Age 60 of Inver Grove Heights.

Loving Father, Brother, Son, Grandpa.

He passed peacefully in his home surrounded by family.

Preceded in death by parents, Madeline and Joseph Perron.

Survived by his children, Matthew, Joseph, Michael, Brett, Brian; his grandchildren, Layla, Olivia, Jace, Kaylani, Brooke, Isaiah.  The mother to his children Tiane.

Michael loved nothing more than to spend time with his family.

He would give more than he had to the people he loved. He adored rock and roll, riding his motorcycle and traveling. He also loved being late to everything, including his own funeral (probably).

Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 am Saturday, November 18th at Church of St. Matthew, 510 Hall Ave., St. Paul, MN with visitation 1-hour prior at church.  Traditional burial at Church of St. Peter Cemetery, Mendota Heights.

Age 87

Passed away peacefully on November 4, 2023. Preceded in death by loving wife, Dodee; parents, Richard and Dolly Carley. Survived by daughters, Debra (Jim) Cascalenda and Darcy (Steve) Sarantos; grandchildren, Christopher, Jay, Jessica, David, Anthony, Nicholas, Alexandra, and Michael; along with many great-grandchildren who he adored; brother, John “Jack”; sister, Geraldine “Gerre” Carley. Dick was born in St. Paul, was a Vietnam War Veteran and served as a surgeon aboard the USS Sanctuary. He was a well-respected ENT surgeon for decades and served as chief of staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Dick was an accomplished musician and amazingly talented artist. His hobbies and interests were endless but to list a few favorites: golfing with Dodee, entertaining friends, restoring classic cars and spending time with family. Dick touched the lives and hearts of so many and will be dearly missed. Thank you to Timber Hills Arbor staff and Optage Hospice for your loving care of “Doc”.  Funeral Service 10:30 am Monday, November 27^th, at Augustana Lutheran Church, 1400 So. Robert St.,West St. Paul, with visitation at 9:30 prior to the service. Memorials preferred to Children’s Minnesota Hospital of Saint Paul. give.childrensmn.org.

April 7, 1949 ~ November 9, 2023

US Navy Vietnam Veteran

Preceded in death by parents, Manny and Lila; brother, Gary. Survived by loving wife, Gerrie; children, Deanna “Pepe” & Manny (Tiffany); Papi to Adrianna “Addy”, Reese & Rhett; great-grandchildren Rainy & RoRo; brothers, Rick (Deb) & Mark; also many nieces and nephews.

Greg graduated with a BS degree from Oklahoma City University. He retired from the FAA after 33 years of service and in 1987 received the Twin Cities Federal Servant of the Year Award. He was a proud member of the 1986 Vulcan Krewe and will be dearly missed.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held from 4-7 pm Wednesday, November 15^th at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. Private interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.

Age 82, of Inver Grove Heights.

Merle left behind the tragedy of dementia and Parkinson’s on Sunday, October 29, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Lynda Borchers, and son, Kevin Borchers. Also survived by sister-in-law Linda (Jerry) Freeberg, niece Linda (Michael) Lane, nephews Brian (Lori) Borchers and Mark (Kate) Zellers, and other extended relatives, especially Karie Vincent. He is preceded in death by his parents, Harvin and Olinda Borchers, brother Alden Borchers and his wife Ruth, brother-in-law Gerald “Jerry” Freeberg, and sister-in-law Kathy Zellers.

Merle began his life as a Nebraska farm boy, eventually finding his way to Minnesota and a career in banking. He spent several decades in commercial banking for Northwestern National Bank, rebranded Norwest, with an early focus on loans for growing businesses. He found great satisfaction in the second half of his career at the National Cooperative Bank and then at Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund, helping cooperatives and not-for-profit businesses.

In the 1990s, Merle embraced Native American spirituality along with Christianity through Michael Harner’s Foundation for Shamanic Studies. After completing Harner’s Certified Shamanic Counselor training program, Merle gave back to people needing healing through Shamanic Drumming. He volunteered through Pathways in Minneapolis, a charitable non-profit center for those who need physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. His wife Lynda also volunteered her own services with Pathways as a psychologist and teacher in mind/body holistic therapies. Together, they devoted much of their time to giving back to the community.

Upon retirement, Merle put down financial statements and picked up a paintbrush and canvas. His childhood artistic talents, quieted during his career, blossomed through art classes as he developed his style, beginning with pencil and charcoal drawings, then working with pastels, and finally, oil and acrylic paintings. He delighted in producing scenes from the backyard of Lynda and his home, which had a pond out back. Many critters visited their residence to fatten up year-round, ending up as subjects in his works of art. His more creative side loved exploring abstract presentations in his later works. He found great support and camaraderie with fellow artists at an art group that met in Hastings.

