Obituaries 2/20/20
Ann Barker, 55
Ann Marie Barker, age 55, of Buffalo, passed away Thursday, February 13, 2020. She was born March 14, 1964, the daughter of Delbert Barker and Janice (Larson) Otten.
Ann was a homebody who enjoyed the comfort of her own home. She enjoyed reading, playing games, and gardening – having a true “green thumb.” She dearly loved her cat, Jelly Bean, and family was truly important to her. Ann loved reminiscing about past events with them and telling many stories. She had a kind heart and shared with whoever needed anything. She always wanted to help others persevere and succeed in anything they had chosen to do. Ann was a smart and funny individual who will be deeply missed.
She was preceded in death by: her father, Delbert Barker; and stepfather, James Otten.
Ann is survived by: her mother, Janice (Larson) Otten; siblings, Joe (Beth) Barker, Jim (Geneva) Barker, Geno (Linda) Otten, Shannon Olson, Donny Otten, Jason (Melissa) Barker, Joleen (Dale) Olson; beloved cat, Jelly Bean; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and other relatives and friends.
Visitation was held Tuesday, February 18, 2020, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
Memorial service was held Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., with visitation one hour prior at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
Serving the family was The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
Victor Cohen, 81
Victor Joseph Cohen, age 81, of Buffalo, passed away February 11, 2020 surrounded by family.
A visitation open to the public was held on Friday, February 14, 2020 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. A private graveside service for family only followed at Lakeview Cemetery in Buffalo.
Victor Cohen was born in Winona on May 11, 1938 to Aaron and Fannie Cohen. He relocated to Buffalo, in 1952 and passed away February 11, 2020.
After graduating from Buffalo High School in 1956, he attended the University of Minnesota from 1956-1960 and then entered the Army Reserves until 1966.
Victor was very active in the promotion of the City of Buffalo, while being a business co-owner of Cohen’s Village Shoppe’s in Buffalo and Monticello for many years. His dedication to the city was reflected by serving in: Buffalo Jaycees from 1967-1976 – President in 1969 and Jaycees International Senator in 1974.
He also was active in the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, Buffalo Rotary, Wright County Civic Center Board, Chairman of the Buffalo Days Committee (24 years) and founder of Buffalo High School tennis program. Because of his dedication to the City of Buffalo, he was named a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International, Most Honored Citizen Award, Distinguished Skipper Award from the Minneapolis Aquatennial, Award of Honor from the City of Buffalo, and Friends of Buffalo Tennis Award.
Being an avid sports fan, Victor enjoyed cheering on all his teams. He wouldn’t miss watching the Vikings, the Twins, all the Gopher teams, golf or anything that was a competition. He could watch turtles race and would enjoy it!
Victor is survived by: wife, Cynthia; three children, Roberta “Bobbi” Lind (Jeff), Buffalo, Joshua Cohen, Minneapolis, Adam (Sara) Cohen, Columbus, Ohio; and four step-children, Angelina Wirth, Waite Park, Leigh (Neal) Briese, Waite Park, Van (Brandi) Gonier, Big Lake, and Samantha (Michael) Bordak, Annandale. Also surviving are: grandsons, Cole Lind, Will Cohen; 10 step-grandchildren; and sister, Harriet Tulman, Las Vegas, NV. Preceding him in death were: his parents, Aaron and Fannie; and brother, Howard Cohen.
He will be truly missed by family, many friends and his special coffee cronies.
Online condolences may be directed to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Lori Juncewski, 58
Lori Ann Juncewski, age 58, of Silver Lake, passed away on Monday, February 10, 2020 at Hutchinson Health.
She was born on December 23, 1961 in Cambridge, Minnesota, the daughter of Carl and Darlene (Studanski) Norby.
Lori graduated from Howard Lake High School.
She enjoyed playing cards, bingo, camping and gardening.
Lori was fond of her A.A. friends, family and retreats. She had 23 years of sobriety.
Lori is survived by: a son, Chris (Angela) Norby, of Hinkley; a daughter, Angela Juncewski, of Silver Lake; five grandchildren: Jordyn, Hunter, Teaghan, Kiera; and Laura; her mother, Darlene (Roy) Klugow, of Isle; siblings: Terry (Ken Hoese) Hennessey, of Zimmerman, Wendy (Paul) Marshall, of Silver Lake, Wayne (Cassie) Norby, of Annandale and Robin (Mark) Neys, of Victoria; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends, including her former husband, David Juncewski of Silver Lake.
