December
Dec. 24: JoAnne Olson, 54, Oronoco.
Dec. 28: Olive Barnes, 97, Luverne; Luther Knutson, 88, Luverne.
Dec. 29: Bertha Foerster, 75, Luverne.
Dec. 31: Duane "Bud" Larson, 74, Sioux Falls, S.D.; James Gaul, 71, Adrian; Henry Winterswyk, 86, Luverne.

January
Jan. 2: Janice Miller, 52, Luverne; John Dooyema, 66, Houston, Texas; Edwin Mitchell, 72, St. Paul.
Jan. 3: George Hofkamp, 85, Hills; Lloyd Lee, 69, Kanaranzi.
Jan. 8: Art Swanson, 91, Hills.
Jan. 11: Mabel Janssen, 80, Luverne; Marjorie Claussen, 89, Sauk Rapids.
Jan. 12: Gladys Fletcher, 93, Luverne; Margaret Barnard, 87, Luverne.
Jan. 13: Clarence Feikema, 83, Luverne.
Jan. 14: Mildred Gabrielson, 85, Luverne; Bertha Eggen, 98, Hendricks.
Jan. 16: Tillie Van Hove, 90, Luverne.
Jan. 17: Richard Feucht, 57, Jasper.
Jan. 20: Lloyd "Shorty" Siebenahler, 69, Luverne.
Jan. 22: Evelyn Schlotfeldt, 88, Noblesville, Ind.; Clayton Winge, 60, Riverside, Calif.
Jan. 23: Walter Remme, 81, Kenneth.
Jan. 24: Dorothy Gass, 85, Denton, Texas.
Jan. 26: Craig DeJongh, 40, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Jan. 27: John Wills, 93, Luverne.
Jan. 28: Elsie Brinkhous, 71, Slayton; Osborn Moen, 73, Bemidji; Agnes Johnson, 94, Luverne; Ann Zubke, 80, Luverne.
Jan. 31: Dennis Schei, 61, Luverne; Herbert Ennenga, 86, Luverne.

February
Feb. 2: Violet Anderson, 93, Luverne.
Feb. 3: Leonard Rollag, 75, Beaver Creek; Elmer Stykel, 60, Cherokee, Iowa.
Feb. 4: Arlene Beach, 76, Luverne; Gordon Petersen, 71, Lubbock, Texas.
Feb. 5: Barbara Knutson, 61, Pipestone.
Feb. 7: Robert Bucklin, 104, Jackson.
Feb. 8: Wilfrid Fritz, 84, Lismore.
Feb. 9: Jacob Van Maanen, 77, Rock Valley, Iowa.
Feb. 10: Doris Winge, 78, Luverne.
Feb. 11: Jennie Miersma, 83, Valley Springs, S.D.
Feb. 13: Donald Harkema, 59, Ellsworth.
Feb. 14: Sharon Wessels, 53, Luverne; Homer McClure, 83, Luverne; Lily DeGroot, 90, Adrian.
Feb. 15: Harvey Carlson, 91, Hardwick; Cora Powell, 83, Luverne.
Feb. 17: Rt. Rev. Msgr. Edward F. Klein, 81, Wabasha.
Feb. 18: Elsie Henning. 85, Wilmont; Mildred Skewes, 93, Luverne; Robert Klenken, 54, Wilmont.
Feb. 20: Dick Schoeneman, 87, Luverne.
Feb. 21: Larry Leech, 74, Brooklyn Center.
Feb. 23: Hulda Lauck, 91, Luverne.
Feb. 24: Borghild "Birkie" Remme, 80, Luverne.
Feb. 25: Maurice Rust, 81, Adrian; Allen Bullerman, 59, Thief River Falls.
Feb. 26: Irene Hass, 87, Luverne; Ethel Remme, 77, Luverne.
Feb. 27: James Baatz, 63, Maple Plain.

