Elizabeth Frances Daniels (Betty), age 91, of Rochester, Minnesota, formerly of Cass Lake, Minnesota, passed away at St. Mary’s Hospital September 28, 2010.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Pius X Catholic Church with the Rev. Paul Nelson officiating in Rochester on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 11:00AM.   Visitation will be at St. Pius one hour prior to the Mass.  Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Monday, October 4, 2010.  Funeral arrangements by Macken Funeral Home, Rochester, MN.

Betty was born January 5, 1919 in St. Paul, Minnesota to John and Anna Bizjak.  She grew up in St. Paul where she attended St. Agnes and Washington Schools.  Betty Worked at the Twin Cities Arsenal and as a stenographer at the Ramsey County Courthouse.

In 1948 she moved to Cass Lake, Minnesota with her husband Arthur and two children. Betty resided in Cass Lake over sixty years. As a parishioner of  St. Charles Catholic Church in Cass Lake, she was active in the St. Therese of the Little Flower Study Club and the St. Charles Altar Society.  Her Cass Lake community involvement included being an election judge, a member of the Cass Lake Senior Center and officer and member of the Cass Lake Legion Auxiliary.

Betty, a devoted wife and mother, was known as a very talented seamstress and also enjoyed counted cross stitch, flower gardening, crossword puzzles, and Bingo.

In April 2008 Betty moved to Rochester and became a resident of Sunrise Cottages where she lived until Sept. 22, 2010.

Betty is survived by her two children, Jerome (Suzanne) Daniels of Bemidji, Minnesota;  Kathleen O’Connor (Roger) of Rochester;  two sisters, Bertha Klinefelter of Minneapolis, Minnesota;  Jeannette Johnson of Vadnais Heights;  one brother, John Bizjak, White Bear Lake; seven grandchildren; ten great grand children; one great great grandchild;  and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Arthur;  parents John and Anna Bizjak; one brother, Albert Bizjak;  three sisters, Anne Harris, Katherine Bizjak, and Doris Nicol.

Memorials are suggested to St. Pius X Renovation Fund or to the Lourdes High School Building Our Future. On-line condolences are welcome at ww.mackenfuneralhome.com.

Helen J. Reinartz, age 99, passed away on September 28, 2010, at Chosen Valley Care Center in Chatfield, MN.

Helen was born on May 22, 1911 in Nevada Township, Mower County, to Nicholas Ulwelling and Eva Gertrude Simon.  Helen was employed as a Hot Lunch Cook at St. Edward’s grade school. She married Frank Reinartz on May 28, 1938 at St. Augustine Church in Austin, MN. Helen was active in the Rosary Society at the St. Augustine parish.  She also enjoyed sewing, baking and watching the Minnesota Twins.

Helen is survived by her one daughter; Mary (Phil) Grunewald of Rochester, MN, three grand-children; Martha Pease of Austin, MN, Hank Grunewald of Rochester, MN, and Sarah (Brian) Miller of Chatfield, MN, eight great grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Frank (who passed away in 1961), two sisters and one brother.

A funeral Mass is planned for 10:30 a.m. Friday, October 1, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Austin, MN, with the Rev. Joseph B. Fogal officiating.  Honorary Pallbearers are Martha Pease, Hank Grunewald, and Sarah and Brian Miller. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.  Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Austin, MN.

Macken Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.  On-line condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com

The funeral for Gerald J. Strauss will be at 11:30AM Friday October 1, 2010 at The Madonna Towers Chapel, 4001 19^th Avenue NW Rochester, MN. Father James Russell will officiate the mass.  Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester. Visitation will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Thursday, September 30^th 2010 at Macken Funeral Home and one half hour prior to mass at the Chapel.

Mr Strauss, 93, of Rochester, MN died Monday (September 27, 2010) at Madonna Towers.

