Age 69, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, passed away on August 7, 2026.

Bill grew up in Alton, Illinois, near St. Louis, a city for which he always had a soft spot. He went on to graduate from Western Illinois University before moving to Indianapolis, where he met his wife, Barbara. The two later moved to Minnesota for Bill’s work, where they bought a house, raised their family, and built a life together.

Bill was a lifelong learner with an endlessly curious mind. He was incredibly book smart and loved learning simply for the sake of learning. He could have happily been a full-time student his entire life. His curiosity meant there was rarely a shortage of things to talk about, and conversations with Bill could wander into just about any topic—sometimes interesting, sometimes completely random, and often both.

He began his career as a seed salesman before eventually finding his way into computers, working as a computer technician and analyst.

Bill loved getting in the car and simply driving. He wasn’t one for taking the main road, preferring the back roads and the less direct route to wherever he was going. For Bill, the drive itself was part of the experience. He also loved planting things—though not necessarily gardening—and enjoyed watching the things he planted grow.

Bill had a playful sense of humor and loved to tease the people he cared about, while being just as happy when they gave it right back to him.

Above all, Bill loved his family. He especially cherished being a grandfather to Charlotte and Archie, who brought tremendous joy to his life.

Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara Hoots; his daughter, Kathryn Cavazos and her husband, Matthew Cavazos; his son, Thomas Hoots; and his beloved grandchildren, Charlotte and Archie Cavazos.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Hoots and William Hoots Jr., and his brother, Joe Hoots.

Bill will be deeply missed and remembered for his curious mind, his humor, his love of learning, his love for his family, and the conversations that could take you just about anywhere—much like one of his drives.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of St. Patrick, 3535 72^nd St., Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. A Memorial Mass will follow at 11:00 a.m.

Betty Lou Brown was born in Lincoln Nebraska on March 23, 1937, to William and Dorothy Brown. The family eventually moved to Mitchell, South Dakota where she would marry Ron A. Ross in 1954. Together they had two children, Margie and Jay. In 1965 the family moved to Inver Grove Heights MN where Betty raised a family and worked at St. Paul Insurance Company and later retired. Betty enjoyed sewing, collecting elephant and pig figurines, motorcycling, and socializing with friends. Betty passed on April 20,2026 preceded by husband Ron in 2025. Betty’s celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 22nd, at the Moose Lodge located at 5927 Concord Blvd. Inver Grove Heights MN 55075. The COL will start at 1:30 pm and run until 4:00pm.

Age 69 of Inver Grove Heights.

Passed away on August 7th, 2026.

Preceded in death by parents, Jack and Mary; in-laws, Lee and Leona Williams; brother-in-law, Steve Ranum.

Survived by loving wife of 33 years, Linda; stepchildren, David and Stephen (Dayna) Henderson; special grandson, Quinn; brother, Dan (Denise); sister, Roseanne (Jim) Tursso; brother-in-law, Lee (Terri) Williams; sister-in-law, Lori Ranum; also other family and friends.

John retired after 47 years with Cub Foods. He loved all things baseball.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon with a time of sharing beginning at 11:30 am on Thursday, August 13^th, at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights.

November 21, 2000 ~ July 30, 2026

Rachel Lynn Maternowski passed away suddenly on July 30, 2026 (age 25) in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.  Rachel was the daughter of Ron and Ann Maternowski.  Rachel was born on November 21, 2000 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Rachel grew up in South Saint Paul, and Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota with her parents.  Rachel attended Kaposia Elementary, South St. Paul High School and completed her education with the Minnesota Connections Academy.

Rachel will be remembered for her infectious laugh and her gift for storytelling.  She loved dance, music, movies, and she enjoyed camping and fishing with her parents. Her greatest adventures were the ones she shared while traveling with her Mom, creating memories that will be held close forever. Rachel also had a deep passion for art and creativity, which she expressed in everything she did.  Rachel was deeply empathetic and cared profoundly for her family, friends, her partner Will and of course her cats. Her spirit, her laughter, and her love will remain with all who knew her.

She is survived by her Parents; sister, Crystal (Kevin); nephew, Dylan; Grandmother, Libby Maternowksi; partner of four years, William Richard Martin Johnson and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her Grandfather, Darrel Maternowski; Grandfather, Roy Oreskovich; Grandmother, Sonya Oreskovich; Grandmother, Bonnie Oreskovich; Uncle, Steve Oreskovich and cousin, Daniel Holmgren.

