nickels) and his 1964 Chevy Impala (his first car).
He is survived by his children, Linda Miller, Stephen Stenzel, Ken (Cheryl) Stenzel, Doris Ulrich, Dee Ulrich, Marilyn (Darrell) Weber, Russ Stenzel, Pat (Dale) Seykora, Tom (Cheryl) Stenzel, Tonya (Keith) Ingvaldson, and Tim (DaNae) Stenzel all of the surrounding area; 17 grandchildren; 23 great grandchildren; sisters, LaVonne (Dale) Strand of Pine River, Louise Stenzel of Meriden and Leona Rieck of Owatonna; sisters in law, Candy Fischer of Rice Lake, WI and Lola Eastlund of Fridley and many nieces and nephews.
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Brian J. Reese, 73, of Owatonna, formerly of Ellendale, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at Benedictine Living Community in Owatonna, MN.
A visitation was held from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at Bonnerup-Ellendale Chapel, in Ellendale, MN. A private funeral and burial will take place on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at First Lutheran Church in Ellendale, with burial to be held at the church cemetery. The service may be viewed by visiting www.BonnerupFuneralService.com
Born on July 6, 1950 in Albert Lea, Brian was the son of the late Merle and Zola Mae (Gibson) Reese. A proud native of Ellendale, Brian spent his early years working alongside his dad on the family farm. As a young man, he earned a commendable blue ribbon for his steer while showcasing his knack for agriculture as a member of the 4H Beaver Lake Beavers.
Brian's journey in life was marked by hard work and dedication. After his education at the Southern School of Agriculture, he embarked on a fulfilling career as a Maintenance Mechanic at Bird's Eye in Waseca, retiring in 1996 after many years of service.
Away from work, his adventurous spirit shone through his love for motorcycle riding, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and raising Arabian and Quarter horses. Brian's competitive side was evident in his participation in various sports like softball and arm wrestling, where his strength and tenacity made him a formidable opponent.
Brian's downtime was filled with his favorite pastimes. He found solace in the tranquility of hunting, trapping and fishing. His ability to fix anything earned him a reputation as the go-to handyman. Despite his toughness, Brian had a softer side, enjoying live music and dancing, attending auctions, as well as indulging in action movies and classic Westerns.
Those left to cherish Brian’s memory include his two children, Brooke (Lon) Thiele and Mitch Reese (Shelby Dawson), and their mother, Jean Reese; grandchildren, Savannah Thiele and Jasmine Thiele, Isaiah Dawson, Brayden Reese; siblings, Candace Duros and Scott Reese; nieces and nephews, Chad Duros, Quang (Mindy) Nguyen and their children, Rachel (Anders Long), Tina Ngyuen and Peter Nguyen, Todd Reese and his children, Ozzy, Charli, and Jillian Reese, and Courtney (Brian) Armstrong and their children, Paige, Reese, and Kinsey Armstrong.
Brian was preceded in death by his parents, Merle and Zola (Gibson) Reese.
A special thank you to the staff of St. Croix Hospice, Benedictine Living Community in Owatonna, Alternative Resolutions, and Mayo Clinic for providing such great care for our Dad. We are forever grateful to you.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Benedictine Living Community of Owatonna and The Steele County Humane Society.
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Dave Casper, age 73, of West St. Paul, MN passed away on March 23, 2024. He was born on August 8, 1950 in Waseca, Minnesota and grew up on the family farm in New Richland, MN. He was son to Earl and Mildred (Thiel) Casper and Ruth (Spaag) Casper. He graduated from NRHEG High School in New Richland, Minnesota and received his Bachelor’s in Education from Mankato State University.
After school he roofed, traveled, built decks, traveled some more, then settled in Rosemount, teaching 6th grade. He enjoyed teaching, but his passion was fixing up and flipping homes. He had a talent for seeing the potential and restoring foreclosed properties. Through time and hard work, he could smooth out the rough edges and transform a fixer upper into a beautiful family home. It was his gift.
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Paul Donovan, age 71, of New Richland passed away the evening of Monday, March 18, 2024 at Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester.
Born on September 21, 1952 in Colorado Springs, CO, he was the son of Willis and Winefred (Gravitt) Donovan. He attended Titusville High School. He enlisted in the US Army and Marines on February 8, 1970 where he served in the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged. He was united in marriage to Lynn Nelson on October 22, 1974 in Titusville, FL. They later divorced.
Following his military career, Paul worked in the construction field as a sandblaster. He went to work as a service manager for a Chrysler dealership. After he moved to Minnesota, Paul worked for Ford Motor in Mankato as a service advisor until his health declined. In his free time, Paul enjoyed watching WWE wrestling. He had an impressive collection of hand-blown glass and a special cat, Rosco. He was able to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams of visiting the John Wayne Museum a few years ago. He will be dearly missed.
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Michael Charles Coy, age 71, of rural New Richland, died at his home with his family by his side the morning of Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
Mike was born in Wells on February 28, 1953 to parents Clifford and Sue (Weaver) Coy. He graduated from high school in Waldorf before continuing his education at Albert Lea Vo-Tech, where he studied diesel mechanics. He worked various jobs over the years, including construction, Bird’s Eye Foods, Brown Printing, and as a Diesel Mechanic. He also had a lifelong great love for farming.
On June 23, 1984, Mike was married to Cynthia Rene Siems at the Evangelical United Methodist Church in Waseca. His first priority was always his wife, children, and grandchildren, who knew him as “the tickle monster.” He loved all things John Deere, hobby farming, cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and horses. During his quiet times he liked John Wayne movies, music and musicals, and reading Louis L’Amour novels.