Gerald was born August 2, 1917 in Bellechester, MN to Frank M and Allie Majerus Strauss.  He attended St Mary’s grade school in Bellechester, McCahill High School in Lake City MN and  completed an accounting degree from The College of St Thomas in St Paul MN in 1939.  His first position out of college was at the Red Wing Court House in the Agricultural Department. In August of 1940 he purchased a  private air plane, to finance this hobby he sold time on his plane to fellow students. Gerald wanted to enlist in the Marines but they wouldn’t accept him because of his poor hearing. He then enlisted in the Army Air Core,and completed basic training in 1941 in Biloxi, Mississippi. His tour of duty consisted of 3 years in Wales, London, North Africa and then Southern Italy as a crew chief mechanic on a B-17 squadron.

His accounting career started with Shannon & Beyers, St Paul, MN in 1945.   He moved with the accounting firm to Rochester in 1946, passing  his CPA exam in 1959.  Gerald retired in 1982 after a 37 year career as an accountant with the firm of McGladrey & Pullen.  After his retirement he was active with the  Rochester SCORE and YMCA.  He was also the treasurer of the Knights of Columbus for many years.

On November 28, 1947 he married Vivian Brown in St Louis Park, MN.  Together they raised their 4 sons and 1 daughter in Rochester, MN.

Survivors include his four sons, Frank (Robin) Strauss and Thomas (Lyn) Strauss of Rochester, MN, Robert (Mary Jo) Strauss of Winona, MN., George Strauss of Apple Valley, MN., and daughter Collette (George) Moreno of San Antonio, TX., 6 grandchildren, sisters Rita Arendt of Mazeppa, MN., and Jeanette Zelenak of Woodbury, MN., He was preceded in death by his brother Clemens Strauss.

Memorials are preferred to Rochester Knights of Columbus and Madonna Towers.

Susan Elizabeth Ann (Mosher) Smith, the daughter of Clarence L. and Marie K. (McCune) Mosher, was born March 2, 1923, in Missouri Valley, Iowa.  She was raised and educated in the area of her birth, graduating from Missouri Valley High School in 1941.  Susan took a Practical Nursing Course in Sioux City.  She worked for the State Hospital in Walker, Minnesota.

On June 11, 1945, Susan married Harold C. Carlson.  The couple moved to Mara, Minnesota and lived there until Harold’s death in 1954.

Susan then moved to Braham, Minnesota and worked in the hospital until moving to Rochester in 1956.  She then went to work for the Rochester Methodist Hospital as a nursing assistant and ward secretary, retiring in 1985, after 29 years.

Susan married David R. Smith in 1969 in Rochester and he preceded her in death in 1975.

Susan was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church where she belonged to the St. Agatha’s Rosary Group, the Legion of Mary and served as Lay Carmelite.

Susan passed away Sunday, September 26, 2010, at the Maple Manor Health Care and Rehabilitation in Rochester at the age of 87 years.  She was also preceded in death by her parents and sister, Florence Mosher.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 10:00 a.m. at St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church in Rochester with Fr. William David Byrne celebrating.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the Mass at the church on Wednesday, with a Rosary beginning at 9:40 a.m. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Rochester.

Memorials may be left to St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church Rochester,MN.

The memorial service for Mary L. Erickson will be 1:00pm Thursday September 30, 2010 at Macken Funeral Home in Rochester with Rev. Jason Bryan-Wegner officiating.  Visitation will be from 12:30pm until the time of the service at the funeral home.

Mary L. (Thompson) Erickson, 76, of Mazeppa passed away on Thursday September 23, 2010 at Golden Living Center West in Rochester of natural causes.

She was born on April 9, 1934 in Albert Lea.  She married Elnathan D. Erickson and later divorced.  Mary worked at Mayo High School for many years retiring in 1995.  She enjoyed taking trips to the casino, crossword puzzles, reading, spending time with family and friends.   She will be dearly missed by all that knew her.

Survivors include her sons Scott (Diana) of Zumbrota, Rick (Joyce) of Mazeppa, Brad and Todd both of Oronoco;  grandchildren Christine, Kelly, John and Kaci; great-grandchildren Eden, Ella and Clara; sisters Shirley Larson of Albert Lea, Doty (Donald) Trustum of Brainerd and Mike (Judy) Thompson of Albert Lea.  She is preceded in death by her parents, three brothers and two sisters.