March
March 1: Merle Romeling, 67, Luverne.
March 3: Lyle Schubbe, 80, Hills.
March 4: Delbert Atkinson, 83, Luverne; Harland Pieper, 81, Rushmore.
March 5: Wayne Hoffman, 69, Mankato.
March 6: Anna Beatty, 98, Luverne.
March 8: Elsie Jessen, 94, Luverne.
March 10: Jacob Beckman, 88, Worthington; Walter Kuehl, 88, Luverne.
March 12: Roger Lass, 63, Luverne.
March 13: Albert Juffer, 84, Hills.
March 15: Bert Kracht, 78, Luverne.
March 17: Carola Kellen, 87, Adrian; Mildred Tapp, 80, Modesto, Calif.
March 18: Wanda Carlson, 75, Luverne; George Berndt Jr., 36, Worthington.
March 22: Leona Radke, 82, Luverne; Tena Meyer, 87, Sibley, Iowa.
March 23: Jennie Donth, 90, Magnolia; Gerald Kathman, 79, Luverne; Lois Jacobs, 80, Hardwick; Martha Store, 96, Clawson, Mich.
March 25: Eunice Sathre, 73, Luverne.
March 29: Lois Schadwinkel, 78, Luverne.
March 27: Richard Engelke, 71, Luverne.
March 30: Gezina Haan, 88, Hills.
March 31: Ruth Steinfeldt, 77, Luverne.

April
April 1: Arthur Anderson, 90, Beaver Creek.
April 3: Raymond Feit, 89, Worthington.
April 5: Richard Frease, 72, Venice, Fla.
April 9: Jeanette Berghorst, 86, Luverne.
April 16: Johnnie Robshaw, 72, Valley Springs, S.D; Melvin Scherff, 86, Beaver Creek.
April 17: Harold Faber, 68, Inwood, Iowa.
April 19: William Roberts, 67, Sioux City, Iowa.
April 25: Margaret Huisman, 84, Wilmont.
April 26: Selma Gyberg, 87, Hills.
April 27: Adele Hansen, 90, Lester, Iowa.
April 28: Elvir Magnuson, 80, Luverne.

May
May 1: Robert Kemper, 85, Lismore.
May 5: Laura Martens, 66, Worthington.
May 6: Donna Dahlberg, 75, Fargo, N.D.
May 9: Frances Jarchow, 71, Luverne.
May 10: Irid Bjerk, 86, Luverne; Gertrude Brouwer, 75, Steen.
May 11: Ruth Herreid, 90, Luverne.
May 12: Hazel Mulder, 81, Adrian.
May 14: Iva Karli, 84, Garretson, S.D.; Anna Cross, 80, Scottsbluff, Neb.
May 17: Scott Steinfeldt, 42, Windom.
May 18: Adah Halsne, 87, Luverne.
May 19: Brett Roemeling, 36, Sioux Falls, S.D.
May 20: Carrie Nelson, 20, Sioux Falls, S.D.
May 23: Casey Egan, 18, Adrian; Gertrude Waagmeester, 88, Luverne; Jerry Bendt, 48, Ihlen.
May 24: Annie Rust, 93, Ellsworth.
May 27: Lee Boland, 93, Luverne.
May 29: Calvin Boyenga, 88, Luverne.
May 30: Alice Hughes, 78, Benicia, Calif.

June
June 1: Charles Loose, 87, Luverne; Henry Korthals, 78, Luverne.
June 5: Henry Krull Jr., 87, Beaver Creek.
June 6: Eunice Kuper, 85, Luverne.
June 7: Harvey Nath, 79, Luverne.
June 8: Ethel Ward, 96, Luverne; Emma Sweeney, 91, Davenport, Iowa.
June 9: Mark Jacobson, 76, Luverne; Robert Moore Sr., 79, Pipestone.
June 13: Noreen Jensen, 52, Portland, Ore.
June 14: Lawrence Miller, 86, Luverne.
June 15: Walter Bouwman, 82, Luverne; Grace Cragoe-Foster, 87, Sioux Falls, S.D.
June 16: Hattie Blanford, 104, Ellsworth.
June 19: Doris Darroch, 79, Sioux Falls, S.D.
June 22: Ole Gunderson Sr., 88, Seattle, Wash.
June 24: Stanley Larson, 84, Everett, Wash.
June 25: Wilbur Saukerson, 82, Chamberlain, S.D.
June 29: Brian Crawford, 36, Beaver Creek.

Gordon Merl Wagley, 82, Luverne, died Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002, at Luverne Hospice Cottage in Luverne.

Services were at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.

Gordon Wagley was born to Leslie and Amanda (Jacobson) Wagley on March 21, 1919, in Hadley. He attended country school in rural Hadley.

