Clarence Fluit, 86, Luverne, died Thursday, April 14, 2022, at Lyon Specialty Care in Rock Rapids, Iowa.
A funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Rock Valley, Iowa. Burial will follow at Valley View Cemetery of Rock Valley. Visitation, with the family present, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 18, at Porter Funeral Home of Rock Valley.
Clarence Fluit, son of Henry and Anna (Wolf) Fluit, was born Jan. 24, 1936, at Rock Rapids, Iowa. He grew up on a farm by Lester, Iowa, and attended country school through the eighth grade. During his youth, Clarence enjoyed fishing and hunting with his brothers. He served in the South Dakota Air National Guard for six years.
On June 3, 1959, Clarence married Joyce Jansen. The couple lived near Lester for a short time before moving to a farm near Luverne in 1961, where they farmed and raised their three children.
Clarence was a lifetime member of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation where he served in the consistory. He also served as a school board member for the Netherlands Reformed Christian School as well as the FHA board. Clarence’s family and church life were very important to him.
Clarence is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joyce; three children, Kevin (Tina) Fluit of Rock Rapids, Cheryl (Keith) Van Der Brink of Alvord, Iowa, and Brent (Dorenda) Fluit of Luverne; 10 grandchildren, Kaylee Fluit, Katrina Fluit, Kenley Fluit, Brett (Joann) Van Der Brink, Alisha (Tony) James, Devon (Trina) Fluit, Shain (Emily) Fluit, Shania Fluit, Emily Fluit, and Jared Fluit; nine great-grandchildren; two sisters, Anna Marie Kaster and Joyce (Greg) Hetrick; and four siblings-in-law, Sylvia Fluit, Evelyn Fluit, Donald (Lavonne) Jansen, and Lila Jansen.
Preceding Clarence in death were his parents, Henry and Anna Fluit; infant granddaughter Nicole Fluit; four brothers, Tuenis (Elizabeth) Fluit, Wilmer Fluit Sr., John Fluit, and Henry (Deanne) Fluit; parents-in-law, Gilbert and Bertha Jansen; and two brothers-in-law, Ladell Kaster and Ronald Jansen.
Arrangements are provided by Porter Funeral Homes of Rock Valley, www.porterfuneralhomes.com.
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Henry “Wayne” Baker, 86, Luverne, died Monday, April 11, 2022, at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage surrounded by his family.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. A funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, at the American Reformed Church in Luverne. Burial will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery near Luverne.
Henry “Wayne” Baker was born May 15, 1935, to Joe and Edna (Vander Haar) Baker on the family farm in Rock County. He was baptized into the faith at the Steen Reformed Church in Steen. He grew up on the family farm by Luverne and attended Country School District #4. He attended one year of high school at Luverne High School before leaving school to work on the farm after his father suffered a farming accident.
Wayne enlisted in the National Guard and served with the Luverne unit for the next nine years. He was honorably discharged in 1962.
In addition to farming the land, Wayne and his father were partners in raising turkeys and laying hens for several years.
On April 24, 1959, Wayne married Margie Miersma at the Valley Springs Reformed Church in Valley Springs, South Dakota. The couple first settled on a farm near Luverne and then moved to Leota in 1973. Wayne farmed and worked at Tinklenberg Lumber and also did some truck driving for several individuals in the area.
After retiring in 2005, Wayne and Margie moved back to Luverne.
Wayne was a charter member of the American Reformed Church in Luverne and was a member of the Bethel Reformed Church in Leota while the family lived there. Wayne served as a deacon and elder at both churches. He attended men’s Bible study and belonged to a local Bible study group of couples. Wayne volunteered at Justice for All and was a school greeter at Luverne Public Schools. He really enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s sporting and school activities, and he loved taking drives through the countryside to look at the crops.
Wayne is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margie Baker of Luverne; son Brent Baker of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; daughter Beth (Kenneth) Allerton of Luverne; three grandchildren, Markus (Kora), Kelly, and Brandon Staeffler; nine great-grandchildren; two sisters, Nelva Baker of Orange City, Iowa, and Lorraine (Sid) Jiskoot of Sioux Center, Iowa; sisters and brothers-in-law Morla Baker of St. Louis Park, Janice Vink of Luverne, Shirley (Wally) Kienast of Rapid City, South Dakota, and Dennis (Judy) Miersma of Valley Springs, South Dakota; and other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law Paul and Jennie Miersma; brother Donald Baker; and a brother-in-law, James Vink.
Arrangements are provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
(0421 F)

