Obituaries

Mary Ann Mitchell

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 1st, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Albany. Burial will follow at Seven Dolors Cemetery. The family will greet friends starting at 9 a.m. in Seven Dolors’ gathering space before the funeral.

Mary Ann Mitchell, age 88, passed away June 20, 2023 at home on her beloved farm in Albany surrounded by family after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Born in Saint Cloud, Minnesota on November 12, 1934, to Leonard and Eleanor Sauer, Mary grew up in a loving and lively home as the third oldest in a family of eight siblings. She would tell wonderful stories of the adventures she had growing up in Saint Cloud where she attended Cathedral High School and Saint Cloud School of Nursing to become an RN.

Mary met Emmett “Pete” Mitchell in Minneapolis in 1956. She took a leap of faith after a short courtship to join him on a new adventure in West Covina, California where they wed and built a life together. Mary and Pete went on to have seven children in California and to create a household on Greenberry Drive that served as a second home for their extended family, children’s friends, neighbors, and many animals. She was a calm and patient presence in the middle of it all. Mary continued to work fulltime as a nurse while raising her kids. Her ability to mother her own children and others, provide amazing nursing care, and manage to always find time for vacuuming was astounding.

Although her life in California was fulfilling, Mary continued to hold the hope of returning to her beloved Minnesota. Taking another leap of faith, Mary and Pete purchased a hobby farm in Albany, MN after Pete’s retirement. Mary and Pete loved their farm where they gardened, raised animals, hosted family, and learned about farming through much trial and error. In Albany, Mary returned to her true passion: nursing. She worked as a nurse at Albany Hospital for decades, retiring from nursing at age 63 but continuing to work in the nursing float pool until age 75. She loved her work at Albany Hospital where she would give the doctors a hard time, banter about politics, and provide exceptional care to her patients. Mary was a member of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Albany and lived her life by the teachings of Christ: love, generosity, simplicity, self-sacrifice, and acceptance.

After Mary’s great love, Pete, died of cancer,

Mary rebuilt her life in the wake of her sorrow, continuing to work, travel with her family, support her kids’ and grandkids’ activities, grow beautiful flowers, tend to her farm, and most importantly, serve as grandmother extraordinaire to her many grandchildren. She was always there with an ice cream sandwich, a little ditty (what was that song she always hummed?), a comment about their hair, and a no-nonsense and accurate suggestion that they would be “just fine.” Mary’s nurturing was reciprocated in her later years when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and her family and friends rallied around her to provide her with the love and care she showed so many others.

Left to honor and remember her love are Mary’s children: Peter Mitchell, Cathy (John Greer) Mitchell, David (Barbara) Mitchell, Jane (Mark) Spohn, Laura (Steve) Stumvoll, Paula (Jamie) van der Hagen, Luke (Lisa) Mitchell, 20 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, siblings John (Margie)Sauer, David (Joyce) Sauer, Kay (Ronald) Brown, Owen (Beverly) Sauer, Rita (Richard)Tester, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Emmett “Pete” Mitchell, her parents Leonard and Eleanor, siblings Jerry, Patricia, and Charles, granddaughter, Mary, and daughters-in-law Charleen and Melissa.

Memorials may be made in Mary’s name to The Alzheimer's Association. Arrangements by Miller-Carlin Funeral Homes, Albany.

Marlys Ann Bense

Marlys Ann Bense held the hand of Jesus into her heavenly home on Thursday, June 22 at the age of 82.

Born to Clarence and Florence (McClintick) Holler on June 30, 1940, in Hartford Township near Long Prairie. She attended country school through 6th grade, Trinity Lutheran School for 7th and 8th grade and graduated from Long Prairie High School in 1957.

She was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church, Long Prairie, MN. Strong in her faith, she could be found in the choir balcony or in what seemed like the assigned pew each Sunday morning. Active with the Altar Committee, teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School were things she enjoyed. For many years, she found church banners to be a passion and some of those banners are and will be adorning the sanctuary.

It was October 7, 1961, when she married Rodger Marten Bense. Both born and raised in Long Prairie, they knew each other through church and school. They had many travels together with friends and family. Mesa, AZ, was a warm get-away in the winter. Marlys worked at a local dentist office and then First National Bank for over 20 years until she retired to be a homemaker.

Marlys is survived by son Chad (Barb) Bense, sister Lila (Joyce) Rosenow and grandchildren Collin Bense and Kayla Bense.

She is preceded in death by her husband Rodger and her parents.

A funeral was held on Monday, June 26, 2023, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Prairie. Burial followed at the church cemetery. Arrangements were with the Iten Funeral Home. 320-573-2607

The Grey Eagle/Swanville Knights of Columbus Council recently donated $600.00 to Marissa Throener of Swanville, who will be attending World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal. The money will help with some of the expenses of the trip. World Youth Day is a worldwide encounter with the Pope, celebrated about every 3 years in a different country. Submitted by Ken Sinclair.

Card of Thanks

Thank you to our friends, family and community for your kindness and support. It is warmly recieved and greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

Andy Seifert, Nicole Griffin & Family

Thank you family, friends, and relatives for the support, prayers, food, cards, and memorials for Dale. Thank you CentraCare Hospice for his care the last days, Father Vince and Father Ron for the beautiful service, Jeanne Bonfig for the music and the ladies serving the lunch.

Joan Wegleitner

To Submit a Card of Thanks the cost is $5.00 for the first 50 words, 10¢ for each additional word. MUST BE PREPAID. Mail to: Hometown News, 29442 120th St., Grey Eagle, MN 56336.

Live

PULL

Sunday, July 16, 2023 • 11 AM Food Stand & Beer Garden at the Lions Park, Grey Eagle

Registration starts @ 10 AM

From the Desk of Pastor Bruce

I saw a little video the other day that was hilarious. A little girl comes into the same room as her dad and says, sheepishly, “Dad, you might be getting a phone call from the school.” Of course, the dad stops what he was doing and asks, “Why, what happened?”

So, the little girl explains that she was in the lunch line and there was a big bowl of apples. A sign was in front of the bowl that said, “Take only one, and remember, God is watching!”

The little girl continues down the lunch line and eventually came to the cookies, to which she wrote her own note, “Take as many as you like, God is watching the apples.”

Hilarious, but it brought up some thoughts! God is everywhere, Omnipresent. But He is Spirit, not like he is in the plant or animals, but His presence is everywhere. We cannot see Him, but we can learn about Him and experience Him through all He has made. Romans 1:18-20 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

God is Spirit and not in bodily form. John 4:24 “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Although

Jesus, His Son became a man, John 1:1-5 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” And so, we worship Him as Lord of our lives!

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” His ways are different than our ways and yet He loves us so much He sent His one and only Son into the world. Jesus came to take our punishment for our sin. Praise God!

-Pastor Bruce Miller from Swanville Bible Church, 320-547-2916