She was preceded in death by: her father, Carl Norby; and by a sister, Lynn Ann Norby.
Funeral services for Lori Ann Juncewski were held on Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at The Maresh Funeral Home in Silver Lake. Pastor Dave Wollan officiated. Alice Nowak was the organist for the funeral service. A visitation was held on Thursday, February 13, one hour prior to services.
The Maresh Funeral Home in Silver Lake served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.mareshfuneralhome.com.
Christine Lee, 50
Christine Ruth Lee, age 50, of Buffalo, passed away Monday, February 17, 2020. She was born April 26, 1969, the daughter of Wyman and Sharon (Eng) Spoors.
Chris was a 1987 graduate of Buffalo High School. She was a dedicated nurse who served at North Memorial Hospital and was a lifelong attendee of Buffalo Covenant Church in Buffalo.
She enjoyed reading, Coca-Cola, cats, and cooking big meals for her family and friends. She especially loved spending time with her children and grandbaby.
Chris was genuinely selfless and caring and loved praying for others.
She was preceded in death by: her father, Wyman Spoors, and brother, Dougie Spoors.
Chris is survived by: her children, Katie Lee, Becca Lee, Markus (Abigael) Lee; granddaughter, June Lee; mother, Sharon Spoors; sister, Amy Spoors; and many other family and friends.
Visitation was held Wednesday, February 19, 2020, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Funeral services for Chris Lee will be held Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 11:00 a.m., with visitation one hour prior, at Buffalo Covenant Church in Buffalo. Interment will be at Swedish Mission Cemetery in Buffalo.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Buffalo Covenant Church in Buffalo.
Serving the family is The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
James Novacek, 62
James “Jim” Novacek, age 62, of Foreston, formerly of South Haven, died Saturday, February 15, 2020 at his home surrounded by the love and care of his family.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 21, 2020 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Annandale with Fr. John Meyer as Celebrant. Burial will follow at Pleasant View Cemetery, Annandale. Visitation will be held from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Dingmann Funeral Care Chapel, Annandale and one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. A prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home.
James Sylvester Novacek was born May 25, 1957 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota to Sylvester and Margaret (Badner) Novacek. Jim grew up in Crystal, until moving with his family to a hobby farm outside of Buffalo, where he attended school and graduated with the Class of 1975. On October 22, 1982, Jim was united in marriage to Debra Kohnen at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waverly. They made their home on a hobby farm near Montrose for 19 years before moving on another hobby farm in rural South Haven, where they raised their children.
In addition to farming, Jim also worked as a truck driver. In 2012, Jim and Deb moved to Nashwauk, and for the past four years have resided near Foreston. In his younger years, Jim was active in 4-H and FFA. With a deep love of farming and John Deere equipment, Jim enjoyed all aspects of farming. He liked to do fieldwork and participate and spectate tractor pulls. He was a member of Wild Card Pulling, Sneaky Pete’s Pulling, and Gopher State Pullers. Jim also took an interest in bowling, trap shooting, showing sheep, camping, fishing, and mowing lawn.
Jim cherished the time he was able to spend with his family and friends, especially moments spent with his eight adoring grandchildren.
Jim is survived by: his wife of 37 years, Debra of Foreston; children, Mike (Kori) Maas of Watkins, Tammy (Eric) Clausen of South Haven, Jesse Novacek of Nashwauk, and Patrick (Tina) Novacek of South Haven; eight grandchildren, Taylor (Gina), Tucker, Allyssa, Rylee, Daisy, Melanie, Lydia, and Gabe; siblings, Kevin (Carol) Novacek of Buffalo, and Karin Musolf of St. Michael; mother-in-law, Alicia Kohnen of Cold Spring; and nieces, nephews, other family members, and friends.
He was preceded in death by: his parents, Sylvester and Margaret Novacek; niece, Brenda Kohnen; father-in-law, Gerald Kohnen; brothers-in-law, James Kohnen, David Musolf, and Joe Fleischhacker; and sister-in-law, Karen Fleischhacker.
Eric, Adam, and Steven Novacek, Andy Musolf, and Brandon and Mitch Schindele will serve as pallbearers with Jordan Kohnen, Molly Nordquist, and Brooke Rademacher as honorary pallbearers. St. Ignatius Music Ministry will provide music for the service. Arrangements entrusted to Dingmann Funeral Care Burial and Cremation Services of Annandale.