He married Adrianna Moret on Sept. 18, 1938, in Lake Wilson. After marriage, he worked for various farmers until 1948 when they started farming in the Reading area. In 1963, they moved to Luverne where he worked for Luverne Farmers Elevator until retiring in 1984.

Mr. Wagley was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne and Luverne Lions Club.

Survivors include his wife, Adrianna Wagley, Luverne; three sons, Peter (Nancy) Wagley, Salinas, Calif., Gary (Phyllis) Wagley, Rushmore, and Michael Wagley, Luverne; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and three brothers, Lowell (Olive) Wagley, Sioux Falls, S.D., Robert (Pat) Wagley, Slayton, and Roger (Vangy) Wagley, Glenwood.

Chandler Funeral Association, Chandler, was in charge of arrangements.

John Van Ruler, 84, Luverne, died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Wednesday, Jan. 16, at American Reformed Church in Luverne. Burial was in Hillside Cemetery, Edgerton.

John Van Ruler was born to Henry and Maartje (Buys) Van Ruler on Oct. 1, 1917, near Lismore. At a young age he moved with his family to a farm near Leota.

He married Gertie Kooiman on Jan. 22, 1942. After marriage, they farmed for eight years near Lake Wilson. In 1950, they moved to a farm near Woodstock. In 1975, they retired and moved to Luverne. In 1992, he moved to Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center. Mrs. Van Ruler died Jan. 11, 1999.

Mr. Van Ruler was a charter member of American Reformed Church in Woodstock where he served as deacon and elder. After moving to Luverne he also served as elder of American Reformed Church. He was a member of the Gideons and Luverne Senior Citizens.

Survivors include eight sons, Howard (Dorothy) Van Ruler, Waukon, Iowa, John (Reona) Van Ruler, Salida, Calif., Glenn (Terri) Van Ruler, Escalon, Calif., Marlin (Joyce) Van Ruler, Dennis (Deb) Van Ruler, all of Sioux Falls, S.D., Ron (Lynda) Van Ruler, Steen, Larry (SherryLyn) Van Ruler, Peyton, Colo., and Will (Pam) Van Ruler, Turlock, Calif.; three daughters, Donna (Don) Honken, Pipestone, Edna (Ed) Brands, Chandler, and Nancy (Vern) Van De Berg, Luverne; one brother, Martin (Jennie) Van Ruler; two sisters, Jennie DeKruif, and Ann Ruiter; 36 grandchildren; and 32 great-grandchildren.
Colonial Funeral Home, Edgerton, was in charge of arrangements.

Hills-Beaver Creek junior Dusty Seachris (left) tangles with Worthington's Matt Cowdin before pinning the Trojan during a Southwest Conference wrestling match in Luverne Thursday.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek High School junior Dusty Seachris produced a big win for the Luverne-H-BC-Ellsworth wrestling team Thursday in Luverne.

Seachris and the Cardinals hosted Worthington for a Southwest Conference duel when he produced a pin that tied the team tally at 24 late in the match.

Unfortunately for L-H-BC-E, Seachris' pin would be the last win the Cardinals would get Thursday. Worthington won the last four matches of the night to post a 45-21 victory.

Seachris, however, gave the Cardinals an opportunity to win the duel. His pin of Matt Cowdin with 30 seconds left in the 135-pound match left the contest up for grabs.

Kerry Fink, an H-BC eighth-grader, also competed for the Cardinals.

Fink was pinned by Worthington's Cody Schmidt 1:26 into the second period of the 119-pound match.

The loss left L-H-BC-E with a 2-7-1 overall record and a 0-3 SWC mark. L-H-BC-E hosts the annual Cardinal Tournament Saturday before entertaining Tracy-Milroy Tuesday.

By John Rittenhouse
Jackie (Paulsen) and Steve Wells successfully defended their championship flight titles from 2000 during the annual Hills Open Golf Tournament played at the Rock River Country Club in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Saturday.

Jackie Wells shot a 14-over-par 84 to repeat as the champion of the women's championship flight. She topped Twila Kirsch, who placed second in the flight.

Steve Wells defended his 2000 title in the men's championship flight by shooting an even-par 70. Tim Plimpton placed second to Wells in the flight.

In the women's first flight, Marcia Bork topped Jill Hoogeveen and the rest of the field to claim the flight title.

