Obituaries from the week of Jan. 12, 2011
Duane Farrell, 80
Funeral services were held
today, Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy,
MN, for Duane Farrell, age 80 of Balaton, MN. A luncheon followed immediately after service.
Interment will take place in the spring. Arrangements are being handled
by the Almlie Funeral Home of Balaton.
Duane Stanley Farrell was born
June 15, 1930 to John C. and Minnie (Bolsover) Farrell in Slayton, MN, Murray
County. He was baptized and
confirmed in the Catholic faith. Duane attended Country School District #4, when his family lived on a
farm east of Slayton in Skandia Township. He then attended District #20, before graduating from Balaton High
School in 1949. In February of 1953
he entered into service in the U. S. Army, serving in the 11th Armored Regiment. He received his
Honorable Discharge, with the rank of Corporal, in February of 1955, and then
served until 1961 in the Army Reserves. He returned to the Balaton area in 1955.
On September 10, 1955 Duane
married Darlene Hofstadter in the Immuculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in
Currie, MN and they made their home on the family farm, where they raised five
children. Duane had started
working as a clerk in the Balaton Post Office in 1969 and in 1976 they moved
into Balaton, that same year he took over as Officer in Charge of the Tyler, MN
Post Office until 1978, when he was appointed Postmaster at Garvin, MN. He retired in 1992.
He was a past member of St.
Ann’s Catholic Church in Slayton, and at St. Mary’s in Lake Wilson, where he
was an active member during the building of the new church. He was a current member of the St.
Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy, MN, where he was active in the Knights of
Columbus and served on the parish council. Duane was also a member of the Balaton American Legion. He enjoyed life and people and was
often told…”never change”, by many who got to know him. He also enjoyed traveling around in
their camper, playing bingo, and especially spending time with his family.
In August of 2010 Duane became
a resident of the Parkview Manor in Ellsworth, MN, where he died Sunday,
January 9, 2011, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 80.
Duane is survived by his wife,
Darlene of Ellsworth, MN; one daughter, Catherine (Jerold) Drager of Marshall,
MN; four sons, James (Barbara) Farrell of Maplewood, MN, Mark (Cindy) Farrell
of Ghent, MN, Joel (Cindy Jo) Farrell of Ellsworth, MN, and Dennis (Dobbin)
Farrell of Canyon Country, CA; eleven grandchildren, Erin (Douglas) Hoskins,
Leigh (Jordan) Bauer, Daniel Farrell, Nicole Drager, Marissa Drager, Lee
Farrell, Megan Farrell, Amanda Farrell, Dalbey Farrell, Dillin Farrell, and
Hanna Hieronimus; four great grandchildren, Margaret and William Hoskins,
Seamus Bauer, and James Farrell(son of Benjamin Farrell); one sister, Marian
Faundeen of Blue Earth, MN; one sister-in-law, Leona Farrell of St. Paul, MN;
nieces, nephews and many friends.
His parents, grandson,
Benjamin Farrell, two brothers, Raymond and Richard (Donna) Farrell, and
brother-in-law, Red Faundeen, preceded him in death.
Online condolences may be
placed at www.almliefh.com
Vernon
Lietz, 84
Vernon Lietz age 84 of Garvin,
MN died Saturday, January 8, 2011 at his home on Lake Shetek. No services are planned at this
time. The Almlie Funeral Home of
Tracy is handling the arrangements.
Online condolences may be
placed at www.almliefh.com
Sister Carole Sweely, 73
S. Carole (Denise) Sweely died
after a short illness on January 1, 2011. The illness surprised her as did the meeting with her Creator. She was 73 years old having lived her
monastic profession for 53 years.
Born to Byron and Natalie
(Novak) in Tracy, MN, S. Carole was the older having one brother, Dennis. She received the sacraments of Baptism
and Confirmation at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy, and entered St. Paul’s
Priory in 1955 at 301 Summit Avenue in St. Paul, MN. After her first vows in 1957, she attended the College of
Saint Catherine, St. Paul, receiving her B.A. in Elementary Education with a
minor in History in 1960-64 and later an M.A. in Communications and Film from
the University of Notre Dame in 1972.
She began her teaching
ministry in 1960 at Assumption parish in Richfield, MN, going on to teach
English and History at Archbishop Murray Memorial High School for ten
years. Wishing to travel and to
have new experiences, Sister opted to teach out of state going to Plattsburgh,
N.Y., Phoenix, AZ, Denver, CO. Her
favorite setting grew to be the Rockies and Denver but she came home to teach
intermittently from 1974 until 1995. From 1996-1998, she wrote and published With Grateful Hearts The Past We Own, a history of the Benedictine presence in the
Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1948-1998. She also published a volume of Monastery Fables. From 1998, she served as the monastery librarian and as
community secretary from 2004-2010. After teaching English and Film for many years, the library was a
perfect place to hone her teaching skills. She taught a series of film classes in the Benedictine
Center and community history to young mastics. She was a disciple of laughter and advocated this in her
daily living with her friends and monastic companions. She celebrated her silver jubilee in
1982 and golden jubilee in 2007.
Sister is survived by her
Benedictine sisters, a brother, Dennis (Diane), four nieces and one nephew,
friends. We pray her parents,
relatives and beloved friends may welcome her home and guide her into the
everlasting Light while forever celebrating with those she loves in the
presence of that constant Northern Star where love does not fail and goodness
reigns.
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