Obituaries

Joseph A. Boecker

Joseph A. “Joe” Boecker, age 72 of Melrose, passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at his home in Melrose, Minnesota.

A private memorial service will be held at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose. Inurnment will be held in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Melrose.

Joseph Arnold Boecker was born May 28, 1950 in Millwood Township, Stearns County, Minnesota to Lawrence and Valeria (Pohlmann) Boecker. He attended Melrose High School through the twelfth grade. Joe was a self employed truck driver who spent his entire life trucking making local runs and traveling over the road.

Survivors include his daughters, Cheryl Fuechtmann of Melrose and Kim (Jason) Bauer of Melrose; grandsons, Cody and Kyle Fuechtmann; granddaughter, Olivia Bauer; brothers and sisters, Caroline Erickson of Grey Eagle, David (Ellie) Boecker of St. Rosa, Rosie (Dave) Ehlert of Freeport, Gerald (Verna “Tweetie”) Boecker of Melrose, Marilyn (Charles) Berger of Albany, Joann (Ron) Bielke of Sauk Centre, Kenneth Boecker of St. Rosa, and Steven (Geri) Boecker of Melrose; sister-inlaw, Carol Boecker of Delano; and many nieces and nephews.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents; son, Gary Boecker at age seven; brothers, Vigil, Alvin, and Jerome Boecker; and nephew, Brian Hellermann.

Arrangements were made with PattonSchad Funeral and Cremation Services of Melrose. SNOW

Dale: 320-493-6329 SENIOR

Michael J. Ellering

Michael J.

“Mike” Ellering, age 70 of Greenwald, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at his home in Greenwald, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 3 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose with Rev. Marvin Enneking officiating.

A private inurnment will be held at a later date.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at the PattonSchad Funeral Home in Melrose.

Michael Joseph Ellering was born September 8, 1952 in Melrose, Minnesota to Anthony and Mary Margaret (Gross) Ellering. After graduating from Melrose High School, Mike was voluntarily drafted in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1973. He was united in marriage to Joan Blommel on April 7, 1972 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in St. Rosa. Mike owned and operated the Woodshed Cabinet Shop until moving to Kerrville, Texas where he also managed a cabinet shop. While living in Kerrville, Mike also worked as a fulltime firefighter. Mike and Joan returned to Greenwald to take over the family farm. After his retirement from farming, he went back to cabinet making and then worked at Stony Creek Dairy until his official retirement.

He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose. Mike enjoyed hunting and fishing, riding motorcycles, and loved spending time with his grandchildren, especially when it came to playing pool. He also loved helping his family and friends with their cabinet or construction projects.

Survivors include his loving wife of 50 years, Joan Ellering of Greenwald; children, Benj (Jenn) Ellering of Spicer, Tammy (Kyle) Beuning of Melrose, Cory (June) Ellering of Melrose, and Perry (Dannielle) Ellering of Melrose; nine grandchildren, Gabe, Chloe, Turner, Lauryn, Wyatt, Jack, Kaylee, Faye, and Courtney; grandpuppy, Remi; mother, Mary Margaret Ellering of Melrose; brothers and sister, Mark (Janice) Ellering of St. Cloud, Antoinette Evens of Tomball, Texas, Daniel (Norma) Ellering of Sauk Centre, David (Mary) Ellering of St. Cloud, Anthony "Tony" Ellering of St. Cloud, and Jeff (Michelle) Ellering of Columbia Heights. Michael was preceded in death by his father, Anthony Ellering on June 4, 2012; niece, Paige Luethmers; and brothers-in-law, Danny and Ned. Memorials are preferred.

Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral and Cremation Services of Melrose.

Shawn Karnes took first place with this 9.7 pound walleye at the Sobieski & Swanville Lions Club Fishing Contest. Submitted by Dale Lambrecht.

Sobieski & Swanville Lions Fishing Contest Results

Walleye: 1st place Shawn Karnes 9.7 lbs., 2nd Martin Skoglund 1.86 lbs., 3rd Dan Kiffmeyer .18 lbs.

Northern: 1st place Bucky Meagher

3.15 lbs., 2nd place Adam Janey 3 lbs., 3rd Tyler Czech 2.5 lbs.

Bass: 1st place Cody Czech 2.65 lbs., 2nd James Proell 2.08 lbs., 3rd Chloe Wright 1.53 lbs.

Crappie: 1st place Dan Stangler 1.03 pounds, 2nd Curtis Peterson .94 lb., 3rd Mike Beach .88 lb.

Sunfish: 1st place Cody Czech .62 lb., 2nd Bill Witt .61 lb., 3rd Cody Czech .59 lb. Perch: 1st place Kevin Schwalbe .11 lb., 2nd Conner Scherping .09 lb., 3rd Joey Beach, Eli Schwalze, Logan Bursch .08 lb.