Lonnie Ackerman won the men's first flight, surviving a challenge from second-place finisher Pete Hoff.

Larry Griffin emerged as the champion of the second flight, besting runner-up Mark Sandager and others.

Mark DeBoer claimed the top prize in the third flight. Bob Kirsch placed second in the flight.

Tedd Larson won the fourth flight title. Ray Nelson placed second.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek experienced a successful start to the girls' basketball season by downing Edgerton 60-42 in Hills Friday.

Three Patriots reached double figures in scoring for an H-BC team that outscored the Flying Dutchmen in every quarter.

The game served as the Red Rock Conference Western Division opener for both teams, who were longtime members of the Tri-County Conference.

"It was a very good first game for us," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "I think we were aggressive on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court, and the result was getting a lot of opportunities for us."

H-BC opened a 16-9 lead in the first quarter before outscoring Edgerton 14-9 in the second period to make it a 30-12 game at the intermission.

The Patriots increased their lead to 16 points (44-28) by the end of the first quarter and ended up winning the game by 18.

Becky Broesder scored nine points in the second half and led the Patriots with 15 points and six steals.

Cassi Tilstra passed for seven assists while scoring 12 points. Jody Rentschler recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Brittney Olson registered five steals.

The 1-0 Patriots play Southwest Christian in Edgerton tonight before hosting Central Lyon and Murray County Central Saturday and Tuesday respectively.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 2 0 1-4 5, B.Olson 1 0 0-0 2, Feucht 0 0 0-1 0, Rentschler 4 0 2-4 10, Tilstra 6 0 0-0 12, Broesder 6 0 3-5 15, S.Rozeboom 2 0 0-2 4, DeNoble 2 0 1-2 5, Boeve 3 0 1-2 7, A.Olson 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: 26 of 58 field goals (45 percent), eight of 20 free throws (40 percent), 43 rebounds, 19 turnovers.

Edgerton 13 of 61 field goals (21 percent), 15 of 27 free throws (56 percent), 44 rebounds, 28 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek High School athletes wrestled a total of five matches at the Deuel Tournament in Clear Lake, S.D., Saturday.

Dusty Seachris and Kerry Fink, H-BC members of the Luverne-H-BC-Ellsworth wrestling squad, posted a combined 3-2 record during the six-team event.

L-H-BC-E went 1-2 overall to place fifth in the team competition.

Sisseton and Milbank's junior varsity team handed the Cardinals 48-27 and 48-32 setbacks in the first two rounds of the event.

L-H-BC-E bounced back to best Clark 46-33 in the match for fifth and sixth place.

Seachris had a 2-1 day while wrestling at 130 and 135.

Seachris pinned Sisseton's Ben Pallesen in 1:13 and stuck Milbank's Kevin Angerhofer in 1:44 during his matches at 130 pounds.

Clark's Tyler Tarbox pinned Seachris in 5:47 at 135.

Fink recorded a 1-1 record at 112 and 119.

Fink was pinned by MilbankÕs Kevin Angerhofer at 1:44 before winning by forfeit against Clark.
L-H-BC-E had a 2-6-1 overall record at tournament's end.

The Cardinals host Worthington for a Southwest Conference clash in Luverne tonight.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls' basketball team ran its Red Rock Conference record to 5-3 with a 41-38 win over Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin in Butterfield Friday.

In what Patriot coach Tom Goehle said was a physical game, H-BC was able to use its athletic ability to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit to win the game by three points.

"Our quickness and our ability to create some offense from our defensive pressure in the second half was the difference," Goehle said.

The Patriots trailed 9-8 and 25-18 at the first two quarter breaks before turning things around in the second half.

H-BC outscored the Wolverines 12-4 in the third quarter to gain a 30-29 advantage.

Although they struggled by missing eight of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter, the Patriots never lost the lead in a fourth quarter that ended with H-BC post Erin Boeve blocking a three-point shot attempt by ML-B-O in the final seconds.

Boeve, who sat on the bench a good share of the game because of foul trouble, scored 10 points for the winners.

Cassi Tilstra scored 13 points, came up with five steals and passed for four assists for H-BC. Becky Broesder led the winners with nine rebounds and six steals.

