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New Look. Same Local Coverage since 1854. Saturday, April 14, 2018 Vol. 164, No. 1
Celebrating 164 Years!
11 2nd Ave. N., Unit 103, Sauk Rapids, Benton County, MN 56379
Heintze named 2018 Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — Monday morning began like any other for John Heintze, of Sauk Rapids. He prepared to do what he does best — help others. After a quick call from Jenny Zimmer, volunteer coordinator at Good Shepherd Community, Heintze met in Zimmer’s ofÀce to help plan an upcoming event. But unannounced to him, the meeting was a guise. Heintze was instead greeted by the Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year Committee, his wife Judy and a Áood of Good Shepherd staff members, not to mention emotion. Heintze, 84, has been named the 2018 Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year. Unaware he was nominated for the award, Heintze was brought to tears when the group surprised him with the announcement April 9. “They pulled a good one on me,” said Heintze, who has been a resident at Good Shepherd for more than nine years. “This is just terriÀc. I was overwhelmed when they came
and told me about it. I didn’t have the foggiest.” Heintze has volunteered with the Good Shepherd Community for more than 27 years. He will be recognized for his continued commitment to the Sauk Rapids community at a reception April 23 in the Sauk Rapids Government Center. The public is welcomed to an open house gathering at 4:30 p.m., followed by a 5:15 p.m. program and recognition at the Sauk Rapids City Council meeting at 6 p.m. A life-long resident of central Minnesota, Heintze was born in Minden Township before moving with his family to Popple Creek. He attended Foley High School and worked at the creamery in Sauk Rapids before entering the U.S. Army. Heintze served his country from 1954-56 while stationed in Germany. He was a member of the medical corps in the 22nd Infantry Regiment 4th Division. Upon his return, Heintze and Judy continued to reside in the area and raised their now-adult daughters – Kim Friend, of Victoria, and Lynn Holmgren, of Foley. He worked construction and at a meat-packing facility before being hired at the St. Cloud Reformatory, where he retired as a lieutenant after having been employed for 28 years. “I had always helped my neighbors after we were married, but we didn’t call it volunteering,” Heintze said. “When I came here,
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Judy and John Heintze sit together April 13 at the Good Shepherd Community in Sauk Rapids. John Heintze has been named the 2018 Sauk Rapids Citizen of the Year.
it started to fall under that title. You always went and helped pick potatoes and stones, but you didn’t think anything of it.” That sentiment never changed for Heintze. He continues lifting other people up with his helping hand and smile. He has logged nearly 900 recorded volunteer hours at Good Shepherd Community since 1991 – serving on the board of directors and multiple committees, representing the facility at volunteer fairs and expos, delivering mail and meals, running resident and tenant errands, transporting others to medical appointments and activities,
Local nonprofit strives to recognize cancer warriors and their families PHOTO BY VICKI IKEOGU
Kayla Strand, 29, of Foley talks about the I’m Not Done Yet (INDY) Foundation she developed after her husband, Kyle, lost his battle with colon cancer in July. INDY’s mission is to provide love, faith and financial support to those battling cancer and their families.
Strand develops INDY to offer support yet.
BY VICKI IKEOGU CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS — I’m not done If there is anything that can begin to describe the last Àve years for Kayla Strand it would be those four words, uttered by her late husband, Kyle, “I’m not done yet.” After being together for seven years, Kayla said Kyle proposed to her on the night of Sept. 10, 2012. “So, I travel for work and I came back from a trip from Boston, and we had just sold our house,” Strand said. “And it was literally 10 o’clock at night and he was like, ‘Hey come to the kitchen and look at these house plans.’ I was so crabby. I was tired, I just got home. The last thing I wanted to do was look at house plans. And I come out there and he goes, ‘As we start our new journey together, I would also like to start our life together.’”