From the Desk of Pastor Bruce

Here is a penetrating question. “Does God exist?” Maybe the question ought to be, “Why don’t you believe in God?” Most of you are probably saying, right now… “But I do believe in God!” I had a “religious leader” say to me the other day, “we all have different ways of getting to heaven, but we all get there.” My question to everyone reading is, why would a Holy and Righteous God allow you into heaven? I mean the punishment for sin is death. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There are so many who think they are going to heaven because they have done something good, maybe to out weigh the bad in their life, but the Bible is clear, there is only one way to heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”

So many people will be disappointed when they get to heaven and be turned away because they did not believe in God’s Son, Jesus Christ and His work on the cross! Matthew 7:21-23 says “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

I was in Papua New Guinea a few years ago building a house for a missionary. The local hardware/lumber store sold nails, but only one kind of nail for framing. They sold a 3” galvanized casing nail, in one-pound bags. The bag said on it “Use the right nail for the job,” but they only sold one kind of nail. Listen to me now… There is only one way to salvation. That fact may be frustrating to some, as I was frustrated by not using 16 penny nails for framing.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Are you trusting in man made rules or are you trusting in Jesus, God’s Son who died for your sins, cleansing you from all your sin making you pure and holy?

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

Stearns Co. Sheriff’s Office

House Fire: February 23, 2023: At approximately 12:24 a.m., the Stearns County Emergency Communications Center received a report of a house fire at 155 Highway 4 in the city of Meire Grove. The homeowner Ethan Walz, 26, reported being awakened by smoke alarms going off inside his residence and he could see smoke coming from the basement. Walz woke up his roommate Alex Zierden, 28, and they evacuated the home with their two dogs. There was no one else inside the residence. Walz and Zierden were not injured and did not seek any medical attention. Melrose, Sauk Centre, and Freeport Fire Departments responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. The residence suffered heavy smoke and fire damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Crash: February 27, 2023: At 8:00 a.m., the Stearns County Sheriff's Office Emergency Communications Center received reports of a vehicle crash on County Road 17, east of State Highway 238 in Krain Township. Upon arrival a deputy located a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt blocking the east bound lane of County Road 17. The Cobalt driven by Alexis Czeck, 16, of Freeport, was missing the front end and its engine and had been involved in a crash with a semi driven by Jason Schade, 42, of Valley View, Pennsylvania.

It was reported that Czeck was traveling east on County Road 17 and the semi was traveling west, when she lost control on the icy roads. Czeck crossed over the center line striking the semi on the driver’s side and came to rest in the roadway. Czeck was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash and sustained minor injuries and Schade was uninjured.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and were assisted by Holdingford Rescue and the Minnesota State Patrol.

Rick’s Painting

Clayton Jon Klaphake

Kevin and Mariah Klaphake of Freeport are proud to announce the birth of their son, Clayton Jon Klaphake, born on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 8:50 a.m. at CentraCareMelrose Hospital.

Clayton weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 19 inches long.

He has a big sister Mallory 2 years old at home.

Grandparents are Joe and Sharon Schwieters of Greenwald, and Steve and Pam Klaphake of Freeport.

Laken Tracy Quinn

Morgan Jackels-Linn and Connor Quinn of Melrose are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Laken Tracy Quinn, born on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:46 a.m. at CentraCare-Melrose Hospital.

Laken weighed 9 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20 inches long.

She has a big sister Aspen 4 years old at home.

Grandparents are Kurt and Tracy Linn of Grey Eagle, Jeremy and Tonya Greiner of Dassel, and Frank and Gina Quinn of Sauk Centre. Great-grandparents are Ralph and Sharon Linn of Albany, John and Lori Jackels of Freeport, Joann Masters of Redwood Falls, and Jon Linn of Melrose.

Locally Growin’ Campaign Begins March 1

Although central Minnesota is covered in snow, it is springtime at the library! Locally Growin’, the fundraising campaign at Great River Regional Library (GRRL), runs Wednesday, March 1, through Friday, March 31, 2023.

Our Locally Growin’ campaign keeps donations 100 percent within the branch library of the donor’s choosing. Each library selects a specific “wish” item and a campaign goal. Over $26,000 was raised around the region in 2022 to support various goals. Each library’s goal is unique and focuses on its community’s interests and needs.

GRRL’s northern library locations are raising money for the following this year: Staples wishes to add Play2Learn kits, adults’ and children’s books, and activity playsets to their library;

Eagle Bend wishes to add Play2Learn kits, Lucky Day books, and activity playsets to their library; Long Prairie wishes to add educational children’s activities and books;

· Grey Eagle wishes to add educational children’s activities and books;

Swanville wishes to have children’s programming and supplies;

Upsala wishes to have STEAM and nature programs;

Little Fall wishes to add to their children’s area;

Pierz wishes to add a Lane Walker book set and a Lucky Luke book set by Kevin Lovegreen;

Royalton wishes to have a visit from the Minnesota Zoo’s Zoomobile, add a children’s play activity tower in the library, and have educational children’s activities. These are just a few of our libraries’ wishes across our six-county region. Stop by to learn what is growin’ at your local library! You can learn more about the Locally Growin’ campaign and make a difference for your library by giving online at https://griver.org/library-news/locally-growin-2023.