The 6-5 Patriots host Comfrey and West Lyon tonight and Saturday before playing in Round Lake Tuesday.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, B.Olson 1 0 0-0 2, Feucht 0 0 0-0 0, Rentschler 1 0 0-0 2, Tilstra 6 0 1-5 13, Broesder 4 0 0-1 8, S.Rozeboom 1 0 1-2 3, DeNoble 0 0 1-3 1, Boeve 4 0 2-6 10, A.Olson 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: 18 of 54 field goals (33 percent), five of 17 free throws (29 percent), 33 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
ML-B-O: 14 of 41 field goals (34 percent), 10 of 16 free throws (63 percent), 44 rebounds, 26 turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
It was an evening of firsts at the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board meeting Monday. It was the first meeting for new board members Tim Baker and Matt Larson and the first meeting for Superintendent Dave Deragisch since his return to H-BC.

"When I graduated in 1979 I had no thoughts of ever being back," said Deragisch. "It's an awesome school with a lot of teamwork and cooperation. ItÕs the kind of school I want to work at."

Deragisch quickly dove into business at hand by informing the School Board he had adjusted the class lengths to 48 minutes per period and he had worked up a schedule for all classes to meet if school started late because of bad weather.

The meeting continued with the election of School Board officers for the 2002-2003 school year. Al Harnack was elected chairperson; Gary Esselink, vice-chair; Ann Boeve, clerk; and Lloyd DeBoer, treasurer.

Committee assignments were:
Gary Esselink, Alan Harnack and Ann Boeve for the Personnel, Negotiations, and Budget Committee;
Lloyd DeBoer, Ann Boeve, Matt Larson for the Building and Grounds Committee;
Gary Esselink, Tim Baker and Lois Leuthold for the Transportation Committee;
Alan Harnack and Tim Baker for the Minnesota State High School League;
Lois Leuthold, Gary Esselink and Matt Larson for the Policy Committee;
Ann Boeve, Lois Leuthold and Alan Harnack for the Curriculum Committee;
Lloyd DeBoer and Matt Larson for the Safety Committee;
Ann Boeve for the Grad Standards, Staff Development and Continuing Education Committee;
Lois Leuthold for the Community Club;
Tim Baker for the Gifted and Talented Committee; Gary Esselink for the Legislation Committee;
Ann Boeve and Matt Larson for the Teachers, Administration and Board Committee;
Lloyd DeBoer for the Drug Education Committee; and
Lois Leuthold for the Community Education and ECFE Committee.

In other board business:
Deragisch advised the board he approached Cunningham Communications, Pipestone, for a bid on a communication system (PA, telephone, computer and TV) for the high school.

"For health and safety reasons we need an intercom in our school," said Deragisch.

"If we had an emergency it would be nice to be able to contact all the rooms at one time," said Chairman Alan Harnack.

The district could be reimbursed for the cost of the system by e-rate but would likely not receive the reimbursement until the 2003-04 school year.

The board discussed a wiring problem in the elementary computer lab. For more than a year, some outlets haven't worked at all and some outlets have worked sporadically.

Students and teachers shied away from using computers plugged into the outlets because they didn't want to be in the middle of a project and lose their work if the terminal shut down.

The ParentLink phone system also has been working only sporadically for more than a year. ParentLink allows parents to call in for automated information concerning student absences, homework assignments or to leave a message with teachers.

The board questioned if the electronic difficulties at the elementary school could be attributed to lightning strikes on the building. Superintendent Deragisch will continue to investigate the matter.

Newly-elected chairman Harnack advised new board members Larson and Baker to "call ahead of time (about concerns, questions or issues) so we don't have any surprises at the School Board meetings."

oDeragisch stressed the importance of the districtÕs participation in the Rock County Collaborative.

"There is money out there that could be tapped into that we've been missing out on," he said.

Deragisch said he would continue to meet with the Collaborative to utilize any funds available.

"I will take any help, programs and options for our elementary students," said Deragisch. "I am willing to put the time in ..."

The board congratulated Gregg Ebert and his students on the stained glass bench project which raised $1,500 for area fire departments. The bench will eventually be displayed at the Tuff Village, according to Deragisch.

Deragisch recommended bleacher railings be installed on the end of the bleachers at H-BC High School. The railings would bring the bleachers up to current state code.

"We need something we can put in place to keep the students and people from falling off the ends of the bleachers," said Deragisch.

The board voted to accept a $2,998 bid from Cor-Tech, Luverne, to complete the work.