September 2022

Daryl Hermanson

Daryl Hermanson, 62, passed away at his home in Boyd on Thur sday, September 15, 2022, as a result of cancer. He was born on April 12, 1960, in Montevideo to Vernel and Janice (Moen) Hermanson.

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Esther H. Schmidt

Esther H. Schmidt, 75, of Granite Falls passed away on Monday, September 19, 2022, at the Bethesda in Willmar. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, September 24 at 1 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Granite Falls. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services on Saturday. Esther was born to Marvin and Irene (Schultz) Geske on December 18, 1946. She was the 6th of 12 children. Esther was baptized on January 12, 1947, and confirmed in 1960 at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Marshall. She graduated from Lynd School and she attended cosmetology school. She met Doug Schmidt and they were united in marriage on August 17, 1968, in Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Marshall. Their union was blessed with three children and more than 52 years together. Esther was a lifetime member of the Granite Falls VFW Auxiliary and managed the VFW in the 1980’s. Douglas and Esther completed Project Turnabout, Growth group and eventually becoming Growth Group facilitators while attending AA and Al Anon. Esther worked at several business over the years, including H&R Block, Granite Falls Bank, and Geske Home Improvement. She especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and watching them grow. Esther was active with her quilting and embroidery clubs in Minnesota and Texas; Doug referred to her hobby as her ‘therapy’. Esther was an avid reader and she enjoyed traveling with Douglas until their mobility made traveling difficult. Five years ago, they sold the property in Minnesota and relocated to Harlingen, Texas. Esther survived by their three children: Brenda Gates of Maynard, Kirby Schmidt of Renville, and Douglas Jr. (Darla) Schmidt of Montevideo, nine grandchildren: Christopher, Elizabeth, Garrett, Dustin, Crystal, Nathan, Carrie, Chelsea and Jasen; one greatgrandchild Bexley; siblings: Ina Geske, Richard (Karen) Geske, Wayne Geske, Bob (Naomi) Polzin, Pat (Janice) Geske, Ronnie (Claire) Geske, Bob (Cynthia) Steinbeisser, Glenn Geske, Nelia Gary;

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Letters to the Editor

Many may not know, but Minnesota’s ethanol industry is the third largest in the United States and is responsible for purchasing and beginning the value-added processing of over half of the corn crop produced in the state. As the world continues to focus on ways to reduce emissions from all aspects of our economy and utilizing more renewable energy resources in the process, it is critical that Minnesota’s ethanol industry take the necessary steps to ensure that biofuels like ethanol remain a viable low-carbon solution and competitive in that marketplace in the years and decades to come.

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Notes from the Granite Area Arts Council

It’s possible you, at SquidFest, stopped by a certain booth and created fish scale-print art or got your face painted, especially if you happen to be a child. (We’re not positive this column has an especially large child readership, but it’s possible.) If so, you likely met our Community Artist in Residence Leah Cook, who has spent the last month having dozens of conversations and making connections.

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Live Well, Age Wisely:

Previously, I wrote about some of the changes to Part D coverage that will result from the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. A couple more were highlighted in an email I received from the Senior LinkAge Line and I’d like to share them with you.

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