In Memorium

Jerry Judd

Brown, April 26, 1935 - April 7, 2022 Jerry was 86, died peacefully in Mahtomedi, MN on April 7, 2022. He was born in Spencer, Iowa in 1935 and grew up in Denver, Colorado, graduating from East High School in Denver as Outstanding Senior Boy. He then attended the University of Colorado. Jerry worked in the funeral business for many years in Minnesota and valued the friendships he made within the industry. Jerry was very involved in civic groups and created the St. Paul Winter Carnival Torturous 26 Marathon in 1983, and also organized the 500 mile snowmobile race from Winnipeg to St. Paul. Jerry loved to run Marathons and finished fourth in his age group in the Pikes Peak Marathon, as well as running the Boston Marathon and many others. He also loved to play doubles tennis with his sons. Jerry spent many happy times at his ranch in Ingomar, Montana, entertaining his friends and grandkids there. Jerry is preceded in death by his parents, Vera and Francis Brown and his sister, Sharon Brown. He is survived by his four sons and daughters-in-law: Chris And Gail Brown, Judd and Julie Brown, Tim and Jeannine Brown, Jason and Angie Brown, plus eleven grandchildren and 9 greatgrandchildren. Also, his special friend, Susan Rose. Funeral arrangements are private. Memorials to Children’s Grief Connection; 320 North Front Street; St. Peter, MN 56082 Kenneth Peterson, Husband, Dad, Poppa, Brother, Uncle, Friend Died suddenly and peacefully in the comforts of his home on April 19, 2022, after a short battle with cancer. Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife Sue (Hurd), daughters Jessica (Jake) Johnson, Amy (Mark) Albrecht, and Kristy Peterson (with former spouse Judy), step-children Adam Olsen and Amanda Olsen, grandchildren Kaleb Johnson, and Alaina, Logan, Olivia, and Julia Albrecht, brother Kurt, sister Karen Olson, nieces Amylee Marion, Bailey Peterson, and Adora Olson, nephews, Michael Henderson, and Axel Olson. Preceded in death by infant twins Jeremy and Johanna (1979), and parents Loraine (1983) and G.Kenneth Peterson (1988). Memorials preferred to Healing Hearts Connection, formally known as Children’s Grief Connection. https:// childrensgriefconnection.com Kenneth Bruce Peterson was born to G. Kenneth (G.K.) and Loraine Peterson on June 9th, 1951, in St. Paul, MN. His maternal grandparents were Art and Edna Olson and his paternal grandparents were Emil and Magdeline Peterson. Both sets of grandparents lived in Red Wing, MN, so it was no surprise that Ken would continue to enjoy this special place for many years to come. The Peterson family resided in West St. Paul, MN where Ken lived in his family home on Delaware Avenue with his brother, Kurt and sister, Karen until heading to college. As a child, Kenny was involved in the Boy Scouts and conveniently enough, Loraine was also their den mother. Fishing in Red Wing with his Grandpa Art and his uncles provided endless amounts of enjoyment. Ken also spent a lot of time with cousins, and his family relished taking long road trips which probably resulted in his affinity for driving and travel. As a child, Kenny attended pre-school at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in St. Paul, and when he had a young family of his own, decided to attend services at that very same church. Elementary school brought Ken to Somerset in Mendota Heights, and Junior High was spent at Francis M. Grass in West St. Paul. He graduated from Henry Sibley High in 1969. Ken’s love for the water was well known so it made sense that he joined the Sibley swim team. More love blossomed while in high school, but this time it was between Ken and his high school sweetie, Sue Hurd. Ken and Sue dated during their Junior year and were part of the St. Stephen’s Martyr’s Youth Group. While working with the church group, they were able to go on the first co-ed Grand Portage trip to the Boundary Waters. Although it was a young courtship, both Ken and Sue remained friends with many of their high school classmates into adulthood. Later in life, the two would find themselves planning and organizing many class reunions for the class of 1969. College took Ken to Winona State University, and he graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education. While there, he joined the fraternity Sigma Tau where he and his brothers created the Winona Walleye Club. To be allowed back into the resorts where they had previously been dismissed, the group of young exuberant men had to come up with a legitimate name, so the Winona Walleye Club was born. (Needless to say, they were not a fishing club.) The guys stayed in touch throughout their post-collegiate years and continued to get together in Hastings for “Beer with Bud” on an almost weekly basis. While at Winona State, Ken met his first wife, Judy Frank. The two were married in June of 1974, and together they had five children. Jessica came in 1977 and a couple of years later, Ken and Judy welcomed infant twins. Sadly, due to a premature birth, Jeremy and Johanna passed away shortly thereafter. Amy joined the family in 1980, and Kristy was born four years later. The Peterson family enjoyed many summers on the boats while on both White Bear Lake and along the Mississippi River in Red Wing. With his education and many talents