But that journey took an unexpected detour a year later when at the age of 30, Kyle Strand was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. “He went through treatment,” Strand said. “We did lots of different things, from conventional treatments to nonconventional treatments. And that became our life for the next four years. Going to treatments, doctor’s appointments. We started in St. Cloud, and we were down at the Mayo for a portion of the time.” Kyle did end up beating the cancer for almost a year. It was about this time the couple got married. But the happily ever after was again taken from the Strands when the cancer came back. This time, with a vengeance. “Eventually we kind of knew that the future didn’t look so good,” Strand said. “There really wasn’t anything more that they could do.” But even though the prognosis
was bleak, Strand said her husband was still full of smiles, still laughing and determined to Àght. “Our pastor at one time had come up, asking (Kyle) if he was afraid to die, if there was anything that he was scared of or if there was anything he wanted to do,” Strand said. “And he just looked at (our pastor) and said, ‘I’m not done yet.’ And it just kind of became a saying in our house.” The phrase, “I’m not done yet,” at least for Kayla became a mainstay in her everyday life ever since. “I had this vision,” she said. “I started this blog because I felt that it was my way of sharing my emotions and feelings with everyone. Because even though I wasn’t the patient, it’s almost harder on the caretaker because, you know, you have to keep your whole life together, pay bills, plus take care of them. So, it was my
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fundraising and much more. “He will do anything you ask him to do to make someone’s day,” Zimmer said. “We are very excited he won because he does a lot, in addition to being a caregiver to Judy.” In addition to his work with the Good Shepherd Community, Heintze is an active volunteer with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, Trinity Lutheran Church, Whitney Senior Center and Sky Warn. Heintze continues to serve and honor military members and their families as both a member of the Sauk Rapids Legion Post No. 254 and the Sauk Rapids VFW Post No.
6992. He is a former commander of the legion and legion color guard and continues to be involved with color and honor guard as well as the riÁe squad at Camp Ripley. “Those things take precedence,” Heintze said. “How much can you honor a man who served for his country – some were wounded, some weren’t – you have to have an obligation to those people.” LeadingAge of Minnesota honored Heintze with the District Volunteer of the Year Award in 2017. But Heintze does not perform
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Trio taking DECA project to Atlanta
PHOTO BY ANNA SALDANA
Matt Saatzer (from left), Dylan Maanum and Porter Siltman work in the DECA store April 9 at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. The three are competing at the national DECA conference April 21-24 in Atlanta, Ga. BY ANNA SALDANA STAFF WRITER
SAUK RAPIDS —Sauk Rapids-Rice students Dylan Maanum, Porter Siltman and Matt Saatzer are headed for national competition. The trio will be competing in the school-based enterprise event at DECA’s International Development Conference April 21-24 in Atlanta, Ga. The group received gold level recertiÀcation for the SBE [school store] at regional competition in February with help from advisors John Rasmussen, Josh Bauer and Ellie Cairns. They also secured
their slot at nationals before state competition, easing the students’ nerves. “Knowing we were going for this event made it easier to focus on and compete in my other two events,” Siltman said. Saatzer agreed. “It kept the pressure off a little bit more,” Saatzer said. “I didn’t have to worry about not qualifying in that event because it already happened. I agree with Porter in saying it helped to focus on my other events.” SRR has operated a school
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PUBLIC NOTICES • Notice of Morgage Foreclosure - Johnson - pg. 7 • Notice of Mortgage Foreclosure - Baron - pg. 7 • City of Sauk Rapids Regular Meeting Minutes - March 26, 2018 - pg. 7 • Advertisement for Bids - City of Foley - pg. 7 • Advertisement for Bids - City of Sauk Rapids - pg. 7 • Minden Township Request for Quotes - pg. 7 • Sauk Rapids-Rice School Notice of Special Election - pg. 8 • Assumed Name - Tripiciano Immigration Law - pg. 8 • Notice of Public Hearing - City of Rice - pg. 8 • Notice of Mortgage Foreclosure - Lieser/Longie - pg. 8