NRHEG Star Eagle

137 Years Serving the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Area
Newspaper of Record for NRHEG School District
Newspaper of Record for Waseca County, MN
PO Box 248 • New Richland, MN 56072

507-463-8112
email: steagle@hickorytech.net
Published every Thursday
Yearly Subscription: Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn counties: $52
Minnesota $57 • Out of state $64

Jon Harlan Carlson, age 42 of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota passed away Saturday morning, December 23, 2017, at Mayo Clinic Health System–Mankato.

Jon Harlan was born March 11, 1975 in Morrisville, Pennsylvania to Gary and Diana (Gilbert) Carlson. At a young age Jon’s family moved to the Blooming Prairie, Minnesota area where he attended elementary school and graduated from Blooming Prairie High School with the class of 1993. After high school Jon worked in the construction industry. In 1997 he started Jon Carlson Construction.  In 2006 Jon began working for RWP Design Build in Geneva. In 2013 Jon and his business partner Tait Ingvaldson purchased RWP and renamed it Geneva Lumber Company. Jon was very proud of his business and was a perfectionist when it came to his trade. However, at the center of his life was his family. Jon was a devoted husband and father, and his wife and kids meant the world to him. He was united in marriage to Angela Mae Jones on September 20, 2008. Jon was Angie’s best friend, comforter, comedic audience, her soul, her everything. He was very active in his kids’ lives whether he was coaching their 4-H softball teams, watching the kids’ sporting events or going on family camping trips. Jon served as past president of the Matmen Wrestling Organization in Blooming Prairie. He also had a very close relationship with his nieces and nephews. Jon was an avid hunter and fisherman, and always looked forward to Deer Camp and his annual fishing trip with family to Canada. He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Blooming Prairie where he had served as past president of the youth board. Jon was able to give the gift of life through organ donation.

Funeral Services for Lila V. Rasmussen of Albert  Lea will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26, at Bonnerup Funeral Service in Albert Lea.  The Reverend Paul Andree will officiate.

Interment will be in Hillcrest Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour before services at the funeral home

Lila died on Thursday, December 21, 2017 at St. John’s Lutheran Community in Albert Lea. She was 98.

She was born on August 10, 1919, in Albert Lea, the daughter of Fred and Bertha (Nihoff) Nelson.

She married James Rasmussen on March 4, 1939, in Northwood, Iowa. 

She attended different rural schools and was confirmed in Trinity Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.

Robert James Meyer, age 83, of New Richland died on Saturday, December 16, 2017 in Rochester, Minnesota. Funeral services for Robert will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 23, 2017 at First Congregational Church, New Richland, MN. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, December 22 at Bonnerup-Friedrich Funeral Chapel, 217 W Division, New Richland, MN and again one hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be in St. Peter Cemetery, rural New Richland, MN.

Robert was born on January 23, 1934 and raised by his parents Alfred and Grace (Buschow) Meyer near Matawan, MN. He attended Freeborn High School and served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955.

On February 23, 1957 he married Lorraine Dusza at First Congregational Church in New Richland. They made their home in New Richland and raised five children.

Robert started his trucking career hauling grain for local farmers and eventually became an over-the-road truck driver with six million miles under his belt. He loved listening to the music of Elvis Presley on his radio.

In his free time, Robert enjoyed watching NASCAR, football, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. He loved spending time with his family and watching his grandchildren’s events. He was also a member of the American Legion.

Kate H. Kraber, age 70 of Waseca died on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at her home in Waseca.

Born on September 18, 1947 in Clarkfield, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Philip and LaVien (Lecy) Hanson. Kate graduated from Echo High School in 1965 where she was the Homecoming Queen. After high school, she moved to Mankato where she worked at the Mankato Telephone Co.  Kate married John Splinter in 1968 and they were later divorced. She married Steven Hall in 1975 and he preceded her in death in 1980. She then married Dean Kalis in 1982 and they were later divorced. Kate lived in Buffalo, New Richland, and Wood Lake before moving to Waseca in 1998.  She had been employed with Mediacom in Waseca for 19 years as a customer service supervisor. Kate enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, going on trips with her sisters and attending her grandchildren’s activities. She was a member of Rock Valle Lutheran Church in Echo and the Echo American Legion Auxiliary.

She is survived by one son, Jeremy Splinter of Sioux Falls; two daughters, Stacey (Matt) Ulferts of Echo and Ashley (Beau) Boerner of New Richland; 10 grandchildren; and two sisters, Phyllis (Don) Miller of Wood Lake and LeAnn (Dwight) Kurtz of Echo. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Noel Hanson; and husband, Steven Hall.

A memorial service for Michael R. Aldrich will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 23, 2017 at the Bonnerup Funeral Chapel, Albert Lea. The Reverend Shawn Stafford will officiate. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service.

Michael passed away peacefully after a two year battle with cancer on Friday, December 15, 2017 at the Homestead Hospice House in Owatonna, MN. He was 61 years old.

Michael Ray Aldrich was born on March 11, 1956 to Keith and Jean (Main) Aldrich in Long Prairie, MN. He attended and graduated from Freeborn High School in 1974. He continued to be a resident of southern Minnesota his whole life. Mike married Wanda Christensen on July 5, 1975. The couple would later divorce. Mike was blessed with two children, Michelle and David.

Mike drove truck for a living.  He drove for Matson Truck, Pro Trucking, Norseman Trucking, and most recently, Valley Trucking.  Besides work, Mike enjoyed many things. He was a volunteer fireman in Freeborn for 12 years. In his free time, he liked to go snowmobiling, and liked to drive around Hartland on his golf cart, where he would often find the neighborhood campfire where he enjoyed spending time with friends and neighbors.

Mike is preceded in death by his brother in-laws, Rodney Arnold and Harlan Christensen; and both sets of grandparents.