Obituaries 11/24/22

Barbara Collins, 74

Barbara Ann Collins, age 74, of Buffalo, passed away on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at The Buffalo Hospital.

She was born on September 26, 1948, in St. Cloud, the daughter of Elwood and Shirley (Starry) Heberling.

Barbara Ann Heberling and Gary Elwood Collins were joined in holy marriage August 11, 1975, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. God blessed their marriage with two daughters.

She was formerly employed as an assembler at Weavewood Manufacturing. She was also formerly employed at Carlson Dolls in Maple Lake and Zerk Dental in Buffalo.

Barbara was a member of The Wright and Buffalo Saddle Clubs. She enjoyed Barrell racing and going to horse sales.

She is survived by her mother, Shirley Heberling; her loving husband, Gary Collins; daughters, Corrie Collins (Mike Lambrecht) and Heather (Jami) Becker; grandsons, Conner and Brantley; siblings, Jim (Carol) Heberling and Richard (Sharon) Heberling; other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, Elwood Heberling.

A Time of sharing was held on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. at The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo.

A visitation was held on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, one hour prior to services at the funeral home.

The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.

 


Julie Daugherty, 53

Julie Lynne (Niessen) Daugherty, fiercely devoted mother, wife, daughter and friend, was called home on November 10, 2022, at just 53 years young, while surrounded by the loving support of her family.

We often referred to her as “Jewels,” and she was a gem of a woman, always donning a bright color or pattern that unintentionally lit up her sky-blue eyes. Simply stunning in looks, even more so in personality, Julie was multi-faceted beyond measure.  As a child, she learned to hunt deer, ducks, and geese with her dad and could wax a duck quicker and better than you knew possible. Despite her love of hunting with her dad, Jewels was a passionate lover and protector of animals, especially her buddy, Ruger. Throughout her life, she named birds, squirrels, and even the dragonflies that seemed to be drawn to her this past summer. Thanks to a passion instilled by her mom, Julie was an amazing, 5-star-quality cook. Her French onion soup and chicken with risotto are of legendary status! Always an energetic athlete, Jewels grew up downhill skiing, playing ringette, and was a stand-out tennis player throughout high school and college. In her 30’s and 40’s, Julie pivoted her ringette skills into hockey, playing several years with the Thunderbirds women’s hockey team. No doubt, however, her most treasured days on the ice were coaching her boys, JP and Danny. Julie’s happiest place on earth was most certainly the family cabin on Lake Wapogasset in Amery, WI, where all these traditions and passions began.

Jewels was not just a strong and competitive stunner with a good shot, she was also insanely intelligent. Prior to starting her most prized position as mom, Julie served as a Project Manager on the corrosion team investigating the shuttle disaster, landing her name in the Library of Congress. Her ability to remember, comprehend, and explain complicated medical conditions and terminology continually left doctors speechless. If she wasn’t learning new recipes or techniques on the Food Channel, Julie was surely watching a football or hockey game. It didn’t matter if it was college or professional, she would recite ridiculous statistics of virtually every player that would put Vegas bookies to shame.

Julie was diagnosed 11 years ago with stage 4 colon cancer and has since endured 184 rounds of chemo, radiation, and countless surgeries. Jewels, you outlasted medical expectations by more than nine years. What a gift; the strength, determination, and courage you’ve shown us all.

Born June 28, 1969, to devoted parents, Beverly and Richard Niessen, Julie grew up in White Bear Lake where she graduated in 1987. She received degrees in both Psychology and Philosophy from Gustavus Adolphus College, where she met her husband of 30 years, John Daugherty. Their marriage was blessed by the birth of JP in 1996 and later Danny in 1998.

Julie is survived by her beloved sons, JP and Danny; husband, John; her constant cuddle companion, Ruger; parents, Dick and Beverly Niessen; brothers, Rick and Brian; many nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, LaVonne (Bonnie) Johnson Kohls and William G. Kohls, Florence Johnson Niessen and Henry J. Niessen.

In lieu of flowers, Julie would love your support of Read Dogs MN, an organization focused on improving children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method; reading to a dog.  www.readdogsmn.org

Funeral service for Julie Daugherty will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, December 3, 2022, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie. Visitation will be held 10:00 A.M. until the time of service.

The Peterson Chapel, Buffalo assisted the family with funeral arrangements. On-line condolences can be made at www.thepetersonchapel.com.            

