Kathleen Ann Mansur (Nee Kelly)
Age 91 of West St. Paul
Passed away peacefully on May 25, 2025. Preceded in death by husband, Peter; parents, Ed & Violet Kelly; brother, Tom Kelly; grandchildren, Michael & Patricia Westergren.
Survived by children, Patricia (John) Westergren, Mary Kay Hanson, Jeanne (Tony) Abbott, Peggy (Alex) Moore, Peter, Kathy (Mike) Joyce, Joseph (Peggy), Jackie (Scott) Foley & Tim; 31 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren (5 more on the way), sister-in-law, Adele; brother-in-law, Joe (Marsha).
Kathleen enjoyed Bible study, book club, church, lunches out, visiting with family and friends, mystery/detective shows, football-both Vikings and Notre Dame-“Go Fighting Irish!” And had a great love for animals.
Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM Friday, June 6th, at the Church of St. Joseph, 1154 Seminole Ave., West St. Paul. Visitation 9:30 am – 11:00 am prior to Mass at church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to the Salvation Army.
Sharon Kay Dreyer
Mrs. Sharon Kay Dreyer, the daughter of the late Frank and Ora Baker, passed away peacefully at age 85 on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at her residence in Inver Grove Heights, MN. Sharon was vibrant and always on the go, a world traveler who had visited over 60 countries, as well as a loving mother, grandmother, and friend. She looked forward to playing cards, going to the movies, and performances at the Ordway. Never idle, Sharon enjoyed reading, knitting, crocheting, and gardening.
Sharon was a huge presence in her daughter Rebecca Lynn Washburn and granddaughter Raena Lynae Washburn’s lives and without fail, at 7:30 pm. Sharon called just one last time to check in on Becky before she went to bed.
Sharon was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Harold Dreyer (married from 5/1/1982-10/1/2010), and former husband, Richard Washburn (married from 6/4/1961-11/1975).
Born on 12/4/1939 in Rochester, MN, Sharon lived in Wykoff and graduated from Wykoff High School in 1957. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Education from Luther College in Iowa and a Masters in Education from Mankato State University. Sharon taught for 35 years at Grand Meadow, LeRoy, Waterville, Elysian and Dakota County Technical College.
Services will be held Monday, June 2, at 11:00 AM at Augustana Lutheran Church, 1400 S. Robert St., West St. Paul, MN 55118 with a luncheon following. Sharon will be inurned in Augustana Lutheran Church’s Columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorials please be sent to the American Heart Association or the National Kidney Foundation, organizations Sharon felt strongly about.
Michael Dean Amundson
Age 70 of South Saint Paul
Passed away unexpectedly on May 9th 2025. Preceded in death by his parents, Dean and Doris Amundson; sisters, Mary Amundson and Jennifer Amundson.
Survived by his kids, Joe Amundson (Eli), Jeramy Amundson (Amber), Lisa Amundson (Andy), Tiffany Winfield (Darren) & Theresa Larson (Andy); 17 grandkids, Carlee, Joey, Mikey, Kayla, Matthew, Jason, Anthony, Owen, Emmett, Lillian, Isabel, Evelyn, David, Sarah, Ada, Luke and Mahari; girlfriend, Darla Lange; sister, Debrah Muskopf.
Mike was born and raised in Mondovi WI and later moved to Cottage Grove, MN where he graduated from Park High School. He started his working career at a cable company to support his young family. He found his real passion in window cleaning. Beginning 1991 Mike ran a very successful window cleaning company, where he loved to show off and talk to his customers about his many antique cars. He finally retired in 2018 to live the good life and sold his company to his son, Joe Amundson. To this day Joe and his daughter, Carlee are running his successful legacy. Mike was very proud of this. Mike loved anything antique and he sure loved showing it off, telling stories to family and friends about every new antique he could get his hands on. He also loved his Model A cars. He loved driving those cars anywhere he could. Those things were what made him happy, his smile was contagious when he was in his cool car! This was his true passion and what gave him life. Mike enjoyed spending time with his grandkids either taking them on rides in his COOL Cars or talking antiques and sharing his knowledge with them in his garage. When he talked about the things he collected his eyes would light up and he would just be so happy. Mike was a big fan of his grandson, Joey’s baseball, he loved going to his games and loved hearing about all of his great plays. He was very proud of him. Mike loved his family and friends made sure he always hugged you and told you he loved you. His smile and laughter will be greatly missed but we know he will always be with us. Its not goodbye its see you later.