Memorial Service 12:00 noon on Friday, August 14^th at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights, MN with visitation from 10:30am – 12:00pm.  Celebration of Life from 12:30 to 5:00pm at the Croation Hall, 445 2nd Ave S, South St. Paul, MN.  Food provided.

Memorials preferred, in lieu of flowers.

Age 81 of South Saint Paul.

Passed away on July 29, 2026.

Preceded in death by husband, Bill; daughter, Kim Williams; sister, Jeannie Schaefer.

Survived by children, Karen (Larry) Barlow, Keith (Judy) & Kathy (Mark) Boerner; grandchildren, Jacob (Jenna), Jenna (Jacob), Karlie (Peter), Kammie, Mitchell, Gabrielle, Emma & Jack; 4 great-grandchildren; sister, Dianne (Dennis) Troje; son-in-law, Brent Williams; along with many other relatives and friends.

Ardys loved to travel and spend time at her lake home in Siren, WI and winters in AZ.

Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM Thursday, August 6^th, at the Church of St. John Vianney, 840 19th Ave. N., South St. Paul. Visitation 10:00 – 11:00 am prior to Mass. Interment Calvary Cemetery, St. Paul.

Age 89 of Inver Grove Heights, formerly of Blackduck and Minneapolis, MN.

Passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving wife and daughter on July 27, 2026.

Preceded in death by son, Russ; mother, Leota Palmiero; brothers, Ray, Bill and Allen Crawford.

Survived by loving wife of 66 years, Sharon; daughter, Renee (Mike) Extrand; sisters, Ann (Phil Flick) Oldenborg and Dar Durkee; daughter-in-law, Carrie Oldenborg; grandchildren, Jessie (Jake) Johnson and Jeff Oldenborg; great granddaughter, Juliette; also other family and friends.

Ed retired as a superintendent of the scheduling department after 33 years with Metro Transit.

Ed and Sharon enjoyed entertaining family and friends at their lake home on South Twin in Northern Minnesota. Ed loved hunting, fishing and birdwatching. He truly enjoyed any time spent outdoors. He was a devoted fan of the MN Wild, Vikings and Twins. We are eternally grateful for her care and compassion, Ed’s hospice nurse, Christi.

Memorial Service 11:00 am Monday, August 10^th, at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. Visitation 10:00-11:00 am prior to the service. A luncheon will follow. Private interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Of Inver Grove Heights

Passed away peacefully at his home on June 24, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

Jim found joy in life’s simple moments. He cherished his family and will be remembered for his quiet humor, wisdom and steady presence. Jim shared 49 wonderful years of marriage with his beloved wife, Diane.

He is survived by Diane; daughters, Dannielle Therrien (Luke) and Allison Pavlish (Josh); granddaughters, Kelsie and Kenzie Therrien; sister, Kathleen Jamkowski (Frank). He is preceded in death by his brother, Fred Dorothy.

A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, September 3^rd, at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:30 pm followed by a Memorial Service from 6:30 to 7:00 pm.

The family respectfully request no flowers please, memorials are preferred.

Age 17 of Tampa, FL.

Passed away unexpectedly on July 15, 2026.

Preceded in death by grandfather, Robert Otterson.

Survived by mother, April; father, John; sisters, Arielle & Aliyah; grandparents, Bonnie on his mother’s side, and Hector on his father’s side; step-siblings, Taylor, Theo, Layla & Isabella; stepmother, Rachel; aunt, Gabi and Sam; also other family and friends.

Zander loved to be with his family and friends. A very caring and loving son, sibling, and friend. He always insisted on helping where needed, loved to partake in risk taking sports, and loved to relax, playing his video games.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held from 4:00-7:00 pm Tuesday, July 28th, with a Time of Sharing beginning at 6:30 pm, at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights, MN.

Memorials preferred.

Age 86 of Newport

August 14, 1939 ~ July 23, 2026

Joseph John Lotti passed away peacefully on July 23, 2026, surrounded by family and friends.

