Tyler John Barrett Heibel, age 42, of Fountain, Minn., passed away on Monday, December 1, 2025, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. Tyler was born November 4, 1983, to John and Kathy (Barrett) Heibel in Rochester, Minn. Tyler attended Fillmore Central School district and graduated in 2002. Running was something Tyler always loved. He was on the track team throughout … [Read more...]
Glen L. Hines
Glen, 79, of Winona and formerly of Mabel, Minn., passed away on November 30, 2025. Glen taught science and math for almost 40 years at Mabel-Canton High School, beginning in 1969. He and Don Wendlandt designed and supervised the construction of the new science rooms in 1974. Glen first retired in 2003, then taught at Calmar Community College in Iowa, but returned to M-C to … [Read more...]
Janell Marie Torgerson
Janell Marie (Mohs) Torgerson, 74, of Caledonia, Minn.,, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, December 6, 2025. She was born on July 8, 1951, in the village of Preston, Minn., to Donald and Betty (Cheney) Mohs. Janell graduated from Harmony Area School in 1969. On January 31, 1970, she married Dennis Torgerson at Greenfield Lutheran Church in Harmony, Minn. In 1974, they … [Read more...]
Gwenneth Signe Wiegrefe
Gwenneth Signe Wiegrefe passed away on November 29, 2025, at the Gundersen Harmony Care Center in Harmony, Minn., just a month shy of her 95th birthday. She was born on December 26, 1930, to Lois (Zupp) Hogstad and Sven Hogstad, the second oldest in a family of nine children. She graduated from Huntley High School and later worked her way through college, first at Hamline … [Read more...]
Rocklyn “Rocky” Brand
Rocklyn “Rocky” Brand, 67, of Rushford, Minn., passed away on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at his home. Rocky was born in Rushford, Minn., on January 21, 1958, to Vernon and Marilyn (Johnson) Brand. After graduating from Rushford High School, Rocky met and fell madly in love with Holly Sue Heiden. The two married in 1979, and from this union four sons were born. Rocky had a … [Read more...]
Katherine Ann (O’Donnell) Zacher
Katherine Ann Zacher, 74, of Rushford, Minn., passed away at her home November 30, 2025, surrounded by family following a courageous 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Kathy was born in Rushford on November 29, 1951, the first child of Harold (Bud) and Dorothy (Kryzer) O’Donnell. She graduated from Rushford High School and attended Winona State. She was a dedicated … [Read more...]
Lawrence “Larry” Arthur Becker
Lawrence “Larry” Arthur Becker, 74, of Brownsville, Minn., passed away peacefully on December 2, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones. Born on August 3, 1951, in St. Paul, Minn., to Harold and Rita (Reedy) Becker, Larry grew up with a strong sense of family and community. He graduated from Rosemount High School and went on to build a remarkable life filled with love, laughter, … [Read more...]
The Smell of Christmas is in the Air
The smell of fresh pine trees, burning wood, steaming hot chocolate, and freshly baked cookies fills the air at the Guberud Hill Tree Farm from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas or until the last tree is sold. Starting the day after Thanksgiving and continuing every Saturday and Sunday until Christmas, the public is invited to stop by and select the perfect Christmas … [Read more...]
Pastor Devotions – The Light Shines in the Darkness
By Pastor Mark Woodward Maple Leaf Parish of the UMC Cherry Grove, Fountain, Preston, and Spring Valley: Faith Churches (and Lenora) In recent days winter has really come on with deep snow, arctic winds and subzero temperatures. I think we have all been kind of spoiled over the last few winters, with little snow and balmy weather, but this winter could be different. … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project Recently Discovered Sea Creatures
By Brenna Krips The ocean is far more than a vast body of water; it is the lifeblood of our planet and a critical force in sustaining life. We have only explored 5% of our oceans and we keep discovering more and more of our ocean. I will be going over some recently discovered sea creatures found in recent years. West Australian Lanternshark The West Australian lantern … [Read more...]