Celebration of Life
Saturday June 7th 3pm-7pm
357 1st Ave S., South Saint Paul MN
Mike will be laid to rest in a private family interment in Mondovi, Wisconsin alongside his parents.
Flowers and cards May be set to
8185 Courthouse Blvd, Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077
Martin H. Janousek Sr.
Age 84 of Inver Grove Heights
Passed away on December 1, 2024. Preceded in death by first wife, Patricia and daughter, Diane. Survived by loving wife, Alma; sons, Harley C. & Martin W. (Lorna); grandchildren, Lillian Mae & Jacob Patrick.
Martin loved to work, landscape, gardening, design and build houses. He was a jack of all trades hard working man. A loving husband, family man and a wonderful Dad. Loved and respected by love ones and the people he met throughout his life time.
Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 AM Saturday, May 31st with visitation one hour prior to Mass at The Church of St. Patrick, 3535 72nd St., Inver Grove Heights. Interment Oak Hill Cemetery.
Nicholas Henry Gelting
Age 63 of St. Paul
Passed away on May 14, 2025. Preceded in death by parents, Melvin & Janet; brother, Fritz. Survived by children, Nicole (Ken) & Rico (Becca); sisters, Veronica Gelting & Ann (Ken) Schramm; grandchildren, Joseph, Kiera, Luciano, Isaliya; niece, Bernadette; nephew, Walter; also many other relatives and friends.
From Nick’s loved ones:
NIKKI
He could make friends with anyone. Everywhere he went he brought joy and good humor with him. He loved to joke, his puns were the best.
He enjoyed skiing and riding his bike, muscle cars, Mexican food, and good music.
There is so much more to him, but I can’t seem to find the words to express the enormous hole that his passing has left in this world. He was one of a kind.
RICO
Nick always made you feel like you were special, like you’re the most important person in the room. He always had jokes or a funny story to share, always so positive all the time and encouraging you to be the best you that you can be.
VERONICA
Nick loved teasing people. He could make puns about almost anything instantly. It was his daily goal in life to make at least one person laugh, especially if they were having a bad day, to try to lighten their load and make their day a little brighter.
Some days he could be pretty grumpy himself, but on most days he succeeded in cheering up the people around him.
He and our younger brother Fritz both learned how to cook from our dad — they were really good at it and often cooked together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners. He was famous for his seafood soup.
He read all the Louis L’Amour and Zane Gray novels. His favorite genres were action, spy, and detective stories.
He was also an excellent writer. His stories about mountain forest fires were riveting!
He learned how to ride out West. He once wrote a story about a mare he frequently rode named Vale, who was hard to ride if you didn’t know her tricks, such as trying to scrape unsuspecting riders off her back by pinning their leg against a corral rail!
He loved working as a forest firefighter in the state of Oregon. He learned how to use specialized equipment so that his crew could work longer and earn more. If he saw new firefighters struggling to do their jobs, he would teach them techniques to make their work easier, safer, and faster. He would teach new crews constructing fire breaks how to work as a team instead of as individuals— for example, working relay-style, while keeping their lines straight as they dug by spotting ahead and choosing a tree to mark with a bright rag.
As a truck driver, Nick joked and teased and turned strangers into friends across America: Waitresses, road-work crews, weigh-station officials, highway patrol officers, fellow truckers at road stop diners — they all greeted Nick with big smiles. And if they didn’t have a smile on their face, he would put one there.
He only lived for a couple of years at the John Carroll Senior High-Rise before he had a stroke that forced his move into nursing care facilities, but he made friends throughout the building. Many people continue to ask about him after he moved away.
BARB
When I think of Nick, I think of the phrase, “He liked a good joke.” As his friend, I appreciate that he had the same dry sense of Iowa humor that I had.
Nick and his siblings were more devoted to each other than so many, many other families I have known. Living in the same building as his sister, Ronnie, I often think of how a couple of times a week, either he was at her apartment or she was at his. I think he took a great deal of comfort in living down the hall from his sister.
