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Emily J (Busho) Otto, birthdate June 16, 1950, fell into the arms of Jesus on a beautiful sunny morning, June 2, 2023 at 8:10 am. Her two children, their spouses and sister were by her side as she left this earth to become healed and whole again in Heaven. As she lived with ALS with grace and strength she knew Jesus was always by her side. Emily’s strong unfailing faith carried her and gave her much peace.
Emily was born and raised in the Ellendale area. After she and Larry were united in marriage they decided this was where they wanted to raise their family. She attended Mankato State and received her degree in speech pathology and later gained her Masters in Early Childhood Special Education. Most of her career was spent working with the countless children in the Ellendale-Geneva and later NRHEG school system. This career path was fitting as she had a great love for all children.
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Blair Jon Nelson, age 65, of Waseca passed away unexpectedly, surrounded by his loving family on May 30, 2023, in Waseca.
Blair was born on November 17, 1957, in Owatonna to Dwain and Marilyn (Denn) Nelson. An answer to Blair’s prayers was meeting Deanne Smetana and they were united in marriage on November 25, 1983 in Pine City at the First Presbyterian Church. They were married for 39 wonderful years and blessed with four children.
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Early Saturday morning, May 27th, 2023, Agnes Theressa Christensen passed away peacefully in her beloved farmhouse near Bath Township where she had lived for over 70 years. Agnes was born at Naeve Hospital in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on November 11, 1928, to Lawrence and Olga Martin. She joined her brother, James, and sister, Katherine, on a farm site in Freeborn County where she grew to embrace the country life while developing the necessary hard work ethic required to “make a go of things”. Agnes would share many stories about climbing the silo to throw down silage as a young child; hand milking cows before going to school only to come home to do it again (before meals and schoolwork); weeding onions in Hollandale, Mn, for 50 cents an hour so she could buy war bonds; ice-skating on Geneva Lake; memorizing and reciting poems during school programs—“Oh Captain My Captain” was a personal favorite. She treasured having a kind mother who took good care of her family modeling the type of mother she would strive to become.
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Edwin "Ed" Gordon Jensen of Ellendale, MN passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 1, 2023 at Whispering Oak Place in Ellendale, MN; he was 94 years old, one month shy of his 95th birthday.
Edwin “Ed” Gordon Jensen was born July 2, 1928 in Ida Grove, Iowa to Gordon and Clara (Sward) Jensen. He lived there for a short time until his parents moved to Clarks Grove, MN to stay with Gordon’s parents on their farm just east of town. Edwin attended first grade in the Freeborn County School District #23, about one mile SE of Clarks Grove.
They moved several times (Maple Island) before they settled in their home in Geneva where Ed, his 3 brothers, Marshall, Wyman, and Dennis and sister, Joanne grew up. Ed attended Geneva School through 8th grade and then attended Ellendale High School; graduating in 1947. He played football and baseball in high school.
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Helen Gilma Grunwald, 89, of Owatonna, died Saturday, May 27, 2023 at the Birchwood Cottages in Owatonna.
Helen was born on May 5, 1934 in Albert Lea to Wilken and Gilma (Warke) Wilkenson. She grew up on the family farm in the New Richland area, attended country school, and graduated from New Richland High School in 1952. She was baptized and confirmed at the Le Sueur River Lutheran Church. After high school Helen worked at Federated in Owatonna. On August 27, 1955, she was united in marriage to James L. Grunwald at Le Sueur River Lutheran Church. They moved to Waseca and she worked for E.F. Johnson Company until having children. She stayed home to raise her children until the fall of 1966 when she went to work for the Mishek Co. in Waseca. She worked there for 40 years before going to work at Lincoln Suppliers, retiring in 2016 at the age of 81. As a young woman, Helen loved working on the family farm, milking cows, doing chores and field work. She also loved her church, teaching Sunday school and playing the piano. Later in life Helen continued her love of being outside growing flowers, watching birds, camping and watching car races. She was an avid Timberwolves fan and had season tickets for a number of years. She enjoyed trips with James in their motor home; especially to Branson and Nashville. She was a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church in Waseca before moving to Owatonna where she was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. She was a remarkable mother who was always willing to help and provide support when asked by her family. Always checking on how the "little people" are doing, referring to her great-grandchildren, who she was so very proud of.