Online Obituaries
Monday, September 17, 2001
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Pearl K. Pankratz, 96, of Springfield, died on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001, at St. John Lutheran Home in Springfield.
Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Springfield, with burial in Springfield City Cemetery.
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Sturm Funeral Home in Springfield and continuing one hour prior to church service Wednesday.
She is survived by sons, Roy Pankratz of Springfield, Clifford and Rosie Pankratz of Springfield, Andrew and Janice Pankratz of Bloomington and David and Vicki Pankratz of Shoreview; daughters, Elise and Russell Norcutt of Lompoc, Calif., Irene and LuVerne Poitter of New Ulm and Marlene and Roger Barnes of Mankato; 19 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughter, Doris Dorsett; a son and daughter in infancy; three brothers; and three sisters.
She was born on Sept. 25, 1904, to Emil and Bertha (Redman) Gramse in Albany. She moved with her parents to St. Paul when she was 8 years old, attending school there and later graduating from Globe Business College in St. Paul. She worked as a secretary at R.J. Dunn Company until she married Leo Pankratz on June 27, 1925 in St. Paul. The couple lived near Springfield where Pearl helped on the fur farm. Pearl entered St. John Lutheran Home in Springfield in 1999. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Springfield.
Hillard A. Dehning, 73, of rural Henderson, died on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001, at his home.
Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Arlington, with burial in the church cemetery.
Visitation is 4-8 p.m. today at Kolden-Fenske Funeral Home in Arlington, with a prayer service at 8 p.m., and continuing one hour prior to the service at the church.
He is survived by special friend, Lucille Mathowich of Springfield; daughters, Barbara and Ellerd Mathwig of Henderson, Linda and David Perkins of Littleton, Colo., and Christie Dehning of Duluth; son, jeffrey Dehning of Henderson; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; sisters, Dorothea and Gene Ernst of Watsonville, Calif., Evelyn Heuer of Waconia, and Evangeline and Harold Bade of Arlington; and sisters-in-law, Catherine Lepel of Eagan and Ruth Johnson of Alexandria.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine; brother, Clarence; and sisters, Alice Rolf, Irene Dehning and Adeline Karg.
Hillard was born on Jan. 13, 1928, to Henry and Emma (Brelje) Dehning in Helen Township, rural Glencoe. After attending St. John's Parochial School in Helen Township for eight years, he started farming in the late 1940s in Jessenland Township, Sibley County. He married Elaine Lepel on April 27, 1941, in Plato. He was a member of National Farmers Association, American Guernsey Cattle Club and the Minnesota Guernsey Association.
Helen Christensen, 80, of Redwood Falls and formerly of Wabasso, died on Friday, Sept. 14, 2001, at Redwood Falls Area Hospital.
Mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Wabasso, with burial at 1:30 p.m. in the Redwood Falls Cemetery.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Tuesday with a parish prayer service at 7 p.m. at Nelson-Martin Funeral Home in Redwood Falls, continuing for one hour prior to the Mass Wednesday.
She is survived by sons, Thomas J. and Sandy Christensen of Las Vegas, N.V., and Robert and Donna Christensen of Lucan; daughters, Mary Kay and Nick Welu of Wabasso and Sue Ann Christensen of Las Vegas, Nev.; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and brother, Alan McCorquodale of Morton.
She was preceded in death by her husband; brother, James McCorquodale; and sister, Kathleen Robinson.
She was born on Oct. 19, 1920, to Allen David and Rose (Yonietz) McCorquodale in Redwood County. She lived in Delhi until 1932 when she moved to Morton where she graduated from Morton High School. She married Julius R. Christensen in Morton on Nov. 18, 1941. The couple lived and farmed north of Wabasso until 1951 and then west of Wabasso until 1976 when they partially retired from farming and moved to Wabasso. She continued to live in Wabasso after her husband's death until 1998 when she moved to Redwood Falls. She was a past member of the St. Anne's Catholic Church in Wabasso, a current member of St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Redwood Falls. She was a former member of the Wabasso Progress Club. She also volunteered at Wabasso Public Library.