Memorials may be directed to the family.

Online condolences are welcome at www.MackenFuneralHome.com

A funeral Mass for Magdalen “Elaine” Bay will be 10:30AM Saturday, September
25, 2010 at Macken Funeral Home with Rev. Harry Jewison officiating. Burial
will be at Oronoco Cemetery.

Mrs. Bay, formerly of Rochester, died Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at St.
Marys Hospital.

She was born Magdalen Elaine Graf, May 2, 1926 to Thomas Graf and Magdalen
(Hoffman) Graf at Caledonia, MN where she grew up and attended Loretto High
School, later graduating  from the College of St. Teresa in Winona.  She was
married to Ross Bay; he no longer survives.

Elaine worked at the Mayo Clinic for 30 years. Following her retirement, she
worked at B’nai Synagogue and Rochester Public Library. She has resided in
Eyota the past six years. Gardening was a favorite pastime of hers.

She is survived by a brother, John Milton (Helen) Graf of Caledonia. Also
surviving are four nephews and one niece; Tom (Lisa) Graf, Joseph Graf,
James (Joan) Graf, John Graf and Celine (Alan) Lauermann.

Memorials are suggested to St. Marys Parish and School in Caledonia, MN.

Friends may call one-half hour before the service at the funeral home on
Saturday. Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com

Philip John Marek, 75, of Rochester, died Saturday, September 18^th, at his home, surrounded by his family, after a heroic battle with cancer.

He was born on May 19^th, 1935 in New Prague, MN to Frank and Mary (Jelinek) Marek.   He graduated from New Prague High School in 1953, after which he attended Dunwoody Trade school in Minneapolis, MN.  He joined the U.S. Navy in 1955, where he served aboard the U.S. Boxer Air Craft Carrier for the greater part of his enlistment.

After his honorable discharge in 1959, he was employed by Franklin Station, the power plant for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.  He retired in 2000.  Phil was very active in the Boy Scouts of America.  He was an Eagle Scout, and served as Scoutmaster for Troop 186 of St. Francis Church for twelve years.  He  also served as Committee Chairman for both the Troop and the Cub Pack, and remained active both with the leaders and scouts of Troop 186, well after his retirement. He is the father of two Eagle Scouts, and a First Class Girl Scout.  It’s safe to say that after his wife and family, Troop 186 was the love of Phil’s life. He was a longtime member of the Hiawatha District Camping Committee, was a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow, and was honored with the Silver Beaver and the George Meany award.

Phil is survived by one sister, Frances Herban of Ludington, MI, his wife of 54 years, Beverly (McGuire), six children, Patrick (Maureen) of Winona, Peg Constantine (Charles) of Faribault, Mary Beth Dotson (Cory) of Owatonna, Kathleen Gleich (Peter) of Hastings, Robert (Kim) of Rochester, and Teresa Kube (Nick) of St Peters, MO.  He has 19 grandchildren, Sarah Landman, Michael, Mathew, James, and Moira Marek, Kathryn Childrey and Megan Zetzman, Jennifer and David DeRose, Mary, Elizabeth and Anne Gleich, Ryan, Corey, Conner, and Nathan Marek, Maggie, Mollie, and Meghan Kube, and one great grandson, Matthew Zetzman.   He was pre-deceased by his parents, one brother, Robert, and one granddaughter, Teresa Marie Gleich.

A funeral Mass will be at 11:00AM, Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, with the Rev. Timothy T. Reker officiating.  Visitation will be 5:00PM – 8:00PM, Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at the Macken Funeral Home with a remembrance sharing time at 7:00PM and also one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.  All scouters who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout or have been honored with Silver Beaver are encouraged to wear their medals in honor of Phil.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are encouraged so that the family can disburse them to Phil’s favorite charities, including Troop 186.

On-line condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com.

