Obituaries
Larry J. Sandretsky Sr.
Mar 18, 2026
An Obituary for Larry James Sandretsky, Sr., in a Poem as He Would Want It
There are some who pass through quietly,
Like a whisper or a breeze,
But Larry wasn’t made for quiet,
He preferred a party, a joke, a tease.
With calloused hands and a guitar in tow,
He played the songs he loved so true,
His Woodtick song would steal the show,
And strangers were...
Leon E. Holbeck
Mar 15, 2026
Leon E. Holbeck, age 83, passed away on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Minnesota Veteran’s Home in Silver Bay. Born on December 11, 1942, in Two Harbors, Minnesota, Leon was the son of Aaron and Eva (Anderson) Holbeck. He grew up in Two Harbors, where he attended school before serving his country in the U.S. Navy.
Following his honorable discharge,...
Gregory C Conway
Mar 12, 2026
Gregory C. Conway, 69 of Silver Bay died Thursday, March 12, 2026 at his home.
He was born in Frankfurt, Germany to SGM William and Edna (Swartz) Conway during one of his father’s deployments. Greg grew up and attended William Kelley high school.Employed by Louisiana Pacific for 36 years unloading logs, heavy equipment operator, and yard maintenance until his retirement in...
Karen Bock
Mar 10, 2026
Karen Bock, 82, Silver Bay, died Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at Care Free Living.
Karen was born on May 26th 1943 in Moose Lake to Edward and Dorothy Swarmer. She moved to Silver Bay when she was in the 5th grade, graduating from the newly opened William Kelley High School in 1961. That same year she married her husband Ron and...
Marjorie V Johnson
Mar 7, 2026
Marjorie (Marge) Violet Johnson, age 93, passed away on March 7, 2026. Born May 15, 1932, in Amherst Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota, to Harry and Hilda McKay, she and her twin sister, Marilyn, were the youngest of seven children.
Marge attended O’Hara Country School and graduated from Harmony High School in 1950. It was on a shared school bus ride that...
Rodger D Olson
Mar 7, 2026
Rodger D. Olson, 92, Two Harbors, died Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Aspirus-St.Luke’s Hospital.
Rodger was born March 22, 1933, to Rudolph and Irene (Hanson) Olson in Northwood, North Dakota, where he grew up and was as a 3-sport athlete. Shortly after high school he married his high school sweetheart Adeline. On Feb. 20th they celebrated 72 years of marriage!
Rodger attended...
Gerald S. Jackson
Mar 6, 2026
Gerald S. Jackson, 87, of French River, died Friday, March 6th at his home.
Jerry was born March 4th, 1939 to Helge and Svea (Sundstrom) Jackson in Duluth and was a life-long resident of the French River area. He was an electrician for Minnesota Power for many years to his retirement. Throughout his life, Jerry enjoyed the outdoors – fishing, snowmobiling,...
Charles L. Kaiser
Mar 6, 2026
Charles “Chuck” Lloyd Kaiser, 88, of Silver Bay died on March 6, 2026, after a decades-long struggle with deteriorating physical health. He was born on January 28, 1938, at home in Danube, Minnesota. His family ultimately settled in Willmar, Minnesota. When they moved from Danube to Willmar, the family had to switch from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to Missouri...
Daniel W. Goodenough Jr.
Mar 3, 2026
Daniel Webster Goodenough died March 3, 2026, in Two Harbors at age 87. Dan was born in Detroit, Michigan on Jan. 22, 1939, to Daniel and Margaret Goodenough. He grew up with two younger sisters with whom he shared a lifelong closeness. He loved summers at the Teton Valley Ranch in Wyoming. Over several years Dan received a BA from...
Roland W. Johnson
Mar 2, 2026
Roland Wayne Johnson, “Rollie,” 86 of Lakewood Township (Duluth), departed to be with his Lord on Monday, March 2nd, 2026, at Essentia Health in Duluth. He was born on September 2, 1939, to Swan and Geraldine (Moren) Johnson. In his youth, he attended Duluth schools and served in the US Army in Korea. He married Jean Alice Jensen in 1964,...
