Richard and Elaine Petersen have been residents of Clarkfield since 1955, and have been decorating the exterior of their home in various themes for the holidays since. The couple is known around town for having their large window of their home covered in lights and decor for every season.
Norma “Stina” Anderson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away peacefully in the presence of her family on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at the age of 93. A native of Clarkfield, she was born on March 15, 1929 to Heimer and Alice (Anderson) Johnson. She graduated from Clarkfield High School in 1947 and Minneapolis Beauty School in 1949.
Patricia Putnam, 94, of Bloomington and formerly of Granite Falls passed away on Friday, April 15, 2022, at Hayden Grove Assisted Living in Bloomington. A Celebration of Life will take place Friday, April 22, 2022 at 11 a.m. at the United Church of Christ in Granite Falls. Interment will take place in the Granite Falls City Cemetery.
The funeral service for John Rice, 92, of Hanley Falls, will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church in Hanley Falls. A livestream and recording of the service will be available on the church Facebook page. Visitation will be Friday, April 22, from 5 until 8 p.m. at the Sunset Funeral Home in Echo, with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment with military honors will follow at the West Yellow Medicine Lutheran Cemetery.
David Leroy Bestland, died Friday, January 7, 2022, at the Clarkfield Care Center, at the age of 84 years. A Celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wing-Bain Funeral Home Chapel in Granite Falls, with a prayer service at 12:30 p.m.
Coleen Ann (Holum) Odegard, 70, of rural Granite Falls passed away peacefully with family by her side at her winter home in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. on December 22, 2021. She is survived by her husband, Dallas Odegard and beloved Boston Terrier Billy, two sons and their families: Barry (Jennifer - Braya, Landon and Micah) Odegard of Apple Valley and Travis (Jessica - Kody, Tayde, Mariah, Jace, Shaila and Alysen) Odegard of Sacred Heart. She is also survived by her sister Becky (Mike) Holum-Brytowski of Princeton.
Jon “Whoopie” Alan Anderson of Granite Falls was called from this life to eternal life on April 15, 2022 after holding on to hope and having faith and a strong will to live. Jon was born August 30, 1961 in Clarkfield to Orville and MayEllen Anderson. He was baptized and confirmed at Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church, and attended school at Granite Falls High School, and married Tammy Bergman at Granite Falls Lutheran Church on August 22, 1992. They established their home in Granite where they raised two sons, Jacob and Nicholas. He loved Tammy and his boys unconditionally and unselfishly.
Spring is Sprung. Or has it? They say it’s Spring.
As the Mayor of a city in Southwest Minnesota, I hear from employers all the time about the shortage of employees. We see signs in the front windows of businesses and billboards all around that are advertising for employees. Sign-on bonuses is growing rapidly as with starting wages for these jobs. For jobs that require a 2-year accreditation or a more advanced 4-year degree, many businesses are getting very creative in paying for all or part of the education in exchange for a commitment to work. New or struggling businesses sometimes do not readily have the financial resources available to get these employees.
Imagine it is night, you are driving along a lonely country road, you stop at a stop sign and your headlights fail. They just stop working. The car is running fine, but you cannot see the road. The moon is but a sliver. The stars are distant. You cannot see where you are going. There is nothing you can do; so, you wait and hope. In his book Standing on the Promises, Louis Smedes wrote, “Waiting is our destiny as creatures who cannot by themselves bring about what they hope for. We wait in the darkness for a flame we cannot light. We wait in fear for a happy ending we cannot write. We wait for a not yet that feels like a not ever. Waiting is the hardest work of hope.”