Curtis H. Smook, age 72, of Magnolia, Minnesota, went to his home in heaven on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, while at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage in Luverne, Minnesota.
Visitation will be Friday, April 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Funeral service will be Saturday, April 16, at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Luverne. Burial will be held at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne at a later date. To view Curt’s life tribute video livestream of service, or sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com
Curtis “Curt” Harold Smook was born June 4, 1949, to Harold and Marjorie (Donth) Smook at the (Old Wooden) Luverne Community Hospital in Luverne. Curt was raised in Magnolia and attended school there. He helped his grandfather with shelling corn, scooping corn, and baling hay. He played youth sports, mainly football and basketball. He absolutely loved working on cars with his buddies and driving them hard. Curt volunteered for the SeaBees, a branch of the U.S. Navy, from 1968-1971. He served in Vietnam from January 1969 to September 1969.
Curt met his future wife one October at a Halloween party. On March 26, 1971, Curt was united in marriage to Mary Jane Hogenson at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, Minnesota. The couple began their married life in a rented apartment in Luverne. Curt worked at the Mobile Truckstop on Cliff Avenue on the north side of I-90 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He then worked on the farm for Gene Cragoe and then worked for Hansen Silo for a season.
In the fall of 1971, Curt began trucking over-the-road hauling grain. At this time, the couple moved to Dilworth, Minnesota. In 1974 they returned to Luverne, and Curt worked for Midwest Coast Transport trucking out of Sioux Falls. In November they moved to a house in Magnolia where they made their permanent home. In 1977 Curt stopped drinking and continued his sobriety for the remainder of his life. In 1984 Curt bought his own truck and leased it to Midwest Coast for six years. Then he started hauling to the West Coast for American Midwest out of Willmar, Minnesota, and Midwest Transport out of New Ulm, Minnesota. The last six years before his retirement, he worked for B & G Transport out of Madison, South Dakota, taking routes to Kalamazoo, Michigan.
He officially retired in July of 2014 but continued working part time to keep himself busy and to help various people including CHS Elevator in Magnolia, Steve Bendts Trucking and Don Arends Trucking.
Curt was a member of the United Methodist Church in Magnolia. He enjoyed camping and going on cruises. He enjoyed a hobby of collecting model railroad trains. His love for travel often included stops at train museums and other places that had particular history in regard to trains.
He was the proud owner of a 1965 Cushman Super Silver Eagle Scooter. He belonged to the state and national Cushman clubs. In 2017 he entered it in the local parade.
Curt loved his wife, Mary, very much and he affectionately called her “his little sweetie,” which she loved (she was only 5’1”). Often he would mention to others a joke he saw on Facebook, “Short girls are like cuddly little teddy bears until you make them mad. Then they become rabid chipmunks.”
Curt is survived by his wife, Mary; children Jane (Randy) Baker of Steen, Minnesota, Matthew (Ann) Smook of Luverne, and Kay (Craig) Wynia of Rock Rapids, Iowa; grandchildren Emma, Cole, and Kelsey Baker, Jacob Munger and Marissa (Derek) Tuttle, and Braden (fiancée Brianna Van Veldhuizen), Mason and Melanie Wynia; siblings Randy (Vicki) Smook of Luverne, Kevin Smook of Magnolia, and Jenalee (Allen) Klein of Ft. Myers, Florida; sister-in-law Arlene Smook; and numerous relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Marjorie Smook; brothers Myron and Dennis Smook; and grandparents Ed and Jenny Donth and Henry and Tillie Smook.
 (0421 V)

Luverne’s population grew more in some parts of town than others, according to 2020 Census block data, affecting the city’s ward and precinct boundaries for voting purposes.
By statute, cities with wards must redistrict ward boundaries to ensure compliance with ward population equality and other legal requirements after completion of the decennial Census.
The 2020 Census shows a 14 percent difference between the city’s North and South Ward over the past 10 years since the 2010 Census.
Per Luverne’s city charter and state law, wards must be as equal in population as possible, so the ward boundary was moved to the north one block from Highway 75 and Brown Street to Highway 75 and Crawford.
In March Luverne City Council members adopted an ordinance to redistrict city election wards, bringing the North Ward population to 2,472 and the South Ward population to 2,474.
Because precincts are compact and contiguous with wards, the ordinance also changes precinct boundaries, which were realigned to accommodate population changes.
Adding a block to the northwest precinct and adding two blocks to the southwest precinct brings the northeast precinct to a population of 1,763, the northwest precinct to a population of 709, the southeast precinct to a population of 1,721, and the southwest precinct to a population of 753.

