Obituaries 5/15/19
James Bonk, 74
James Edward “Jim” Bonk, age 74, of Buffalo passed away on Friday, May 10, 2019 at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
He was born on March 10, 1945 in Buffalo the son of Ruben & Millie (Perisian) Bonk.
Jim attended Buffalo High School and was in the class of 1963. He then served in the United States Army from 1965 till 1967 where he was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany.
On May 3, 1969, Jim and Ruth Otten were joined in holy matrimony. God blessed their marriage with two sons Jarrod and Ryan.
Jim drove truck for Buffalo Bituminous and Knife River for over forty years until he retired.
He was a member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo.
Jim loved his pickup truck, gator, auctions, horses, cattle and talking with friends.
Jim is survived by: his wife, Ruth of fifty years; his sons, Jarrod and Ryan; siblings, Linda (Alvin) Bodin, Vicky Endreson, Rick (Peggy) Bonk, Mike Bonk and Randy (Lisa) Bonk; a brother-in-law, Robert Buckley; a sister-in-law, Joan Witte; an aunt, Dorothy Schindler; many cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by: his parents, Mildred “Millie” Bonk on August 2, 2010 and Ruben Bonk on May 29, 2014; a brothers, Dale Bonk on January 29, 1997, Ronald “Curly” Bonk on August 12, 2000; and sister, Marlene Buckley on November 1, 2000.
Funeral services for Jim Bonk were held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 14, at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo. Pastor Ryan Clark officiated. Interment followed at Lakeview Cemetery in Buffalo. A visitation was held at the church Monday, May 13 from 4-8 p.m. A Prayer service was held at 7:00 p.m. Further visitation was one hour prior to services on Tuesday morning, May 14 at the church.
Casket Bearers were Tim Daluge, Brian Danielson, Lloyd Christenson, Nick Schendel, Luke Schendel and Bill Elletson.
Arrangements for James “Jim” Bonk are by the Peterson Chapel in Buffalo. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.
Joan Epple, 74
Joan “Joni” Patricia Epple, age 74, of Montrose, passed away Monday, May 13, 2019.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 1:00 p.m., with visitation one hour prior, at Montrose United Methodist Church, 230 Center Ave. SW, Montrose.
Serving the family is The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.
Carol Gore, 66
Carol Lynn Gore, age 66,of Albertville, passed away Sunday, May 5, 2019. She was born October 20, 1952, the daughter of Robert and Jean (Morneau) Smith.
Carol was a 1970 graduate from Cooper High School in New Hope. She worked for North Memorial Health Services until her retirement and currently enjoyed working as a cashier at Coborn’s in Albertville.
Carol was a proud member and president of the STMA Chapter of Women of Today. She enjoyed taking pictures, volunteering in the community, crafting, scrapbooking, and taking vacations to warm destinations. Carol especially enjoyed her grandchildren and everything they were involved with.
She is preceded in death by: her parents, Robert and Jean Smith; brother-in-law, Leonard McKinlay; and sister-in-law, Nancy Erickson.
Carol is survived by: her daughter, Laurie (Trevor) Johnson; grandchildren, Mackenzie Johnson and Tucker Johnson; siblings, Joan McKinlay, Lois Duran, Mark Erickson, Walt (Candy) Grineski, Patty Clark, Cheryl Smith, Tammi (David) Winters; and many special friends, nieces, nephews, and family.
A visitation will be held Sunday, May 19, 2019 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., with a time of sharing at 4:00 p.m., at The Peterson Chapel in St. Michael.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Carol’s family.
Serving the family is The Peterson Chapel St. Michael-Albertville Funeral Home.
Susan Marquardt, 61
Susan Elizabeth Marquardt, age 61, of Hawthorne, California, formerly of Buffalo, passed away suddenly on May 6, 2019.
She was born on January 8, 1958, in Mankato, to Harlen and Elizabeth “Betty” (Roberts) Gibbs. The family moved to Wayzata and in 1967 to Buffalo, where she attended Buffalo schools and graduated with the class of 1976. That is where she met her future husband, Kevin Marquardt. The two were high school sweethearts, and had their first date at his senior prom. They dated for over 20 years before getting married in November of 1995.
Both were very active in the community and at St. John’s Lutheran Church throughout their lives. After they were joined in marriage, they moved to California in May of 1996. The two enjoyed traveling to the beach, going on vacation to Disneyland, and camping together. They both assisted with the choirs at their church and were very active members at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Susan held various jobs in her life including B Dalton Booksellers, County Seat, Starkey Labs and as an Administrative Assistant for John Deere in Torrance, California. She was extremely talented with the sewing machine and could create anything from costumes to curtains. She shared her creative gifts often including blankets, memory pillows, tailoring, etc. Susan also loved craft projects of all kinds. She was a kind and gentle person, often showing her faith by praying for and helping others without having to be asked. She was a great listener and was someone you could count on for support.
Susan was preceded in death by: her husband, Kevin in 2012; parents, Harlen and Betty; and many aunts, uncles and other relatives and friends.