Obituary, Guestbook, and Video Tribute online at www.dingmannfuneral.com.
Sharilyn Schmitt, 71
Shari Schmitt passed away Friday, February 14, 2020 at Lake Ridge Oasis in Buffalo at the age of 71, after a battle with cancer.
Sharilyn was born March 11, 1948 in Willmar, to Francis B. and Anne (Marcus) Freese. At the age of three, she moved to Boyden, Iowa, where she was raised by her mother and step-father, Jacob DeZeeuw Sr. Her dad, Jake, passed away in 1968, when she was 20 years old.
In 1964, she was honored to be nominated as a queen candidate for the Boyden Diamond Jubilee Celebration. She graduated from Boyden-Hull High School in 1966. She later moved to Willmar, where she worked and met her future husband, James Simchuck. She moved to Minneapolis and married James in 1970. She retired after 36 years from Northwest Airlines where she worked in the clerical, computers, air-freight and aircraft maintenance departments.
In 2005, her mother came to live with her. Her husband, James Simchuck, passed away in 2006. She then married Raymond Schmitt who passed in 2016. She was also the caregiver for her husband, Raymond, during his hospice care.
She enjoyed gardening, deer hunting in Wyoming, cake decorating, sewing, and especially doing extensive genealogy for her maternal side of her family. She was a DIY person; if something needed fixing, she figured out how to do it herself. On March 21, 1966, she made public profession of her faith at the First Reformed Church in Boyden, IA. She was a member of the Buffalo Covenant Church in Buffalo.
Surviving her are: her mother, Anne (Marcus) Brouwer; brother, Garry F. (Thayer) Freese, Kodak, TN; children, Diane (Shane) Tegtmeyer, Iowa Falls, IA, Jacquelyn Payne, Las Vegas, NV, William JG Simchuck, Bloomington; two half-brothers, Jerome (Julie) Freese, Anoka, Curtis (Brenda) Freese, Champlain; half-sister, Joyce (Dave) Seeley, St. Paul; stepbrother, James Brouwer, Modesto, CA; two stepsisters, Lynnetta (Burt) Johnson, West Concord, Rosalie (Rev. Wendell) Davelaar, Hollandale; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and dear friends.
Funeral service will be held Thursday, February 27, 2020 at 11:00 a.m., with visitation one hour prior, at Buffalo Covenant Church in Buffalo. Burial at Holland Township Cemetery in Prinsburg.
Serving the family is The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
David Yaeger, 83
David Walter Yaeger, “Dave” age 83, of Delano, died at Good Samaritan Center of Waconia, on February 12, 2020. David was born January 27, 1937 in St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud, to Bernard and Cyrilla Yaeger. He lived in Delano and Rockford his whole life with two years in Germany, serving in the Army.
On September 6, 1958, he married Judith Ann Bigalke, of Rockford, at St. Peter and Paul Church in Loretto. God blessed them with four children.
David is survived by: his wife, Judy, and his children, Laurie (Scott) Cunningham, Becky (Tony) Pehrson, Jenny (Tyler) Christiansen and Jim (Katie) Yaeger. David will also be fondly remembered by his seven grandchildren, Cody (Andrea), Jesse, Leah, John, Sarah (Grant), Rachel and Lucy; by his sisters, Jean Motzko and Kay Lundstrom; and brother, Mike (Julie) Yaeger. David was preceded in death by: his brother, Loren (Fran) Yaeger.
David W. Yaeger always said the “W” stood for work! His first job was a paper route so he could ride the one family bicycle, and he still enjoyed riding bike through this fall. He went on to have 26 jobs in total! He retired at the age of 58 and continued enjoying another 25 years living life to the fullest. He and Judy loved riding motorcycles. David loved ushering at church, volunteering, fishing, cutting wood with Jim and being with family and friends. He couldn’t sit still. He was always looking for something to fix, polish, or paint. All through his life and all through his journey with cancer, he always, always had his amazing smile on his face! David was a very patient, peaceful, loving man, especially because of his relationship with Jesus.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 11 a.m. at Buffalo Covenant Church, 1601 Highway 25 north, Buffalo. Visitation was held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Iten Funeral Home in Delano. Visitation continued Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment was in the Delano Public Cemetery.
Arrangements by the Iten Funeral Home in Delano.
