
12 minute read
Obituaries: Lyon, Schmitz, Holmen, Jackson, Imdieke
Dennis H. Lyon, age 65 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with cancer on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota. A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, March 1 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Greg Paffel officiating. Inurnment was in Greenwood Cemetery in Sauk Centre.
Dennis Herman Lyon was born August 23, 1956 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota to Sidney and Rita (Ostendorf) Lyon. He graduated from Grey Eagle High School in 1974. He was united in marriage to LeaAnn Ufkin on January 9, 1982 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Dennis was a Jack Frost truck driver for ten years and was a dairy farmer for 16 years. He later worked for Todd County Public Works for 21 years. Dennis was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre. He enjoyed woodworking, hunting, fishing, and helping others.
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Survivors include his loving wife of 40 years, LeaAnn Lyon of Sauk Centre; children, Melissa Lyon of Spring Lake, North Carolina, Kimberly Lyon of Sauk Centre, Jason (Brandy) Lyon of Long Prairie, and Sarah (Travis) Redetzke of Osakis; five grandchildren, Garret, Trent, Hannah, Zoe, and Piper; brothers and sisters, Arthur (MaryAnn) Lyon of Rice, Grace Edgar of Sauk Centre, Sidney L. (Joann) Lyon of Sauk Rapids, Dale (Ruth) Lyon of Melrose, Audrey (Don) Olmscheid of Paynesville, Roger Lyon of Villard, Allen (Anna) Lyon of Foley, Joe (Cathy) Lyon of Holdingford, Mary (Ron) Guetter of Willmar, Judy (Dave) Haus of Sauk Rapids, David (Beth) Lyon of Marshall, Mike (Lori) Lyon of St. Joseph, Lloyd (Joan) Lyon of Rice, Tom (Meredith) Lyon of St. Joseph, and Nancy (Brian) Roske of Grey Eagle; and many loving relatives and friends.
Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Sidney Lyon on March 24, 2020 and Rita Lyon on November 18, 2010; granddaughter, Alexis on July 19, 2000; brother-in-law, Kenneth Edgar; and several nieces and nephews.
Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Services of Sauk Centre.
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Sat.: 8 am-3 pm Drop Off Site Aaron J. Schmitz, age 46 of Melrose, passed away unexpectedly, surrounded by his family on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at the CentraCare Hospital in Melrose, Minnesota. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 7 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose with Rev. Marvin Enneking officiating. Interment will be at the parish cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday at the church. Melrose Fire Department will pray at 5:30 p.m. followed by parish prayers at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Aaron Joseph Schmitz was born September 25, 1975 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota to Florian and Rosella (Beilke) Schmitz. After graduating high school, he married Kim Toenyan on August 22, 1994 in Long Prairie, Minnesota. From this union, they had three children, Stephanie born in 1996, Derek born in 2004, and Jadyn born in 2007. Aaron worked at Burger King in Melrose working his way up to manager and ended his last two years as district manager. In 2017, Aaron began working at the Melrose Area School as food service manager. Working at the school was the perfect fit. He was well liked by all; students, coworkers, faculty, and parents. He couldn’t go anywhere without giving a friendly hello. His wonderful personality and smile will be missed! His passion for sports was evident to all. In his younger years, he enjoyed playing basketball and continued his involvement with coaching, refereeing, umping, and helping with the score board during sporting events. Aaron was an avid fisherman and enjoyed cooking and spending time with family.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose. He served on the Melrose School Board and the Melrose Chamber of Commerce. Aaron had a heart for helping people. He joined the Melrose Fire Department as a volunteer and served alongside his friends, that became family, for more than 20 years.
Survivors include his wife, Kim Schmitz of Melrose; children, Stephanie Schmitz (Christian Botello), Derek Schmitz, and Jadyn Schmitz all of Melrose; brothers, Kris Schmitz of Sauk Rapids and Steve (Chandra) Schmitz and their children, Shaelyn, Layla, and Olivia of Sauk Centre; father and mother-in-law, Kenny and Shirley Toenyan of Long Prairie; brothers and sister-in-law, Chad (Vanessa) Toenyan of Big Lake, Shaun (Sarah) Toenyan of Litchfield, and Dana Botello (Jay Lenz) of Little Sauk; and seven nieces and nephews on the Toenyan side with one on the way.
