Obituaries 11/28/19
Fred Cox, 80
Fred W. Cox, age 80, of Monticello, passed away at his residence on November 20, 2019. Fred William Cox was born on December 11, 1938, in Monongahela, PA to parents, Walter and Rose Cox. He was the youngest of three children - Tom and Ann, his siblings.
Sports were a major part of his life growing up. His little league baseball team made it to Williamsport to play in the Little League World Series and, two years later, his pony league team played in the Pony World Series. His high school soccer team had three consecutive winning seasons. He attended the University of Pittsburgh and played there as a running back and kicker. While at Pitt, he was an All- American football player. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1962 as a running back but was traded to Minnesota before the season started. He was released after training camp but asked to return in 1963 where he made the Vikings team. He played for 15 years (1963-1977), including participation in all four Super Bowls and retired as the all-time leading scorer for the Vikings (1365 points). In 1971, he invented the Nerf football.
While playing for the Vikings, he attended Northwestern Chiropractic College and received his degree. He opened his chiropractic office in Buffalo, in 1975. Soon after, he hired Dan Marty as his partner who helped him run the office while he finished his last three years playing with the Vikings. Dan continued as his partner until 1988. In 1988, he moved home to Monongahela, PA where he opened a new chiropractic clinic with his daughter, Susan. Three years later, he moved back to Monticello, where he practiced chiropractic part-time before eventually retiring. For the past 20 years, he and Bonnie have wintered in AZ.
He was instrumental in initiating the chapel services for the Vikings and helped launch Fellowship of Christian Athletes in MN where he was very involved. Fred did a lot of speaking engagements and played in many Celebrity Golf Tournaments, as he loved to golf. Family, church and community were important to him.
Fred’s main passion was flying. He received his pilot’s license in 1967 and owned numerous planes over the years. Fred also loved to hunt.
Fred is preceded in death by: his parents, Walter and Rose Cox; brother, Tom Cox; and first wife, Elayne (nee, Darrall).
He is survived by: his wife, Bonnie; sister, Ann Appolonia; sister-in-law, Esther Cox; children, Darryl (Sandy) Cox, Susan (Tye) Biasco, Fred Cox, Kim Ok-soon (Jason Berger); and grandchildren, Melisa Cox, Corey Cox, Seth Biasco, Noah Biasco, Levi Biasco, Caleb Biasco, Kaden Cox, Braeden Cox, Elaina Cox, Sara Bauer, Peter Bauer, Kendra (Mitch) Arnold, Alec Bauer, Ava Berger, Sunni Berger and Jackson Berger; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation was Sunday, November 24, from 3-7 p.m., at the Buffalo Ev. Covenant Church of Buffalo. Funeral service was held Monday, November 25 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation continuing one hour prior to the service at Buffalo Ev. Covenant Church of Buffalo. Officiating was Pastor Max Frazier. Interment at the Swedish Mission Cemetery of Buffalo.
Casket Bearers were Fred’s grandsons, Corey Cox, Seth Biasco, Noah Biasco, Levi Biasco, Caleb Biasco, Kaden Cox, Braeden Cox, Peter Bauer and Alec Bauer
Arrangements were entrusted to The Peterson Chapel of Buffalo.
Doris Guggemos, 87
Doris Mae (nee Paumen) Vieau Guggemos, age 87, of Buffalo, passed away on Friday, November 22, 2019 at Park View Care Center.
A visitation will be held on Monday, December 2, 2019 at the church two hours prior to Mass. A Mass of Christian Burial for Doris Guggemos will be held on Monday, December 2, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Buffalo. Interment St. Timothy’s Cemetery in Maple Lake.
A full obituary will appear in next week’s paper.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Kenneth Krass, 73
Kenneth W. Krass (Ken), age 73, of Montrose, passed away peacefully at home on November 20, 2019 after a three-month battle against pancreatic cancer.
