Obituaries

Don Cain

Dec 6, 2024

Don C Cain, age 97, of Rochester, MN, loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend, passed away Friday, December 6, 2024, at the Charter House in Rochester, MN. Don was born June 15, 1927, in Coalinga, CA, the son of Helen (Nelsen) and Gordon Cain. Oldest of three, Don was predeceased by brother Bill and sister Marthalou. Don grew...

Melissa Hesse

Dec 6, 2024

Melissa Meline Hesse, of Bloomington, MN, was born November 23, 1974 in Rochester, MN to Ronald and Barbara Meline. She passed away after a short illness on December 6, 2024.

Melissa graduated from Mayo High School in Rochester, MN and Winona State University. She married Daniel Hesse on February 23, 2002. She was currently employed at Brown and Brown...

Shirley Berg

Dec 5, 2024

Shirley Marie Berg, age 87, of Rochester, MN passed away on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at the Mayo Clinic Methodist Campus in Rochester, MN

Shirley was born on April 2, 1937 to Paul and Thelma (Irish) Swygman. She attended and graduated from Rochester High School in 1955. She married James Berg September 30, 1955 in Rochester, MN. She worked in the...

Emil Heintz

Dec 2, 2024

Emil "Sonny" R. Heintz, age 86, of Rochester, MN passed away December 2, 2024 at Madonna Towers in Rochester, MN.

Emil Roosen Heintz was born September 15, 1938 in Marinette, Wisconsin the son of Emil and Alexina (Roosen) Heintz. Sonny married Sharon Wilcox and in their union had 3 children, Don, Dale and Susan. He was a dedicated 36 year...

Sherry Bright

Dec 2, 2024

Sherry L. Bright, 68, of Zumbro Falls, MN passed away on December 2 at Methodist Hospital in Rochester.

Sherry Lynn (Ebert) Bright was born on September 4, 1956, in Alma, WI, to parents Alfred and Betty (Roffler) Ebert. After graduating high school in 1974, she went on to pursue a certificate in nursing assistance at Rochester Community and Technical College....

Rita Nolte

Dec 2, 2024

Rita L. Nolte, age 82, of Rochester, MN passed away peacefully at the Walt Home in Rochester, MN.

Rita Louise Nolte was born January 22, 1942 in Dighton, Kansas, the daughter of Warren and Verna (Troudt) Hallbick. She attended Lane County Community Elementary and High School, earned her RN certification with a Master's degree in secondary education at...

Natalie Kline

Dec 1, 2024

Natalie Kline was born March 8, 1939, in Michigan. She was married to the love of her life, Norman Kline, who preceded her in death in 1995. Also preceding her in death were her parents, Manuel and Nora Norat and brother, Donald Norat. Natalie was active with Serra Club, her prayer group and volunteering. Natalie was a woman of faith...

Chris Matthew Degener

Nov 27, 2024

Chris M. Degener, 56, of Rochester, MN, passed away peacefully with his family at his bedside, on November 27, 2024 at Mayo Clinic Methodist Hospital, after a long battle with lung cancer.

Chris Matthew Degener was born on July 4, 1968, to parents Larry and Janet (Rucker) Degener, in Red Wing, MN. After graduating from Red Wing Highschool in...

Dennis Butterbaugh

Nov 26, 2024

Dennis P. Butterbaugh, 86, of Rochester, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on November 26, 2024, at Magnolia Springs Bridgewater in Carmel, Indiana.

Dennis (Denny) Paul Butterbaugh was born December 30, 1937, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the son of Paul and Pauline (Smith) Butterbaugh. Denny was a loving son and brother, a devoted husband and father, and a doting grandfather and great grandfather....

Carletta Werre

Nov 25, 2024

Reverend Carletta G. Werre, 73, of Rochester passed away at Seasons Hospice House in Rochester on November 25, 2024.

Carla was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota on December 13, 1950 to Joseph W. Werre Jr. and Helen (Michelson) Werre.