Commissioners approved the redistricting map for the county’s five districts at their regular meeting Tuesday.
As a result, each commissioner will be up for re-election.
Redistricting is based on the 2020 census that put Rock County’s population at 9,704 people. Because the city of Luverne changed precinct boundaries due to the population shifts, the county also had to shift commissioner district boundaries.
Commissioners received their first look at the new district maps at their April 5 meeting.
“Each commissioner’s district, in a perfect world, would represent 20 percent or 1,941,” said County Administrator Kyle Oldre. “We do have a range of 10 percent around that number, with a high of 2,134 people to a low of 1,746 is what you can represent.”
The largest shift occurs in Kanaranzi Township, which now becomes a part of District 1 to meet the required population range.
Slight changes occur within District 5, which loses residents on Cashin Drive to District 3.
“They didn’t drastically change,” Oldre said.
If approved, the new district lines would be in effect for this fall’s election.
Population by district will then be:
•District 1, 1,884.
•District 2, 1,999.
•District 3, 2,098.
•District 4, 1,763.
•District 5, 1,960.
Each district will elect a commissioner to either a two- or four-year term.
Up for re-election to four-year terms are Stan Williamson (District 2) and Sherri Thompson (District 4.)
Up for election to two-year terms are Gary Overgaard (District 1), Greg Burger (District 3) and Jody Reisch (District 5.)
Copies of the proposed county redistricting map are available on the county’s website, www.co.rock.mn.us

The Luverne Area Chamber hosted the 2022 Easter Egg Hunt indoors in the Luverne Elementary School commons where 2,000 candy-filled eggs were disbursed to hundreds of children and their families. The event was originally planned for the courthouse lawn, but winter-like temperatures prompted the change of venue. Because the eggs could not be “hidden” for a hunt, children gathered them by ages and colors. At the end, they were allowed to pick up all remaining eggs before greeting the Easter Bunny.

Chilly temperatures didn’t stop the 40 children who participated in the Blue Ribbon 4-H Club’s Easter egg hunt Saturday morning at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. The 4-H’ers hid 300 plastic eggs filled with candy in the home’s courtyard, where Tuff residents were able to watch the festivities from windows. A special treat for participants was a picture with the Easter bunny along with up-close views of some chicks and ducklings.

The Patriots track team traveled to Luverne Tuesday, April 12, to compete in the Luverne Cardinal Relays. The meet was cut short after the girls’ 400-meter race due to weather. 
Eleven teams from across Section 3 competed that day, but due to the meet being cut short, the final team results were incomplete.
In girls’ competition, seventh-grader Brynn Bakken turned in a first-place performance in the 100 meter with a time of 12.93.
She was also on the first-place 4-by-100-meter relay team with Brynn Rauk, Olivia Deelstra and Abbie Harris with a time of 53.90. 
The same group of girls teamed up in the 4-by-200-meter relay for third place in 1:57.25.
Harris, an eighth-grader, placed fourth in the 400-meter-race (1:07.28) in the rain just before the meet was called off.
The 4-by-800-meter relay team (Kenadie Fick, Taylor Durst, Bailey Spykerboer, Emma Deelstra) turned in a fourth-place finish with a time of 11:36.25
Sophomore Larissa Steinhoff placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 81-6 and senior Kenadie Fick also placed sixth in the open 400 at 108.88.
On the boys’ side, the 4-by-20-meter relay team of Liam Raymon, Luke Fuerstenberg, Eli Taubert and Cooper Gehrke finished in third place with a time of 1:38.29.
The 4-by-100-meter relay team of Brock Harnack, Fuerstenberg, Gehrke and Raymon also came in third with a time of 48.08.
Raymon was third in triple jump with a jump of 40-1.
Other results from the Cardinal Relays are as follows:
 