The funeral service for Thomas Edward McKeown will be held at 10:00AM on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at Macken Funeral Home with Father Harry Jewison Officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery Rochester. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the funeral home.

Thomas Edward McKeown, 80 of Rochester passed away on September 9, 2010 at Season’s Hospice following a seven-year battle with Alzheimer ‘s disease. Thomas was born on March 16, 1930 in Rochester. He grew up on a family farm near Chatfield, MN and attended country school through the eighth grade. He graduated from Chatfield High School in 1948.  He served in the US Army in the early 1950′s.  Following his career in the US Army, he worked as an electrician in Minneapolis. In 1964, he married Clara Stokas. They moved to Rochester in 2003 due to health reasons. He loved fishing and hunting. He is survived by his wife Clara, a sister, Elizabeth “Betty” Miller of Owatonna and her son Daniel Miller of Duluth, four grandchildren, Katherine (Greg) Lewis of Leesburg, FL, Dan Gray, Gerald (Kerry) Gray, Jennifer Bale, all of Rochester,  five great-grandchildren, and two God-children, Frank Samec of Cedar Rapids, IA, and Craig Ollendieck of Cresco, IA. He is preceded in death by his parents, a sister, and a step-daughter, Darlene O’Byrne.

The funeral Mass for Helen Oeffler will be at 10:00a.m. Monday, September 13, 2010 at St. John the Evangelical Catholic Church, with the Rev. John Lasuba officiating.  Burial will be in Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church Monday.

Helen Oeffler, 99, of Rochester, died Thursday, September 9, 2010 at Samaritan Bethany Home on Eighth in Rochester.

Helen was born May 17, 1911 in Chicago, ILL to William Baligrodzki and Bernice Spondar.

Helen married Howard Rasmussen in January 29, 1934 and later divorced in 1948.

Later she married Henry Oeffler on April 1, 1961.

Helen lived in Rochester since 1954.

She worked for Waters Conley and was involved in the Senior Citizens group.  Helen was a member of St. John’s the Evangelical Catholic Church.  Her late husband, Henry worked for the City of Rochester.

Survivors include her children, Howard (Kay) Rasmussen of Plainview, MN, Robert Rasmussen of Mankato, MN, Leslie (Janet) Rasmussen of St. Charles, MN and Kathleen (James) Hartfiel of Merrifield, MN, 15 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 6 step great-grandchildren.

Helen is preceded in death by her first husband, Howard Rasmussen in December of 1977; second husband, Henry Oeffler on August 15, 1995 and one sister, Mary Baligrodzki

She enjoyed walking and fishing.

Macken Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com

Luverne C. Selle, age 91, passed away on September 5, 2010, at Maple Manor Nursing Home in Rochester.  His final wish was to have his body donated to the Mayo Clinic Anatomy Bequest Program.

Luverne was born on July 11, 1919 in Dodge Center, Minnesota to William Selle and Hazel Dell.  He married Katheryn Ramthun on February 16, 1946 at the Little Brown Church in Iowa.  She passed away in 1982.  Luverne was employed as a brick layer and later was self employed as a home builder, owning Selle & Son Construction for over 25 years.  Luverne served in the military and was a veteran of WWII.

Luverne is survived by his two children; Bruce (Irene) of Rochester, MN, and Kimberly Prince of New Mexico, five grand-children; Jennifer (Steven) Maass of Rochester, MN, Heather (Troy) McEldowney of Rochester, MN, Andrew (Nicole) Selle of Rochester, MN, Amber (Gregg) Lalim of Lakeville, MN, Kathryn Prince of Arizona and four great-grandchildren; Alexander Selle of Rochester, Kailyn and Brea McEldowney of Rochester, MN, and Riley Lalim of Lakeville, MN.  He was preceded in death by six brothers and one sister.

A memorial service is planned for 2:00 p.m. Friday, October 8, at the Byron Methodist Church in Byron, MN.  Burial of the ashes will be in Byron Cemetery, Byron, MN at a later date.

Memorials are preferred to the Ronald McDonald House.

Macken Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

On-line condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com