Linda R. Anderson
Mar 1, 2026
Linda R. Anderson, age 68, of Two Harbors, passed away on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at her home, surrounded by family.
Born on April 22, 1957, in St. Cloud, Linda was the cherished daughter of Larry and May (Brown) Burski.
In 1976, Linda married Robert Hultstrom, and together they welcomed three children: Erik, Lisa, and Anders. After 17 years of marriage they...
Ruth Lovaas
Feb 28, 2026
Ruth Elizabeth (Shold) Lovaas, 98, of Grand Marais, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 28, 2026, with family by her side.
Ruth was born December 9,1927, to Andrew and Esther Alfreda (Backlund) Shold in Grand Marais, MN, and grew up on their farm. She graduated from high school in Grand Marais and attended Bethel College.
Before she married Donald Lovaas in 1950,...
Robert D. Velcheff
Feb 26, 2026
Robert D. Velcheff, 69, of Silver Bay died Thursday, February 26, 2026 at home.
He was born January 30, 1957 to Donald and Mollie Velcheff.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Sharon Stauss.
He is survived by siblings Terry Kuhns, Susan Maki, Janice Thompson, and Richard Velcheff.
Don E. Lindahl
Feb 22, 2026
Don E. Lindahl, 88, of Two Harbors died Sunday, February 22, 2026 at his home surrounded by his family.
He was born August 17, 1937 to Ellert and Mabel (Elg) Lindahl in Two Harbors, where he was a lifelong resident. After high school, Don worked as a carpentry apprentice for the DM&IR Railroad, learning skills that he used the rest of...
Tracy Jo Zimmerman
Feb 18, 2026
Tracy Jo Zimmerman, 73, of Grand Rapids, Minnesota began his journey home on February 18th - passing away comfortably at home where he wanted to be with his family and beloved pets after a prolonged and courageous battle against multiple myeloma.
After a childhood along the North Shore of Minnesota, he followed his three older brothers into military service, enlisting in...
Keith J. Huset
Feb 18, 2026
Keith Jeffery Huset, 64, passed away on February 18, 2026, in Silver Bay, Minnesota. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all whose lives he touched.
Keith was born on October 26, 1961, in Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Vernon and Tessie Huset. He graduated from William Kelley High School and dedicated 30 years of service to the Minnesota...
David H Anderson
Feb 15, 2026
David H. Anderson, 87, of Two Harbors, passed away peacefully on February 15, 2026, at Aspirus-St. Luke’s Hospital.
Born on April 10, 1938, to Harold and Elsie (Westman) Anderson, David grew up in Crosby, where he attended and graduated from Crosby High School. Following his family's move to Silver Bay, David began his career as an electrician at Reserve Mining then...
Donald H. Mayfield
Feb 7, 2026
Donald H. Mayfield, 91, of Two Harbors died Saturday, February 7, 2026 at Lake View Memorial Hospital.
He was born April 29, 1934 to Richard and Dorothy (Larson) Mayfield in Two Harbors where he grew up and attended schools. After working at various occupations around the country, he returned to Two Harbors in 1972 and retired from the DM&IR Railway.
He enjoyed...
Ralph G Stevens
Feb 6, 2026
Ralph G. Stevens, 84, Two Harbors, died Friday, February 6, 2026 at Waterview Shores.
Ralph was born September 28, 1941 to Robert and Verna (Johnson) Stevens in Grand Rapids, and grew up in Coleraine, Duluth and Two Harbors, where he graduated from high school in 1960. He was employed as pipe insulator in the construction industry, traveling throughout the country, from...
Meredith Ann Medler
Feb 3, 2026
Meredith Ann Medler, 85, Two Harbors, died Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at Aspirus-St. Luke’s Hospital.
Meredith was born August 6, 1940 to John Thomas and Priscilla (Hobbs) Medler in Minneapolis. She graduated from MadisonWest High School in 1958, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa City University, the University of North Dakota, and the University of Marburg, Germany. She earned her...

