By Lori Ehde
Irid Bjerk had long retired from his 40-year Star-Herald career, but his passion for community news stayed with him until his death.
Bjerk died Thursday, May 10, in Luverne's hospice Cottage. He was 86.
Though he's been involved with many aspects of the community, Bjerk's friends say he will most be remembered for his work with the Star Herald.
"He's been with the Star Herald as long as I've known him. It almost seemed he was the Star Herald," said Larry Brinkman, one of Bjerk's closest friends.
"He knew so much about the community and the town."
Through his weekly Boy Off the Farm columns, the community grew close to him, as well. After his retirement, he assembled a collection of those columns and published them in a book.
Luverne's Brenda Winter interviewed Bjerk during the community's 125th celebration in 1992. Following is an excerpt from the resulting story:
He chronicled the births, lives and deaths of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Rock County residents. "I always thought just putting people's names in the paper is the best thing you could do for them," Bjerk said. His reward for his efforts was hearing those same people say, "I enjoyed what you wrote in last week's paper."
"There's no better feeling in the world than hearing someone say they read and enjoyed your writing," Bjerk said.
Forty years gave Bjerk enough time to know this farming town like few people know their communities. He knew the movers and shakers on Main Street and the "just plain folks" working the land and raising their families.
Because he was a part of the community and not exempt from it, in some cases he lived the news while he reported it. He felt the pain and fear of the 1948 polio epidemic that swept through the area. "Two and three children died each week for an entire summer. One week I think we had seven obituaries."
Writing those obituaries was more than a job to Bjerk as he and his wife, Roberta, feared at the time for the health and lives of their own two small sons.
During World War II Bjerk was asked to take the group pictures of the county's gallant young men as they were called to active military duty. The men, in Bjerk's words, "were going to be the ones to stop Hitler and Hirohito."
Bjerk took the pictures, wrote the stories about the troops' successes overseas and, when "those awful telegrams came" wrote the obituary telling the community that yet another of its brave young men had lost his life fighting for a noble cause.
...As an editor Bjerk said the biggest stories in his tenure were World War II, the polio outbreak, the blizzard of 1940, and the state boysÕ basketball championship in 1964.
Bjerk's friends remember how he took the job to heart.
"He was terribly conscientious. He never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings," Brinkman said Monday.
"He tried to be very honest and present the truth, but he was very careful about not offending anyone."
Luverne's Alex Frick said he remembers Bjerk commenting one day about how he was glad he didn't have to cover ambulance calls and take pictures anymore.
"He told me how that used to bother him. He really did care about people, and it really affected how he interacted with people," Frick said.
"To Irid, everyone had an inherent worth - there were no throwaways in his book. It's a wonderful way to be, but it's a hard way to be, because you end up caring so much and getting hurt."
After his retirement, Bjerk continued writing and become known as the local historian. Until recent years, he served as a contributing writer for the Star Herald, often writing pieces of historical significance as the need arose.
In addition, he wrote histories of the Rock County Courthouse, for local insurance companies, St. John Lutheran Church and Grace Lutheran Church. He also authored "A Look At Our Historical Past," a booklet that accompanies the walking tour of Luverne's historic district.
Frick spent time with Bjerk in his last hours, volunteering to write down any pertinent thoughts as they arose.
As it turned out, his pain and subsequent medicated state made it difficult to articulate thoughts, but Frick said one message came through clearly.
"He wanted me to tell his sons and all his friends that he loves them and appreciates all they've done for him," Frick said.
This is significant in the sense that many will remember Bjerk for his own spirit of giving.
"He was always willing to help someone out, and he wasn't looking for accolades or a pat on the back," said Gregg Gropel, who worked with Bjerk on an award-winning Rotary newsletter.
Bjerk's obituary includes a long list of civic contributions to the community.
"Anything he took on he was dedicated to," Gropel said.
Memorial services were Monday in Grace Lutheran Church.