Ken was born in Palo Alto, California on February 19, 1946 to Edward and Laura (Dumas) Krass. Ken grew up and lived in California until moving to Minnesota in 2001. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps serving four years as an aircraft mechanic until he was honorably discharged in 1967.
Ken worked in the aerospace industry for many years, including on the Space Shuttle Program from its inception. In 2001, after retiring from 28 years with Boeing, he began working in quality control for Phoenix Solutions, retiring in 2015 after 14 years.
For years, Ken was extensively involved in various roles with youth softball and baseball while his sons played. He enjoyed bass fishing, camping and restoring motorcycles. In the late 1980’s, he completely restored a 1951 Ford Coupe named Marigold. He had a lifelong love of woodworking, and in his retirement years, focused on making one-of-a-kind wood pieces and furniture. In his pastime, Ken enjoyed going to flea markets, searching for items to repurpose for his creations. He was very proud of his beautiful backyard pond where he grew water lilies and protected snails, frogs and fish. He loved watching birds and other wildlife, and he cared unconditionally for nature. Leo, the cat, was his special family member.
Though Ken had a long list of interests and hobbies, his biggest passion by far was his family. His way of expressing love was by “doing” for them, which he demonstrated daily in small ways, and many times in big ways. He was dedicated to his wife and sons as a provider, a fixer and a problem solver.
Ken was preceded in death by: his parents, Edward and Laura; and sister, Diana. He is survived by: his wife of 51 years, Karen; and sons, Aaron and Michael. Though he was born into a small family, he opened his heart to Karen’s family and adopted them as his own.
A Celebration of Life with Military Honors will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 1, 2019 with a Gathering of family and friends following until 5 p.m. all at the Delano American Legion, 240 Babcock Blvd. W, Delano. Inurnment will be at a later date in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
In lieu of flowers, the family intends to restore Ken’s beloved pond, which fell into disarray during his illness. Any memorials received will be put to this project.
Arrangements by the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.
Mary Phillips, 67
Mary Rose Phillips, age 67, of Buffalo, was an exceptional RN at Buffalo Hospital for over 20 years. She always found joy in her work. Her Catholic faith was very important to her. She was a former foster Mom who cared for many foster children through the years.
Mary is survived by: husband, Stephen M. Phillips; children, Megan (Michael) Granoski, Timothy (Justine Wagner) Phillips, and Mariah (Micah Lemmens) Phillips; a granddaughter, Kyla Charlotte Malone; brothers, Rick, Thomas and Gary Wilder; other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by: her parents, Richard and Mary Ann Wilder; and by a foster daughter, Jeanie Hall.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Mary Rose Phillips was held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Buffalo. A visitation was held on Tuesday, November 26 at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo from 4-8 p.m. Further visitation was one hour prior to Mass at the church on Wednesday morning, November 27.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Elaine Varner, 68
Elaine Marie Varner, age 68, of Cokato and formerly of Buffalo, passed away on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia.
She was born on August 19, 1951 in Kansas, the daughter of Donald & Mildred (Rahm) Theel.
Elaine Marie Varner, a mother, a grandmother, great-grandmother, and the ultimate caregiver. She loved her family more than anything and spending time with them brought her pure joy.
Caring for others, reading her Bible, listening to country music, caring for her plants, feeding the birds and her word finds also brought her many hours of contentment.
She will be dearly missed and never forgotten!
Elaine is survived by her children, Tracy (Todd) Duske and Scott (Alicia) Varner; her grandchildren, Breianna, Sierra, Bryce, Tucker and Sophia; her two great-grandchildren, Penny and Jett will carry her in their hearts.
She was preceded in death by her father, Donald Theel; mother, Mildred Rahm; and brothers, Frederick, Raymond, and Benjamin.
She has touched so many lives with the gift of a loving heart, and we are lucky to have been blessed with her presence.
A Memorial Service for Elaine Varner will be held on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Inurnment will be at Salem Cemetery in Paynesville.
The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo is serving the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