Of Merle’s many accomplishments, his family brought his greatest joy. He met Lynda after moving to the Twin Cities. They married on May 25, 1968, and celebrated their 55th anniversary this year. Friends, companions, and soulmates, Merle and Lynda matured themselves and their marriage. They explored personal and spiritual growth, supporting each other as they worked to make the world a better place. They raised their son, Kevin, a computer professional and business leader who values integrity, honesty, and responsibility. Merle leaves a legacy of a loving family (including their kitties and grand kitties).

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church (1400 South Robert Street, West Saint Paul, MN 55113). There is a visitation one hour before and lunch after. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Parkinson Research Foundation, Augustana’s Community Outreach, Presbyterian Homes Foundation, or Doctors Without Borders.

May 20, 1931 – November 2, 2023

Survived by Daughters, Mary Jo (Jeff) Hoaglund and Denise (John) Stoffel; 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.  Private family burial planned.

Age 93, formerly of South St. Paul.

Passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on October 31, 2023. Preceded in death by wife, Ann; son, Henry John; son-in-law, Rick Nichols; great-granddaughters, Scottie Nichols & Elle Hoover.  Survived by children, Mary Ann Nichols, Julie, Jerry (Lori), Dan (Dawn), Karen (Mike) Meyers; 13 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren; siblings, Antosia Miszkiewicz, Stanley Musial & Teresa Konier; also many nieces, nephews, relatives & friends.

Mass of Christian Burial 10 AM, Friday, November 3^rd, at the Church of the Assumption, 51 7th St. W., St. Paul, MN. Visitation 9-10 AM prior to Mass at the church.  Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights. Memorials in lieu of flowers to Our Lady of Peace Hospice or Church of the Assumption.

Age 88 of Inver Grove Heights

Passed away on October 27, 2023 after a lengthy battle with dementia. Preceded in death by husbands, George Stalock & Jacob Kappel; daughter, Carol Fleetman, also many other loving family members. Survived by daughters, Joan Chadwick & Laura (Scott) Snyder; Mary (Robert) Burch; grandchildren, Larry Chadwick, Sara (Blake) Scherer, Tommy Fleetham, Marie Burch, Amelia (Nicholas) Nientimp; great-grandchildren, Luke & Ella Scherer, Nathanial Nientimp; son-in-law, Tom Fleetham; sister, Grace Moody; brother Jim (Barb) Ariola; also other relatives & friends.

Gathering of Family & Friends on Saturday, November 18th, from 10 AM – 2 PM at Roberts Funeral Home, 8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights. Private Interment at Fort Snelling at a later date.

6/4/1947 ~ 10/18/23

Kathy passed to her heavenly home after many months of struggling with MDS. She is survived by her loving husband Ralph Taylor and two sisters, Gail Rustad and LuAnn Olen. She is also survived by her children Amy Zylstra (Andy), Jonn Taylor (Holly), Peter Taylor, Andrew Taylor, 8 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, two nieces, one great niece, loving cousins and over 200 foster children. She is preceded in death by her parents, Elroy and Evelyn Rechtzigel, parents in-law, brother-in-law, nephew, and grandchild Michael.

Kathy loved her church, she taught Sunday school since she was a teen, was a frequent volunteer in all aspects of church life, she served in both children’s, OWLS, outreach, and women’s ministries. She was a graduate of St. Croix Lutheran high school.

Family was of utmost importance in her life, she supported both her children and grandchildren’s interests by creating “Camp Grandma” with her sister Gail as childcare thru her Woman owned family business. They took many field trips throughout MN and WI. She spent many years serving as a 4-H/Saddle club leader, and volunteer at the club, county, and state levels. She participated in many family support groups.

She lived her entire life within 5 miles of the farmstead that she and Ralph call home, which has been in her family for over 100 years. Her beautiful yard gave her much pleasure. She enjoyed preserving and sharing produce from her massive garden, along with being the local “egg lady”.

The Celebration of Life will be November 9th at 11:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. visitation) at Good Shephard Lutheran Church 151 East County Rd. 42, Burnsville, MN 55306 with luncheon to follow. Please send memorials to the “Seekers” Youth Group at Good Shephard Church or through Facebook Go Fund Me. https://gofund.me/c8c344ba

Age 79, of West St. Paul, MN

Passed away peacefully on October 22, 2023, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Preceded in death by father Norman R. Gellerman and step-father Eugene F. Dunn Jr., mother, Virginia M. Dunn (Prayfrock), sister Judith (Gellerman) Furlong, brother in law Robert Feldkamp and niece Sondra Feldkamp; Survived by children: Jay (Molly), Kevin (Pati), Mark (Jessica); grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Matthew, Patrick, Zoe and Meagan; siblings: Susan (Tom) O’Connell, Patricia Dunn, Mary Jo Feldkamp, Margaret (David) Lacktorin, Eugene F. (Jamie) Dunn III, brother-in-law Charles (Sandi) Furlong; many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.  Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 am Monday, October 30^th with visitation one hour prior, Lumen Christi Catholic Church, 2055 Bohland Ave., St. Paul and can be live streamed at https://lumenchristicc.org/mass-times.  Interment Resurrection Cemetery.