Very often, if Ronnie and I went to his apartment, he would be writing a story on his computer. If we asked, “What is it about?” He would smile slyly and say, “I can’t tell you that. It’s not finished yet.” I would tell him, “Come on, Nick, you could be the next Hemingway, so tell us!” But he would just laugh.
He was proud of his sisters, Ronnie and Ann, and his brother Fritz; they were a close family unit. And he was very proud of his kids, Nicole and Rico, and his grandkids. A memory of Nick always brings a smile to my face.
ANN
After I told Nick last April that our brother Fritz had passed away, he would repeat over and over, for weeks, “Fritz is gone?” I feel the same way about Nick, as well as Fritz. We have so many memories growing up, I don’t know where to start. I’m just going to piggy-back on the above; however, a couple things come to mind. When ordering at restaurants he would always order a basket of $100 bills, a Ferrari and a super model. Also, we both played trombone in band and when I was a senior and he was a junior, I got first chair. Truth is, he was a better player than me, and I know I got first chair because I was a senior. He loved music, especially Jazz.
Nick finished up two years of college at Macalester in St. Paul. He then went out west to Oregon to fight forest fires on a crew. When returning to Minnesota, he had various jobs: semi-truck driver, maintenance work, security guard, bike shop sales and repair, more semi-truck driving as an owner-operator, etc. His greatest job, however, was being a brother-father-grandfather-uncle-friend; and as you can see, the common theme in these threads is he liked to make people laugh; and like my father, had some really dumb puns.
I miss my brothers, I will miss Nick.
Visitation 4:00 -7:00 pm Wednesday, May 21st at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights, MN. Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 am Thursday, May 22nd at the Church of the Holy Trinity, 749 6th Ave. S., South St. Paul with visitation 9:30-10:30 am prior to Mass at church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights.
CAKE, COFFEE & SANDWICHES, Served after Interment (Room open at 12:30), Inver Grove Community Center, Room #1, 8055 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077.
Verna M. LaBarre
Age 81 of Bullhead City, AZ
Formerly of Inver Grove Heights, MN
Passed away peacefully on May 8, 2025. Preceded in death by husband, James; parents, Floyd & Viola Hamilton; sisters, Carol, Lois & Jeanne; brother, Floyd Jr. Survived by children, Jim (Terese), Mary (David) LaBarre Mustin, Angela (Rich) Cassidy and John (Frederick); grandchildren, Matt, Cassie, Jessica, Tad, Jennifer, Alexandra & Maria; great-grandchildren, Benjamin, Madelynn, Iris, Cashel & Emmitt; brother, David Hamilton; loving dogs, Lucy, Coco, Winston; also many other family and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial 11 :00 AM Thursday, May 22nd, at the Church of St. Patrick, 3535 72nd St., Inver Grove Heights. Visitation 9:00 – 11:00 AM prior to Mass at church. Private Interment St. Patrick’s Church Cemetery.
Marjorie A. Sullivan (Malerich)
(Nee Nadeau)
Age 93 of Eagan
Passed away peacefully on May 13, 2025. Preceded in death by husband, Robert Sullivan; daughter, Mary; grandson, Nicholas; parents, Louis and Evelyn Nadeau; sister, Gloria Braun; brother, Richard Nadeau; daughter-in-law, Gail Sullivan. Survived by husband, Dr. J. Anthony Malerich; children, Julie, Colleen, Patrick, Michael and John; 17 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Mary Kay Burke and Betty (Tom) Roberts; also many nieces, nephews and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM Tuesday, May 20th, at the Church of St. Peter, 1405 Sibley Memorial Hwy, Mendota Heights MN and can be live streamed at
Visitation 9:30 to 11:00 AM prior to Mass at church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to MN Hospice, Lakeville, MN.
Lana Jo Albert
Age 50
Passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, May 10th after a long battle with kidney disease. Preceded in death by father, Richard Kruzel; grandparents, Emma & Rubin, Verna & Raymond; father-in-law, John Albert; uncle, Gary Poland. Survived by husband, Daniel; son, Austin; mother, Barb Kruzel; brothers, Tony (Gina), Michael (Michelle); sister, Melissa (Derek) Kruzel-Barnard; mother-in-law, Shelley Albert; brother-in-law, Michael (Rick) Albert; also many other relatives and friends.