She grew up in Rochester, MN and received her associates degree from Rochester Community College, her bachelors degree from Winona State University,...

David Hunt

Nov 23, 2024

David Miller Hunt, 91, of Green Valley, AZ and Rochester, MN passed away in AZ with his family gathered on November 23, 2024. Preceded in death by his parents Desmond and Clara Hunt and in-laws Dayton and Thelma Davies. Dave was a steadfast man with high integrity and a life well-lived.

Born in Rochester, MN in 1933, Dave met the love...

Lyle Thomas (Tom) Lemke

Nov 23, 2024

Tom passed away on November 23rd, 2024, at St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, MN surrounded by his loving family.

Tom was born to Herman and Dorothy (White) Lemke on February 7, 1942 in Minneapolis. After his father's death when Tom was three, his mother married William Hartkopf. Tom grew up on the family farm, attended a country school through eighth grade...

Gary Poch

Nov 21, 2024

Gary D. Poch, 66, passed away suddenly on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at the Stewartville Care Center.

Gary Dean Poch was born on September 7, 1958 in Faribault, MN to parents Gerhardt and Darlene (Koger) Poch. Gary grew up in Faribault where he attended the Faribault Lutheran School. Later the family moved to Rochester, MN where Gary attended and...

Charles Brown

Nov 20, 2024

Charles Gene Brown, 76, of Rochester, MN, passed away on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at his home at The Homestead of Rochester.

Charles was born on May 5, 1948, in LaCrosse, WI, to parents Charles and Janis (Ristow) Brown. After graduating, Charles served in the United States Navy from 1968-1972, during the Vietnam War. Upon being honorably discharged, he...

Kaya Campbell

Nov 18, 2024

Kaya Mae Campbell was born on September 22, 2005, in Rochester, MN, where she spent her whole life. She passed away peacefully at home on November 18, 2024.

She is survived by her loving parents, Keith and Anna Campbell; her sisters, Cora and Haedyn; her maternal grandmother, Charline Rabe; her paternal grandparents, Patricia Brossman and Roger Campbell, Karen Campbell; and...

Jack Block

Nov 18, 2024

Jack Raymond Block, age 97, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on Monday, 11/18/2024.

Jack was born January 11,1927, to John and Avis Block (Mulholland) in rural Rochester, MN. As a young farmboy, his early years were spent helping his dad and older sister, Anita, with chores and crops, plowing and working the fields with...

LaDonna Paul

Nov 16, 2024

LaDonna (Steffie) Paul, age 92, passed away on November 16, 2024.

Steffie was born in Wykoff, MN to Thurman and Alice Steffensrud. She graduated from Winona State University and married Kenneth E. Paul of Spring Valley, MN on June 29, 1955. At the beginning of her career, she was an elementary teacher in the Austin and Albert Lea parochial...

Michael Zirbes

Nov 16, 2024

Michael William Zirbes passed away peacefully at St. Mary's Hospital on November 16, 2024, at the age of 74.

He was born August 14, 1950, in La Crosse, Wisconsin to Clarence (Red) Zirbes and Patricia (Marcou) Zirbes. They moved to Rochester, Minnesota when he was 6 years old. He graduated from Mayo High School in 1969. He then went on...

Harriet Rudd

Nov 14, 2024

Harriet (Grein) Rudd, 88, of Rochester, MN, peacefully went to her Heavenly Home with Jesus on November 14, 2024.

Funeral service will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN, on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 11 a.m. with Pastor Jeff Niederstadt officiating. A livestream of the service is available at: hclc.tv/rudd.

Harriet was born in...

Norma Footh

Nov 13, 2024

Norma was born in Mankato, MN to Gladys (Pearson) Knoss and Fredrick Knoss. She grew up on the family farm and attended Rapidan High School, just outside Mankato. While at Mankato State Teachers' College, she met her future husband, Willard Footh. While he served during WWII, Norma taught for two years in Mapleton. After the war, they were married at...