Norm was born on June 9, 1944, during WWII. His father, Norman, was killed in WWII on March 3, 1944. Because his father made the ultimate sacrifice, Norm never knew his biological father.  Upon his mother’s marriage to Eugene Dunn, he finally gained a father, and a loving, caring father at that. Norm grew up in St. Paul attending St. Mark’s Grade School. He attended and graduated from St. Thomas Academy in 1963. He went on to obtain his bachelor’s degree from The College of St. Thomas, when it was still an all-male campus.  In 1967, Norm enlisted in the Air Force as a commissioned officer. During his years in the Air Force he was stationed in Panama City, Florida, where he married Linda A. Smith.  On June 8, 1970, on the Air Force base in Panama City, he became a father to twins James and Kevin. Norm was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1971, having achieved the rank of Captain. Norm and family moved to St. Paul, MN, where they settled down for several years. On February 13, 1980, Norm became a father to his third son Mark. After building a new home themselves, Norm and Linda moved to Mendota Heights. Norm enjoyed the newly built third stall of his garage to house his precious white, 1967 Camaro convertible. Using his mechanical experience from the Air Force he overhauled that Camaro over several years.  When not tinkering with his Camaro, Norm studied and obtained his Masters of Business Administration from the College of St. Thomas. Norm also became a hockey, baseball and soccer dad. He immensely enjoyed watching his sons excel at their sports and attended every event he could. He became the equipment and gambling manager for the Mend-Eagan Athletic Association. Norm’s love for all things hockey led him to a position at Cunningham Sports, where in 2000, he assisted in producing the hockey jerseys for the very first season of the Minnesota Wild. Norm learned the business of jersey and sweatshirt lettering and decided to go into business for himself. He established Sports Lettering and began lettering jerseys and sweatshirts for many local high schools, community sports programs and adult leagues of all types. This work brought great joy to Norman as he remained involved in the local sports community. Norm eventually settled in West St. Paul and ran his business out of a local warehouse. Norm joyfully attended the weddings of his boys and welcomed his daughters-in law with great pride and love. As his grandchildren were born, he attended Baptisms, First Communions, sporting events of every kind, especially hockey, and even a dance recital or two. Norm was extremely proud of his family, which was clear by the many pictures he kept of them throughout his home. In 2022, Norm learned that he had stage four lung cancer that had metastasized to his vertebrae. He knew his days of sports lettering were coming to a close. He sold much of his business equipment and materials to a local man who was building up his own sports lettering business. Knowing that his machines and materials would continue to be used to produce jerseys and sweatshirts for local teams brought Norm some peace. After multiple trips to and stays in the V.A., Norm spent his final days at a hospice care facility in West St. Paul, where the staff kept Norm as comfortable as possible. Norm took his last breaths in the early morning of October 22, 2023. He was united once again with his mother and sister, and finally met his dad. Norm will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all who knew him. Anyone wishing memorialize Norm can do so with a donation to the V.A. or to the American Cancer Society.

Age 91, of Inver Grove Heights

Died peacefully, surrounded by family on Saturday October 21, 2023, at Lexington Pointe in Eagan.  A graveside service will be held at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 3400 Century Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55110, on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 11:30 am. Memorials are preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Dorla is survived by her three daughters, Pam (Dan) Briese of Mankato, Dawn (Kerry) Meyer of Inver Grove Heights, and Kim (Steve) Garza Ray of Eagan.  Her grandchildren, Heidi (John) Bruckhoff, Valerie (Aaron) Meier, Emily (Kenden) Slattery, Hannah Garza, Rachel Garza, and Sam Garza; her great-grandchildren, Ashlee, Rylan, Kennedy, Addison, Mason, and Brynn.  Her siblings, Richard (Marlene) Paulsen and Cheri (Burt) Dubow.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Roland Wagner; her parents, William and Beatrice Paulsen; her siblings, Donna Polos and Zelda Collins; and grandson, Benjamin Garza.

Dorla was a member of the St. Paul Women’s Bowling Association (WBA) for 50 years and served her fellow bowlers in numerous ways; she was inducted into the WBA Minnesota Hall of Fame in 2006. A special thank you to our family at Lexington Pointe, thank you for loving our mom.