“I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

 


Judy Hanson, 79

Judy Ann Frances Hanson, age 79, of Buffalo, passed away on Monday, November 14, 2022, at Park View Care Center in Buffalo, while family and friends sang, “Joy in heaven, joy, everlasting joy!” to her.

She was born at her grandparent’s home on July 3, 1943, in Cambridge, Minnesota, the daughter of Laurence and Frances (Paulson) Lood.

Funeral Services for Judy Ann Hanson were held on Sunday, November 20, 2022, at 3:30 P.M. at Rockford Laestadian Lutheran Church (741 Ibarra Ave. NE. Buffalo, MN 55313). The visitation started at 2:00 P.M. Private interment will be at the Cambridge Lutheran Cemetery in Cambridge, Minnesota.

The Peterson Chapel in Buffalo served the family. Online condolences may be made to www.thepetersonchapel.com.

 


Mary Skoog, 89

Mary Cecelia (Ruonavaara) Skoog, age 89, passed away on November 19, 2022, at Engel Haus Assisted Living in Albertville, Minnesota.

Mary was born the fifth of seven children in Gay, Michigan, on September 14, 1933, to Anna and Felix Ruonavaara. 

Mary is survived by her husband of 62 years, Roy Skoog, of Albertville, Minnesota; nine children, Juliana (Gerald) Johnson, of Skanee, MI, Janet (Karl) Niemela, of Lake Stevens, WA, Thomas (Janet) Skoog, of Otsego, MN, Dale (Laura) Skoog, of Rogers, MN, Darlene (Timo) Sutinen, of Phoenix, AZ, Andrew (Hanna) Skoog, of Waverly, MN, Wayne (Susan) Skoog, of Greenfield, MN, Annemarie (Steve) Jones, of Longview, WA, and Jennifer Skoog, of New York, NY; 65 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren; siblings, Nathan (Mimi) Ruonavaara and Luella (Robert) Grangroth; countless nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Felix and Anna Ruonavaara; siblings, Helen (Dan) Karineimi, Julia Holman, Anna (Izzi) (George) Wisuri, and Quentin (Gladys Lahti) Ruonavaara; and grandchildren, Brady Alan Niemela and Ashley Rose Johnson.

Visitation to be held at 10:30 a.m. at Rockford Laestadian Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 26, followed by the funeral at noon. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Finnish Cemetery in Cokato, Minnesota.

Serving the family is the Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home & Cremation Services Cokato, MN 320-28602534, www.swansonpeterson.com.

 


Mayella Yonak, 93

Mayella Joyce Yonak, age 93, of Buffalo, MN, passed away on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at the Buffalo Hospital.

She was born in Rockford Twp, Wright County, on April 12, 1929, the daughter of Herbert and Hattie J. (Schleif) Beise.

She was baptized on July 7, 1929. Mayella was also instructed in the Lutheran catechism and confirmed in the Christian faith at Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockford, MN, on April 18, 1943. Her memory verse was Acts 4:12 – ‘Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’

On October 4, 1948, Mayella Beise was joined in holy marriage to Preston Yonak at Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockford. 

She was a faithful member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo. She was the long-term bookkeeper at Yonak Brothers Gravel Hauling. Mayella volunteered for many years at the Buffalo Hospital, took the U.S. Census, and was an election judge. She also worked in the fabric department at Walmart. Her favorite job though was being grandma! Mayella was a wonderful cook and always had a cup of coffee available for anyone who wanted it.

It’s hard to describe what her secret to life was, but she always looked for the best in people and was able to find that in everyone.

She is survived by her three loving daughters, Susan Hudek, Sharon (Jim) Kaufman, all of Maple Lake, and Nancy Yonak, of Buffalo; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren; brothers, Dennis (Janet) Beise, Duane Beise and Kenneth (Sharon) Beise; sister-in-law, Judy Beise; brothers-in-law, Rodney (Carla) Yonak and Kevin Yonak; many other relatives and friends.

Mayella was preceded in death by her husband on March 6, 1990; three infant children; a son-in-law, Dan Hudek; her parents; a brother, Donald Beise; and a sister, Arvella Veches.

Funeral services for Mayella Yonak were held on Saturday, November 19, at 11 A.M. at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo.  Pastor Ryan Clark officiated. Interment was at Riverside Cemetery in Monticello. Visitation was held at the church on Saturday, November 19, from 9 A.M. until time of service.

Serving the family was  The Peterson Chapel, Buffalo, MN, www.thepetersonchapel.com.

 

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

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