Girls
100 12. Brynn Rauk 14.11 26. Larissa Steinhoff 14.60
400 13. Taylor Durst 1:12.55
Discus 13. Ally Birger 75-8  7. Izzy Wysong 69-0 315. Tyrae Goodface 54-9
High Jump 7. Larissa Steinhoff 4-4
Long Jump 10. Abbie Harris 13-11 1/4 11. Brynn Rauk 13-8 3/4 31. Olivia Deelstra 11-0 1/2
Triple Jump 7. Brynn Bakken 29-11 1/4  11. Emma Deelstra 28-2 12. Bailey Spykerboer 28-0
Boys
100 7. Cooper Gehrke 11.96 14. Eli Taubert 12.25 15. Luke Fuerstenberg 12.32 26. Bode Kruger 12.97
4x100 7. Sawyer Bosch, Beau Bakken, Jackson Gacke,  Blake Leenderts  51.22
4x200 12. James VandenBosch, Bosch, Gacke, Leenderts 1:52.05
Shot Put 11. Brayden Metzger 36-2 12. Max Scholten 35’6 1/2 17. Beau Bakken 34-2 1/2 25. Alex Harris 29-11
Discus 7. Max Scholten 105-5 12. Brayden Metzger 84-0 15. Riley Tatge 77-0 19. Cameron Allen 52-6
High Jump 10. Eli Taubert 5-4 11. Cooper Gehrke 5-0 14. Jackson Gacke 4-8
Long Jump 21. Beau Bakken 15-8 26. Cameron Allen 14-8 28. James VandenBosch 14-5 1/2
Triple Jump 11. Sawyer Bosch 36-0 3/4 14. Brock Harnack 34-5 1/2

It took 13 innings and over three hours to determine a winner when the Windom Eagles baseball team came to Redbird Field on Tuesday, April 12, to take on the Luverne Cardinals. 
The two longtime conference foes were tied 2-2 after the seven scheduled innings were complete and would play almost a second seven-inning contest before Windom scored five runs in the top of the 13th inning to take the lead. 
When Luverne was unable to score in the bottom of the 13th frame, Windom earned the 7-2 victory in its first game of the season.
The Cardinals fell to 0-2 on the young season. 
Windom scored first in the game after the Eagles’ Josh Garrison walked, stole second base and then scored when Wyatt Haugen bunted and reached base on a Luverne error in the top of the second inning. 
Luverne tied the game in the bottom of the third stanza when Jacob Stroh scored his team’s first run of the season. 
Stroh reached second base on a fielder’s choice and then stole third base. He scored when Braydon Ripka grounded to second base. 
Each team scored a single run in the fourth inning to reach the 2-2 score that would last for nine innings. 
Conner Connell scored for the Cardinals when Kaden Anderson hit a line drive RBI single. 
Each team had only four batters go to the plate during each of the eighth, ninth and tenth innings and no runs were scored. 
In the top of the 12th inning, Windom loaded the bases, but the Eagles were unable to score a run when the third out was made at home plate to end the inning. 
Luverne’s Zach DeBoer hit a double in the bottom of the 12th inning, but the Cardinals were unable to advance DeBoer, and the inning ended with the game still tied at two. 
The Eagles finally opened up the game in the top of the 13th stanza. 
After the first Windom batter grounded out, the next six batters reached base. After five of those Eagles scored runs, Luverne made a double play to end the half inning with a 7-2 Windom lead. 
In the bottom of the inning, Casey Sehr hit a fly out to center field, Connell struck out and Connor Overgaard hit a single before Anderson struck out to earn the third out and end the inning and game. 
Anderson was the starting pitcher for Luverne. He spent five innings on the mound and gave up no hits, two runs, three walks and struck out eight Windom hitters. 
Sehr replaced Anderson on the mound at the start of the sixth inning. Sehr pitched six innings offering three hits, no runs, two walks and he struck out two batters. 
When Sehr reached the pitch count limit, sophomore Stroh replaced him at the start of the 12th inning. Stroh pitched the final two innings, giving up five hits and five runs while striking out two Eagles. 
“I’ve been really happy with our pitchers during the first two games. They threw strikes and put us in a position to win both games,” said Phil Paquette, LHS head coach. 
Anderson and DeBoer led the offense for LHS with two hits each. Connell and Stroh scored on a run each, while Ripka and Anderson each had one RBI. 
“We were solid defensively with a few areas for improvement,” Paquette said. 
Luverne was scheduled to host a doubleheader with Redwood Valley on Tuesday, April 19, after this edition of the Star Herald went to press. 
The Cardinals are scheduled to play in Pipestone today (April 21), and then travel to Blue Earth for a doubleheader on Saturday, to Windom for a single contest on Monday and to Adrian for a single game on Tuesday during a very busy stretch. 
“We need to have more productive at bats and find ways to produce runs in order to win baseball games,” coach Paquette said.
“We’ll have plenty of opportunity to do that this week with five games on the schedule.” 
 
Windom 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5  7
Luverne 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  2
 
                   AB  R  H  BI
Ripka           3   0   1   1
Sneller         6   0   0   0
Sehr             6   0   1   0
Connell        5   1   0   0
Overgaard   5   0   1   0
Anderson    6   0   2   1
Serie            4   0   1   0
DeBoer        5   0   2   0
Stroh            4   1   0   0
Buss            1   0   0   0
Domagala    1   0   0   0