Obituaries

Marjorie Alice Oelrich, 85, of Ely, and formerly of Babbitt, passed away peacefully, with family by her side, on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at St. Raphael’s Health and Rehabilitation Center in Eveleth after a short battle with cancer.
She was born on February 12, 1933 to Charles and Ida (Taylor) Finckbone in Guthrie, MN and was united in marriage to Leigh Oelrich on August 19, 1950.
Marjorie is survived by four children: Sharon (Stephen) Bateman of Spirit Lake, Idaho, Curtis Oelrich of Smelterville, Idaho, Doreen Flynn of Ely, and Tammy (John) Schubert of Missoula, Montana; six grandchildren, Jennifer (Jesse) Brunner, Jeremy (Hope) Bateman, Chris Bateman, Shannon (Johnathon) Kelley, Eric Schubert, Rachel Schubert; five great-grandchildren, Michaela, Bailey, Joshua, Caleb and Levi; one brother, Darrel (Charlotte) Finckbone of Guthrie, numerous nieces, nephews, and friends, especially those at the Babbitt Senior Center.

Veronica (Bonnie) Farkas (Zgonc), 79, a long-time resident of Winton and Ely, Minnesota passed away at her residence surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with cancer on September 27, 2018. Bonnie was a much loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. She was born in Ely, Minnesota on July 29, 1939, to Matt (Bell) and Josephine Zgonc. She graduated from Ely Memorial High School in 1957 and then attended business school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bonnie was married to John E. Farkas on January 17, 1959 and they resided in Winton until his death in 1982.

Pearl Swanson Shea, 87, of Framingham, MA, died on September 21, 2018. Born in Ely, MN on November 21, 1930. Parents - Samuel Swanson and Eleanor Hyatt. She attended and graduated from Ely High School and Ely Junior College. Her first job was as a switchboard operator in Ely. After working as a secretary in Chicago, IL, she joined the Red Cross, working in Minneapolis and Walker, MN, before being assigned in 1952 to work as part of the Red Cross staff at Camp Chitose in Hokkaido, Japan. There she converted to Roman Catholicism and then met First Lieutenant Henry (Hank) Joseph Shea, who was returning from fighting in the Korean Conflict.

Marie Ann Williams, 77, of Ely, passed away at the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital on Friday, September 21, 2018, after a short battle with cancer. Marie was born March 4, 1941 to Magnhild and Frank Boldin and was a lifelong resident of Ely. Marie was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 47 years, Ronald J. Williams.
Marie is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Caroline and Donald Mikolich of Ely, and her children and their spouses, Michael and Molly (Bridges) of Traverse City, MI; Tim and Linda (Niemela) of Lino Lakes, MN; Stacy and Rick Steel of Proctor, MN. She is also survived by her grandson and spouse Christopher and Kayla (Johnson) Bissonette, her grandchildren Meghan, Annikka, Jenni and Ricky Steel, Robert, Kathleen and Jack Williams, her great-grandson Jairus (Steel) Jennings, her sister-in-law Linda (Barry) Williams of Ely, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Jack and Mary Williams of Waseca, MN and many nieces and nephews.

Art DeBernardi, 89, of Foley, died September 18, 2018 at the St. Cloud Hospital after a short illness. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 AM, Friday, September 21, 2018 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Foley. Visitation will be from 9:00 to 11:00 AM, Friday at the church. Military Honors will be provided by the Foley American Legion, Post 298. Burial will take place on Monday, September 24, 2018 at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls. Service with Dignity provided by the Foley Funeral Home.
Arthur John DeBernardi was born on October 14, 1928 in Ely, Minnesota to Enrico and Geramina (Magnatti) DeBernardi.
He graduated from Ely High School in 1948 and served in the US Army from 1951-1953 where he was stationed in Germany. After the service, Art attended Jr. College in Ely and excelled in both school and sports. He was offered a contract as a kicker for the Los Angeles Rams but declined.

Janet M. (Toms) Johnson passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 15, 2018 in her home in Houston, amid her loving family. She was born to Edwin W. and May (Mary Meenahan) Toms at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, MN on November 7, 1933.
She grew up in Ely, MN, graduating from high school in 1951. Janet worked as a Nurse’s Aide at the Shipman Hospital during her high school years and while she attended Ely Junior College for a year in preparation for transfer to the nursing program at the Villa of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Janet graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and worked as a surgical nurse for a year at St. Mary’s hospital in Duluth. She then moved to Denver, CO where she worked at Presbyterian Hospital.

Gretchen Webber Lobe, age 102 of Ely died Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at

Our beautiful, feisty, precious and dear mom, Mary Theresa (Lesar) Smuk, 88, died after a brief stay at BWCC in Ely, MN on September 10, 2018.
Mary was born in Ely on January 25, 1930 to Theresa Russ Lesar and Louis Lesar. She graduated from high school in 1948. She met the love of her life, Frank Lawrence (Kungie) Smuk, in Ely and they married on July 19, 1952 after Frank’s honorable service in the US Army and WWII. They had five children and raised them in the Chandler area of town - a lively, fun, safe, and caring neighborhood. She remained a life-long resident of Ely, residing in the same home for over sixty years.
Mary worked at Vertin’s, Montgomery Wards, Trygg Land Office, Barbara Ann Bakery and Catering, Veteran’s Retreat, and lastly at Irresistible Ink – where she worked for fifteen years until the age of 80!

Verne Matson, age 87, of Babbitt, MN and formerly of Fosston, MN, passed away on Monday, September 3rd, at Swedish Hospital in Edmonds, Washington. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 13th, at Bethel Assembly Church in Fosston with Pastor Seth Johnson officiating. Interment will be in Mamre Cemetery, rural Fosston. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service on Thursday at the church. Arrangements are with the Carlin Funeral Home of Fosston and messages of condolence may be sent at www.carlinfuneral.com. A memorial service will be scheduled for friends and family in Washington at a later date.

Thomas Krogen Woods (TK), age 96 of Ashland passed away at Court Manor Health Services in Ashland on Wednesday, Sept 5, with family by his side. Tom was born on March 17, 1922 in Bottineau, ND to Monte and Anna (Krogen) Woods, the oldest of nine children.
Tom graduated from Bottineau High School in 1939 and went to college at Fargo State in Fargo, ND to pursue a degree in Pharmacy. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and went to basic training in Spartanburg, SC. From there Tom went to France where he was wounded in action.