Joe was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, the second child of Quinto and Elizabeth “Betty” Lotti. He graduated from Marlborough High School in 1957 and, after about a year of work, joined the Navy, where he served honorably as an air logistics specialist until 1963. After airline trade school, he was hired by Northwest Airlines. He was a proud employee of Northwest for the next 41 years—in New York, Spokane, and Minneapolis/St. Paul—and only grudgingly acknowledged that he actually retired from Delta. After retirement, he volunteered, worked part-time at Gertens, a Toyota dealership, and the Woodbury YMCA, and generally stayed as busy as possible until Alzheimer’s began slowing him down in 2020.

Joe married the love of his life, Mary Ellen (Mel) Keech, on November 12th, 1983. He was a loving and devoted husband for all of their 42 years together. Joe made it a practice to call Mel terms of endearment that included Sweetheart, Darling, Honey Bunch, and Sweetie, to name a few. In his last years, Mel was his North Star; if she was in the room, he knew he was “home” and safe.

In 1992, Joe’s life and eternity were changed when he and Mel both gave their lives to Jesus. Joe loved reading his Bible and wrote out many journals of Scripture. He was involved in men’s Bible study and many years of prison ministry. Listening to worship music, singing and praising the Lord were favorite parts of his days. He continued to raise his hands and mouth the words of praise even on his last day!

Joe was the proud father of Quinto, Michael, and Christina from his first marriage and Little Chief and Noah from his second. He was delighted to be loving “Grandpa Joe” to Rebekah, Levi, Dan, Fiona, Jonathan, Marcus, Maria, and Niko. And he was truly happy to be fun “Uncle Joe” to numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Joe will be remembered for many things:

• His strong Christian faith.
• His love of baseball at all levels. He played as a kid, and he particularly enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play. He was also a devoted fan of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins.
• Being a tenacious player of cribbage, canasta, and hand-and-foot. Amazingly, he played cribbage like a pro until about a month before his death!
• His love for the outdoors, camping, and fishing.
• Being a lover of cats, dogs, and animals of all kinds.
• His personable nature: he could quickly make friends with anyone he encountered.
• Having a firm belief in—and being an example of—the value of hard work.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents Quinto and Elizabeth Lotti; stepmother Elmina Lotti; sister Ellen Bouvier; niece Dianne Ellis; father-in-law Clyde Keech; mother-in-law Mabel Reinitz; brothers-in-laws Mike Gits, Jim Goblirsch, Jeff Jackelen, Richard Keech, Paul Moberg and Jonathan Roth; niece Trudy Grapentine Green; and nephew Greg Grapentine.

Joe is survived by his beloved wife Mary Ellen Lotti; children Quinto Lotti (Rita), Michael Lotti (Tricia), Christina Lotti, Little Chief Lotti, and Noah Lotti (partner Tarenee Irish); and “bonus” children Heather Groothius (Chris), Sarah Herr (Brian McDonough), and Ericka Shepersky (Jim Peerboom); by grandchildren Rebekah Cedar (partner Keegan Freiburger), Levi Lotti, Dan Coulliard, Fiona Lotti, Jonathan Lotti, Marcus Lotti (Saige), Maria Lotti (Jaden Anderson), and Niko Lotti; foster children Chad, Shane, Angela, Tyler, Tony, Charles, and Scott; and “bonus” grandchildren Adam Herr, Elijah McDonough, A. J. Peerboom, and Aleks and Rayne Shepersky.

Joe is also survived by in-laws Bonnie “Bon Bon” Keech, Patricia Keech Moberg, Beverly “Sweetie” Carey, Cindy Jackelen, Nancy Graumann (Steven), Sue “Suzy Q” Clegg (Steve), Shirley “Shirley Girl” Roth, Julie Wychor (Bill), Bill Keech (Kathy), godsons Michael Maguire and Eric Kelsey, Aunt Lu Grack, and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and other loved ones; dear family friend and caregiver Daisy Lynn Dream; friends and cruise buddies Curt and Pat Kaehler; high school friend Fred St. Laurent (Joan); and tremendous caregivers Brenda Hohneke, Mavis, Tarenee Irish, and Tollie.

Joe’s family and friends wish to thank Synergy HomeCare, Senior Home Health Care, Ebenezer Daybreak, the VA Hospital, Southview Acres Health Care Center, and Lake Valley Hospice for their expert and compassionate care for Joe.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to any worthy charity in honor of Joe’s generous nature.

Visitation 1:00–3:00 pm and Funeral Service 3:00 pm on Friday, July 31st at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. The service will be live streamed at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/a26075734704227.

Private inurnment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.