Sudoku is one of the most popular puzzle games of all time. The goal of Sudoku is to fill a 9×9 grid with numbers so that each row, column and 3×3 section contain all of the digits between 1 and 9. As a logic puzzle, Sudoku is also an excellent brain game.

Dave Says -By Dave Ramsey

Dear Dave, I have an uncle who wants to gift some property to one of his sons, myself and my sister. The property is about two-anda-half acres, and it’s probably worth around $125,000. My wife and I are trying to pay off debt in Baby Step 2 of your plan, and we’re not sure how we feel about the situation. What do you think?

-Dave

Dear Dave,

If your uncle asked me if he should do this, my answer would be no. The thing is, you’ve got three different sets of people with different lives and very different situations. Not only that, but these three potential coowners probably have differing ideas about the land and what should or shouldn’t be done with it. To me, the whole thing sounds like a big family fight just waiting to happen.

If I were in his shoes, I’d just sell the property and split the money equally between the three of you. It’d be a lot easier that way, and you’d avoid the chance of hard feelings between you and your relatives down the road. Don’t get me wrong, your uncle sounds like a kind and generous man. He’s trying to be a blessing to all three of you, but it has a very real possibility of causing unintended problems he may not see coming.

That’s the way I’d handle it, Dave. A couple of acres of dirt split between three people isn’t worth all the squabbles and bad feelings it could cause.

Ask The Motor Medics®

From the Hosts of the Under The Hood radio show.

-Dave

* Dave Ramsey is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

Albany Senior Dining

Mon., Mar. 6: Corn dog, baked beans, cucumber salad, grapes.

Tues., Mar. 7: Liver & onions or hamburger patty, gravy, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, fruit cocktail.

Wed., Mar. 8: Special of the day.

Thurs., Mar. 9: Lemon garlic pork loin, baked potato, California Normandy veg., Mandarin oranges, roll.

Fri., Mar. 10: Pollock on bun, coleslaw, steak fries, banana. Pre-registration requested to dine daily. For more info. call 320-845-4070.

Upsala - All Ages

BREAKFAST: Mon.-Fri. 7-10 a.m.: Walk in & dine. Take out available, call ahead.

Mon., Mar. 6: Grilled ham & cheese sandwich, soup, chips, dessert.

Tues., Mar. 7: Sloppy Joes, cheesy potatoes, vegetable, dessert.

Wed., Mar. 8: Sweet & sour chicken w/ rice, egg roll, dessert.

Thurs., Mar. 9: Liver & onions, potato, vegetable, dessert.

Fri., Mar. 10: Tuna noodle casserole, garden salad, dessert.

Pick up or eat in by 11:30 a.m. For meals, call a day before: 320-573-4435.

Dear Motor Medics, I have a 2005 Ford F150 truck with the 5.4 engine and I've been watching my fuel mileage drop slowly but steadily over the past five years. It's been about 60k miles and I've lost about 5mpg over that time frame. The truck runs perfectly so I haven't taken it in to have anything checked. Where should I start if I wanted to try and get the mileage back up where it had been?

-Dan in Sioux City, Iowa

Dear Dan,

Fuel economy degrades for many reasons, some of which can be avoided with daily habits while others need to be addressed on a more professional level. Daily you can keep the air in your tires at the level recommended by your vehicles manufacturer and you can keep your engine oil maintained and your air filter clean. Driving at excessive speeds also is a prime waster of fuel and with many places raising the speed limits we have seen mileage fall accordingly. Some of the more in-depth end tune up items such as spark plugs and wearing oxygen sensors can degrade economy. These things can be checked by your mechanic. Finally, but not all is the fuel system and induction system. As the valves and injectors become carbon coated and sludge builds up on them, the engine efficiency will drop and as it does the fuel economy will as well. These are a few things you and your mechanic can talk about.

-Take care, the Motor Medics

Dear Motor Medics, I keep developing a shake in my cars brake system. It's a 2006 Chevy Impala and I made it the first 80k miles before it first happened and at that time they replaced all of my cars brake pads and rotors and it was good for about 6 months then the front rotors warped again and I replaced them a second time. Now it's been just three months and they are shaking again and I can only assume it's the front rotors. What could be causing them to fail so often when the first ones lasted so long? I'm using original equipment parts.

-Peter in Sachse, Texas Dear Peter,

We suspect there may be more to the brake failure than just worn out brake pads and rotors. When brakes are replaced it is easy to replace just the parts you visually see worn and overlook underlying items such as calipers that are sticking and brake hardware and hoses that are causing the brakes to drag. An important part of any brake job is to thoroughly inspect these items or you can end up with repeat failure. If a brake is not releasing completely it may not feel like there's a problem but it can build up heat from dragging and that heat can lead to premature wear and also brake rotors that are warped again in a short amount of time. When you find out what is wrong inspect everything else thoroughly.

-Take care, the Motor Medics For entertainment only. Always consult your local shop and follow all safety procedures before repairs. Come visit the Motor Medics® online at Underthehoodshow.com.

• 65’ Bucket Truck

• Tree Trimming

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• Lot Clearing

• 16 years experience

• Tree Removal 320-351-9018 320-260-9377