in art, Ken didn’t pursue a career in art education. Although he started helping at the funeral home when he was as young as 4th grade, the decision to go into the field didn’t come until a couple of years after college graduation. It was then that he decided to go back to school and earn a degree in Mortuary Science at the University of Minnesota in 1975. After graduation, Ken continued to work alongside his father at Johnson-Peterson Funeral Home in St. Paul. When G.K. passed in 1988, Ken took over both the funeral home in St. Paul as well as the White Bear Lake location. Prior to his father’s passing, Ken made the decision to rebuild the White Bear chapel to provide better accommodations for grieving families within the surrounding community. Not only was Ken active in the community, but he was also extremely involved in the MFDA (Minnesota Funeral Directors Association) and the NFDA (National Funeral Directors Association). Ken served as the MFDA President from 1993-1994 and again from 2008-2009. He was also an At-Large Representative for NFDA. As if that wasn’t enough, Ken also recognized the need for a grief camp for children and was the first Board Chair, past President, and one of the Founding Fathers of Camp Amanda. Camp Amanda changed names to Children’s Grief Connection and is now known as Healing Hearts Connection. While volunteering at camp, Ken did one of his favorite activities, photography. Not only did he take amazing camp photos, but he would even drive to the nearest town to print off copies of the group photos so that all campers had a copy to take home. Ken may have spent a lot of time working, but you could also find him spending his free time enjoying a wide variety of hobbies. He loved skiing with his daughters, attending Minnesota Wild home games, exploring the Minnesota State Fair (multiple times every year), traveling to new and unique places, boating on the Mississippi, photographing anything that captured life in its finest form, supporting his grandkids, cooking, calligraphy and so many other fulfilling ventures. The man even enjoyed shopping. Although the high school romance with Sue ended back in the 60’s, it wasn’t until later in life that the two reconnected. They managed a long-distance relationship for many years, and between work, kids and the stresses of daily life, they decided to wait until later to marry. On July 11th, 2003, the two exchanged vows on the St. Croix River. Ken added two stepchildren, Adam and Amanda to his family. The marriage brought Sue back to Minnesota from Iowa, where she retired from being a kindergarten teacher to begin working together fulltime with Ken at both funeral homes. The two not only loved each other, but they both loved to travel. This shared sense of adventure took them on many fun-filled excursions. They’d scuba dive in Cozumel, set sail on an Alaskan cruise, and visit friends and family across the US. From drinking specialty wines in Italy, to exploring Israel, soaking up the warm waters of the Dominican Republic and seeing the Northern Lights while in Iceland, the two sought out those oncein-a-lifetime experiences and followed their travel dreams together. Prior to remarrying, Ken and Sue figured that since they both enjoyed being on and near the water so much, why not buy a “cabin” on the lake? Another thought became reality when they purchased their home away from home on Lake Pepin, aptly naming it PepinOak. PepinOak was a place the two could retreat to after busy days, nights, and weekends spent at Johnson-Peterson Funeral Home. Navigating the Mississippi and taking photos of sunsets, barges, paddle boats, eagles and other wildlife seemed to be a common theme when the weather was nice and the water calm. Ken was allergic to many things, dogs being one of them. Somehow, Sue convinced Ken that a puppy would be a good addition to the household. Enter Buddy. Buddy was adopted from Ken’s sister, Karen in 2005, and the two made the long drive down to Texas to pick him up. Strangely enough, Ken was no longer allergic to dogs and Buddy went to work with the two almost every day and became certified as a K-9 Good Citizen. That certification allowed Buddy to attend Grief Camp, and he helped console the campers with his playfulness, his love, and his genuine adoration for kids. Ken was a proud Poppa to five grandchildren, and a beloved uncle to his niece and nephew. Jessica’s son, Kaleb (Ken’s first grandson to steal his heart) had a mutual love for photography and the two would practice taking pictures together. As Amy’s children were born, Poppa Ken found himself as the official photographer, sailing supporter, girl scout cookie financier and overall cherished Poppa to Alaina, Logan, Olivia and Julia. During summers when niece, Adora and nephew, Axel would be at the family cabin in Frontenac, Ken often found himself spending time with the two cruising the waters on the houseboat, setting off fireworks and building campfires. As years went by, both Ken and Sue looked forward to retirement and sold the White Bear Lake funeral home in 2021. They were anxiously looking for a buyer for the St. Paul funeral home and entered into a purchase agreement in early 2022. While in the hospital, Ken closed on Johnson-Peterson Funeral Home on April 1st, 2022. Although he was unable to fully enjoy his retirement, Ken lived a full life. He had a variety of health-related obstacles, but that never stopped him. The experiences mentioned are only a fraction of the life he lived. He was a hard, dedicated man and even though he could be a grump, it wasn’t uncommon to hear, “that guy would give you the shirt off his back.” And that’s nothing short of the truth. Ken provided for his family and loved them and his friends dearly.