Aaron was preceded in death by his parents, Florian and Rosie Schmitz.
Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Services of Melrose.
Brian’s Painting
Interiors, Exteriors, Staining, Varnishing Brian Middendorf
320-293-9939 40 Years Experience Early in the morning of the unusual date of 2/22/22, Arlene Holmen, 93, peacefully (and I believe – joyously) went to be with her Savior Jesus Christ after suffering with congestive heart failure. She is survived by her son Daniel Berg and his wife Linda, and her daughter Marcia Brown and her husband Ken.
Her grandchildren: Paul Berg and his wife, Marcel; Caleb Berg and his wife, Chanel; Hannah Elrod and her husband, Nate; Kendra Manna and her husband, Ben; Michael Brown; Jordan Brown and his wife, Abby. She is also survived by her 10 great grandchildren (with one on the way): Elise, Judah, Emmie, Eden, Rueben and Olive. Elizabeth, Gabriella, and Maximus, and George. Arlene loved all her grandchildren and great grandchildren dearly.
She prayed for all of them and they gave her last years of life great joy and satisfaction.
Arlene loved the Lord with all her heart and her one desire always was for all her family to know Jesus Christ and live for Him.
O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8.


James E. Jackson
James E. Jackson, age 87, of Melrose, MN died on February 22, 2022, of natural causes at the CentraCare-Melrose Hospital. He had been residing at the CentraCare Assisted Living Facility in Melrose, MN since August while also maintaining his home on the Sauk River in Melrose.
A memorial service celebrating Jim’s will be held at a later date. Inurnment will be in the Minnesota State Veteran’s Cemetery.
Jim was born on July 30, 1934 in St. Joseph, MO to Edward and Jenny Jackson. He resided in Kansas City, MO until 1953 when he began attending the University of Kansas, studying premechanical engineering. His dad maintained a house on Big Birch Lake in Grey Eagle, MN where the entire family would reside in the summers, until the kids grew up.
Jim served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1957-1961. He was a 2nd Engine (diesel) Man on Coast Guard cutter ships, 100+feet. He loved it when the crew would go out to sea, being an avid boat enthusiast (Power and Sail) his whole life.
Jim met his wife Norma at a friend’s wedding in St. Petersburg, Florida. They eventually started dating and were married 6 months later, on February 9, 1957, in Clearwater, FL. He and Norma relocated to Mobile, Alabama where Jim completed his Service in the Coast Guard.
After four years in the Coast Guard, while reconsidered re-enlistment, Jim sent letters to the engine departments of Caterpillar and John Deere, for potential employment. He got offers from both and decided on John Deere. He relocated to Dubuque, IA with his wife and son, David.
Jim worked as an Engine Tech in Dubuque until 1969 when he was promoted to the Engine Engineering Team and moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa. There he worked at the Experimental Farm, which eventually became the Engine Plant until 1998 when he retired to Hickory Hollow near Buckingham, IA. While at John Deere, Jim worked with several projects, amongst others, involving pistons and fuel pumps, which were eventually patented.
Jim and Norma relocated to Melrose, MN on the Sauk River in 2004. Jim became an avid Model Airplane and Model Boat builder and flyer/pilot, all electric, after using the Nitro Engines as a child.
James and Norma were snowmobile enthusiasts, Jim more than Norma. In addition to the local snowmobile trails they would travel to Cable, Wisconsin, for snowmobile trips. These trips were also taken earlier, when the kids were growing up.
Jim is survived by his sons, David, Ft. Dodge, Iowa, and Jared, Chicago, IL, and his daughter, Kitt (Mike) Gogel, New Hartford, IA.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Norma; and siblings, Tony and Edith “Edy.” Richard F. “Dick” Imdieke, age 78 of Meire Grove, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 12, 2022 at his home at Tree of Life Assisted Living in New Munich, Minnesota. A memorial celebration will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 3 at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose with Rev. Marvin Enneking officiating. Inurnment will be at St. John the Baptist Cemetery in Meire Grove.
Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, March 3 at the funeral home in Melrose.
Richard Frank (Dick) Imdieke was born May 12, 1943 in Meire Grove, Minnesota to John and Fredericka (Macke) Imdieke. Dick was a farmer on his family’s legacy acreage. The outdoors was Dick’s favorite place where he enjoyed Minnesota’s four seasons while working, chopping wood and gardening. He liked to bake fruit pies. Dick also was a proud Godfather.
Dick moved to Tree of Life Assisted Living home in 2019. He took special pride in the garden he tended there and the fresh vegetables it produced for meals. He enjoyed social time with his friends, artistic crafts and assembling wood models.
Survivors include his sisters and brothers, Irene Mergen of Waite Park, Fred (Margaret) Imdieke of Melrose, Sister Alice Imdieke, O.S.B. of St. Joseph, Doris Ethen of St. Cloud, and Aloysius (Sandra) Imdieke of Meire Grove; sister-in-law, Margaret Breitbach of Elrosa; and 30 nieces and nephews including godchildren Mary Schmitz and Rick Mergen.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Agnes Imdieke, Mildred Gans, Celine Caspers; brother, John Imdieke; brothers-in-law, Roger Gans, Alcuin Caspers, George Mergen, Ronald Schwinghammer, Al Ethen; and nephew, Paul Mergen.
Morrison Co. Sheriff’s Office
February 26, 2022: At approximately 12:05 p.m. received a report of a snowmobile accident along Highway 238 east of 90th Avenue, approximately one mile east of Elmdale, MN in Elmdale Township.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a 7-year-old juvenile male of Royalton, MN was driving a Polaris snowmobile westbound in the ditch along Highway 238. The snowmobile hit a driveway approach causing him to be thrown from the machine. The juvenile male was transported to St. Gabriel’s Hospital by Mayo Clinic Ambulance with a broken arm. The juvenile’s parents were riding with the juvenile on separate snowmobiles when the incident occurred.
The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Upsala First Response Team and Mayo Clinic Ambulance.
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Six Ladies in Purple representing Melrose High School, participated at the 2022 State Gymnastics Meet. Vault: Maria; Bars: Courtney and Miranda; Beam: Hannah and Maria; and Floor: Courtney, Maretta and Meghan.


Swanville Spelling Bee Winners: (Pictured right) Beau Thieschafer, grade 7, was the winner of the Swanville School Spelling Bee, and (left) Miolo Hutchins, grade 5, was the runner-up. Beau will compete in the Region Spelling Bee at Sourcewell in Staples on March 23 at 1:30 pm. Congratulations Beau and Milo!
Dustin and Katie Sweet of Grey Eagle are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Leah Jean Sweet, born Thursday February 17, 2022 at 7:23 p.m. at Centracare Health-Sauk Centre.
Grandparents are Ron and MaryLou Bussmann of Grey Eagle, Michelle Eldstrom-Bruhjell of Eagle Bend, and The late Noah Sweet. Great-grandparents are Douglas Sweet of Minneapolis, Judy and Ron Dabruzzi of St. Louis Park, and MaryAnn Pflipsen of New Munich.





Blake Steven Zimmer
Steve and Kari Zimmer of St. Cloud are proud to announce the birth of their son, Blake Steven Zimmer, born on Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 10:46 a.m. at CentraCare Health-Melrose Hospital.
He has a big brother, Walker 13 months old at home.
Grandparents are Ted and Renee Kemper of Melrose, and Mike and Diane Zimmer of St. Joe. Great-grandparents are Gerald and Kitty Zimmer of St. Joe, and Agnes Rothstein of St. Cloud.
Blake Paul Bertram
Blake Paul Bertram was born to Lisa and Christopher Bertram of Holdingford on February 22, 2022 at 8:26 a.m. at St. Gabriel Hospital, Little Falls.
His big sisters are Kourtney, Ava and Megan.
Grandparents are Keith and Teresa Ripplinger of Holdingford, and Reuben and Cindy Bertram of Spring Hill. Great-grandma is Lucille Ripplinger of Holdingford.
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