She is survived by: her siblings, Harlen (Deb) Gibbs, Becky (Scott) Steinacker, and Deb Gibbs; niece, Rosalyn (Justin) Dawson; nephew, Nick (Katie) Gibbs; great-nieces, Laila, Lila and Evercyn; and great-nephew, Trigg; aunts, Donna Poye and Sandy Hillmer; brother-in-law, Brian (Patty) Marquardt; sisters-in-law, Sharon Marquardt Pitkin and Mary Marquardt along with other relatives and friends.
A Memorial Service for Susan was held on Friday, May 10, 2019 at 3 p.m., visitation was at 1 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Buffalo.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to the family are preferred.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to The Peterson Chapel of Buffalo. Online condolences may be directed to www.thepeterrsonchapel.com.
Mary Pederson, 96
Mary Carol Pederson (nee Driscoll), age 96, passed away peacefully at Friendship Village in Bloomington, on May 6, 2019 having lived a full life.
Mary was born December 28, 1922 in River Falls, WI. to Timothy and Ludmilla Driscoll. The youngest and last surviving of eight siblings. Previously lived in Maple Lake and Edina.
She was married to husband, Lauren for 69 years who preceded her in death in 2011. She loved her family dearly and enjoyed playing tennis and golf in Minnesota and Arizona.
She is survived by: her children, Judy (Jim) Baker, Alan (Pat) Pederson; grandchildren, Dr. Cynthia (Dr. Timothy) Ehlen, Chadwick (Kirsten) Baker, Dr. Kristin (Nick) Nelson, Bridget (Nick) Lucas; great-grandchildren, Griffin, Quinn, Piper, and Sutton Ehlen; Brielle, Bridget, and Brynn Baker; Matthew, Katie, and Andrew Nelson; Madison, and Allie Lucas; Sister-in-law, Corinne Chambers.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Friendship Village for their excellent care and to Hospice for their compassion with Carol.
A celebration of Life will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 6820 St. Patrick’s Lane, Edina, on Friday, May 17, 2019 with Visitation at 10:00 a.m., Mass at 11:00 a.m. and lunch at church to follow.
The Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel is serving the family.
Joel Ploof, 32
Joel Jonathon Ploof, age 32, of Maple Lake, passed away on May 6, 2019 at Haven Homes in Maple Plain.
He was born on May 24, 1986 in Waconia, the son of David and Cherie (Humphreys) Ploof. Joel was born on a sunny day, three days before his dad’s birthday! It was also moving day!
In spite of the many mental and physical challenges that he faced, he always had a happy spirit. Joel’s smile spread from ear to ear. The only reason he wouldn’t be happy and smiling would be if he was sick or didn’t want to do something. Joel’s smile was infectious, and he won the hearts of most people that met him.
Joel loved flipping through books, ripping pages out of phone books, but most of all he loved music! Musical toys or anything that made noise would get played over and over and over until the toy finally died. He’d press play and then put the toy up to his ear.
Joel loved pizza! Also, Mr. Roger’s, Frozen and Happy Feet. He loved people and people loved him! Joel will be greatly missed.
Joel was preceded in death by: his sister, Kirsten Anne Ploof; grandfathers, John Humphreys, Kent Olson and Robert Ploof; grandmothers, Claudia Olson and Mary Jane Ploof; nephew, Onyx Elijah Ploof.
He is survived by: mother, Cherie Ploof; father, Dave Ploof; sister, Alyssa Ploof; brothers, Daniel and Matt Ploof; niece, Angel Ploof; also, many other relatives and friends.
Memorial service for Joel was held Saturday, May 11 at 2:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service all at Buffalo Evangelical Free Church of Buffalo. Reception followed at church. Officiating was Pastor Greg Braly. Interment was in Lakeview Cemetery of Buffalo.
Serving the family was The Peterson Chapel of Buffalo.
Raymond Provo, 60
Raymond (Ray) A. Provo, age 60, of Montrose, and formerly of Minneapolis, passed away suddenly from a stroke on May 7, 2019.
Ray was born to Lavonne Bruneau and Phillip Provo on December 18, 1958 in Minneapolis. Phillip was remarried to Lois who raised him.
Ray worked for 30 plus years at Metal Matic in Minneapolis. When Ray wasn’t fishing or at the casino, he enjoyed spending time with his grandkids at the park or watching “their shows” together. He graduated from Edison high school in 1977. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Ray is survived by: his daughter, Ashley Provo (fiance Nathan Hott) of Montrose; the light of his life, his grandchildren, Damien Wingard (8) and Jackquelyn Britton (5); his brothers, Anthony Provo of Sauk Rapids and Paul Provo of Minneapolis; his sister, Susan Hembree and step-mom, Lois Card both of Washington state; also many nieces, nephews, cousins, and all who called him DAD and many friends.
He was preceded in death by: his parents; sister, Shelia Benson; cousin, Dale Provo; and 2nd cousin Daniel Provo.
Visitation for Ray will be held Thursday, May 16 from 4-7 p.m. with a time of sharing at 7:00 p.m. all at the Peterson Funeral Chapel of Buffalo. Private family interment in Elmwood Cemetery of Rockford to be held at a later date.
Serving the family is The Peterson Chapel of Buffalo.