Charles N. Wenner - Mass of Christian Burial was held May 13, 2022, at St. John’s Abbey/ University Church in Collegeville, MN for Charles N. Wenner, age 91, who died May 8 at the St. Cloud Hospital surrounded by his family. Burial in the St. Boniface Parish Cemetery, Cold Spring, MN. Visitation was held May 12 at the Wenner Funeral Home, Cold Spring. Charley was born on May 30, 1930, in St. Cloud, MN to Carl and Louise (Broker) Wenner. Charley graduated from St. Boniface High School in 1948 and earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from St. John’s University in 1952. Following two years of Medical School at the University of MN he changed focus to a Mortuary Science Degree. After completing his Boards, he entered the Marine Corps shipping out to Officer’s Candidate School the same day. He served during the Korean War as a Military Police Officer (MP) and was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant. During his time in the service, he travelled extensively throughout the far east, including Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. He married Nancy L. Burns on July 21, 1956, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Pearl Lake, MN. Charley and his brother, John owned and operated Wenner Hardware, Funeral Home, Gas Company and Ambulance Service in Cold Spring, MN. The call to serve others came naturally to him and was always delivered in a way that made you feel it was both his honor and a pleasure. Charley was the City Clerk for Cold Spring for several years and served on the Boards of Trustees for the State Bank of Cold Spring and Assumption Nursing Home. He served on the St. Boniface Parish Council and Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the American Legion Post 455, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Korean Last Man’s Club, Cold Spring Lions, and Knights of Columbus (4th Degree). Charley joined the Cold Spring Fire Department at the age of 14 during WWII when all abled bodied men were conscripted into service. He served as Fire Chief for a number of years and remained an active member of the Department until December 1984. Charley enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, making maple syrup, and all things outdoors. He was passionate about traveling, cooking, and eating. Above all he loved people. He was uniquely wonderful, outgoing, caring, and compassionate – he had an innate ability to make friends of strangers; of making friends feel like family and family feel like friends. “Where are you going? Sit down. I have another question.” He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Nancy; children, Carl “Skosh” (Karen), Mathew (Rosario), Jerome (Sharon), Jo Ann Wenner, Patrick (Kelly), Paul, Mary Kay (George) Morris, James (Sandy); siblings, Mary Reichert, John (Joan), Margaret “Marne” Tiplady, Thomas (Sandy), Robert (Judi); 28 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and grandchildren: Baby Wenner, Marc Wenner, Baby Teresa Wenner, Baby Morris, Gregory Warren, and James Wenner II. To all those who knew him, “Clickey- Clickey”.

Mary Stein - Mass of Christian Burial was held June 27 at St. Mary of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Long Prairie for Mary Stein, 79 of Long Prairie who died June 22, 2022 at Maplewood Manor Senior Living in Elbow Lake. The Rev. Omar Guanchez will officiate and burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation was held June 26 at the Williams Dingmann Stein Chapel in Long Prairie and 1 hour prior to services at the church in Long Prairie. Mary was born April 28, 1943, in Guhren, Germany to Wilhelm & Theresia (Wigger) Damer. She and her family moved from East Germany to West Germany in January of 1945, on June 6, 1950 they immigrated to the United States to New Underwood, SD and in 1956 they moved to Elrosa. She grew up in Elrosa and after graduating from high school she attended and graduated from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Rochester. She became a registered nurse and started working at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth. She met Robert E. Stein in Duluth and they were married on August 20, 1966 at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Elrosa. They moved to Long Prairie and purchased the Stephan Funeral Home in 1969 and operated the funeral home together until 2004 when they retired. She is a member of St. Mary of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Long Prairie, and was active in the Catholic Women and St. Ann’s Mission group. Mary was active in her community in different organization including, the Long Prairie Food Pantry, Long Prairie Quilt Club, Long Prairie Marching Ambassadors, Long Prairie Chamber, Charter member of Long Prairie Mrs. JC’s, Country Cruisers Car Club. She was also a member of the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association and the St. Mary’s School of Nursing Alumni Group. Mary enjoyed spending time playing bridge at the Long Prairie Country Club. She is survived by her husband Robert of Long Prairie; children, Jonathan (Mari) of Wausau, WI; Katrina (Tyler) Stenton of Chicago, IL; Christopher E. (Debra) of Tulsa, OK; grandchildren, Eric, Christopher R., Abigail, Allison, and Cash Stein, brothers, Guido (Carlene) Damer of Prineville, OR; Lewis (Dianne) Damer of St. Paul. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Fred, Alois and Josef Damer.