Lana grew up in Apple Valley until 1984, moved around some then graduated in 1992 from Eureka High School in Missouri. In September 1998, she married Daniel in Roseville and Austin was born in May 2000. Lana loved loud music and being with people. She was kind and friendly and was very patient, content and peaceful with life. She was a praise and worship leader at church for a time. Lana loved her cats, animals, video games, movies, and true crime shows. She deeply loved her family and God, most of all. She worked various careers throughout her lifetime and helped own/operate Midway Storage for a few years.
Lana fought kidney disease for 15 years. She received a transplant in 2011 from her brother and has been receiving dialysis at DaVita Dialysis since 2018, where she formed many friendships.
Celebration of Life 3:00 PM Saturday, May 17th at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. Visitation 1:00 – 3:00 PM prior to the service. Private Interment Lebanon Cemetery, Apple Valley.
Carolyn Marie Klegin
Age 75
Passed away on May 1st, 2025. Preceded in death by parents, James and Ruth (Cole) Gallagher; and brothers, Jimmy and Patrick. Survived by sister, Mary Ann (Larry) Palodichuk; brother, Tommy (Carla) Gallagher; sister-in-law, Julie Gallagher (Jimmy); daughters Tara (Randy) Klegin-Laska and Trica Bagwill; grandkids, Brennan, Lucas and Tessa Laska and Alyssa, Kayla and Nicholas Bagwill; along with other family members and friends.
Carolyn grew up in South St. Paul and moved to Cottage Grove to raise a family. After moving back to South St. Paul, she continued her gardening talents and won two beautification awards from the city with the help of her dad. Carolyn worked various jobs throughout her life and thoroughly enjoyed being a beautician. She always made sure her girl’s hair was perfect before leaving the house. She also served as a volunteer fire fighter for Cottage Grove. Carolyn loved cabin life on Pokegama Lake in Pine City where she enjoyed the company of her parents across the channel. Most importantly Carolyn enjoyed camping, traveling and spending time with her six grandchildren. She moved to Arizona and spent many wonderful years looking out her window at Superstition Mountain. She was at the very least a medical miracle, surviving a burst brain aneurysm in 2018. Carolyn moved back to South St. Paul, MN in 2022. Overcoming many different health complications, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in January 2025. After a short battle, Carolyn passed away peacefully, with no pain, in her sleep.
Her girls want you to know she was always able to brighten someone’s day. She was hilarious and witty! Every nurse and doctor would comment how funny she was and how they wished all patients were just like her. They would like to thank their Auntie Mary Ann and Auntie Julie for the amazing support they showed Carolyn (and them) right up until the very end. Without either of them, her days would not have been filled with the love and laughter they brought. Thank you to all the family and friends that supported all who were involved in the care and support of those who took care of and loved Carolyn. There were some very hard days since 2018 but the support is what got them through it. When Carolyn was asked what she wanted with her at the end, she said ice water, her wallet and cash. Classic! The care she received over the years was intense. On her behalf, the girls would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Barcelon (PCP), Dr. McHale (ENT) and every single nurse, CNA, staff member, and doctor at Regions Hospital! Carolyn and her daughters are so thankful for the genuine care and compassion they have shown.
No service decisions have been made yet. Carolyn will be laid to rest in Arizona, May 10th, 2025, surrounded by family.
Gregory Alan Bartels
Age 78 of Inver Grove Heights, MN
Passed away on April 29th, 2025.
Greg’s presence is deeply missed by his family including wife, Linda Bartels; Daughter, Alica Bartels; Daughter and Son in Law, Ella & Rhett Burmeister; Grand Children, Jacob, Payton, Lawson, Lila and Breanna. Now reunited with his son preceding him, Luke Bartels; along with many extended family members and dear friends.
Greg was a cherished Military Veteran serving in the Marine Corps with two tours in Vietnam. He proudly and graciously attended 50 retreats at Demontriville. We will miss his storytelling, beautiful blue eyes, generous heart and strong will.
Private family service will be held.
Forever in our hearts.