LSS meals at Generations
Monday, Feb. 28: Chef choice entrée, vegetable, fruit, bread, dessert.
Activities: A.C.E. of SW MN-Rock Co.: 8:30 a.m. Quilters. 10 a.m. SAIL class.
Tuesday, March 1: Ham with raisin sauce, au gratin potatoes, green beans, dinner roll, dessert.
Activities: 12:30 p.m. Pinochle; Dominos.
Wednesday, March 2: Roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, California Normandy, bread, dessert.
Activities: A.C.E. of SW MN-Rock Co.: 10 a.m. SAIL class.
Thursday, March 3: Sausage egg bake, broccoli, cinnamon applesauce, homemade muffin/coffee cake.
Friday, March 4: Beef stroganoff with egg noodles, mixed vegetables, mandarin oranges, dessert.
Half-Price sponsored by American Reformed Church.
Activities: A.C.E. of SW MN-Rock Co.: 10 a.m. SAIL class.
LSS Dining offers well-balanced and affordable meals in a community atmosphere.
Call Lynette Hoiland at 283-9846 to arrange to pick up a dinner or for home-delivered meals.
Gift certificates are available at the meal site or online at www.lssmn.org/nutrition.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Feb. 21, 1902.
Breeders Association
Officers Elected and By-Laws Adopted—Next Meeting March 15
The meeting of the Breeders’ association was held at the court room last week, when constitution and by-laws were adopted and an executive committee elected.
J. B. Dunn was elected vice president and N. R. Reynolds recorder. Members of the executive board were elected as follows: Kanaranzi township, Wm. Martin; Clinton township, James Fitzgerald; Martin township, J. R. Wright; Beaver Creek township, A. B. Price; Luverne township, R. E Moreland; Magnolia township, I. Krimball; Vienna township, Kittel Olson; Mound township; Ira Sanders; Springwater township, W. P. Noble; Rose Dell township, Alexander Mitchell; Denver township, E. T. Thorson; Battle Plain township, not represented and member from there will be elected at the next meeting.
The following section of the by-laws was regarded with more interest than any other provisions:
Section 5—It shall be the duty of the recorder to provide himself with a suitable book in which to record horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry which is eligible to or has been registered in the various standard or national registers of this kind. The parties offering such stock for record must furnish such proof of purity as that required by the rules of the various associations and to the satisfaction of the recorder; also to pay for each entry a recording fee of 25 cents for horses and cattle and 10 cents each for sheep, hogs or poultry, above fee to include transfers by sale.
The association had more than fifty members at the time of the meeting last week. The next meeting will be held Saturday, March 15.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

10 years ago (2012)
•A Steen woman and her husband in Kuwait met for a romantic Valentine’s Day lunch Tuesday at the Coffey Haus in Luverne. …
Using Skype software, she had a real-time conversation with her husband, Matthew Hite, who is stationed in Kuwait with the National Guard.
It was 9 p.m. in his part of the world, but they chatted happily about small details of their daily lives. For example, did he receive a package she had sent and was Valentine’s Day observed at the mess hall?
Toward the end of their Skype conversation, Matthew arranged to have flowers delivered to Miranda’s table at the Coffey Haus.
 
25 years ago (1997)
•With melting snow running and dripping everywhere, Luverne residents were surprised Tuesday night to hear warnings to conserve water. The culprit was a break in a 10-inch city water main under I-90. It was discovered early Tuesday afternoon.
City Administrator Matt Hylen said, “We were pumping over 3,000 gallons of water per minute, and levels were dropping at the tower. It was a major break.”
Though they don’t know what caused the break, city workers quickly determined the general location. Water from the leak ran down the center median of the highway to the Rock River. Crews shut off the water with valves located on both sides of the highway.
Hylen said the 10-inch main running north to south under the two lanes of the interstate is enclosed in a concrete casing. Working through the night, city crews with help from Henning Construction extracted the pipe from the casing, made repairs, put it back in place and restored service around 1 p.m. Wednesday.
 
50 years ago (1972)
•Four Luverne High School seniors, Pat Pelstring, Glenn Overgaard, Dennis Olson and Steve Loger, will be competing in the 1972 State Debate Tournament this Friday and Saturday at Hopkins.
A total of 27 teams from the state’s eight regions will be competing for the state championship. Also representing Region II along with Luverne will be the Worthington Debate Team.
 
75 years ago (1947)
•Monday, February 24, is “John Deere Day” in Luverne. The event, which is being sponsored by Sellen and Company, is one that all farmers and their families will want to attend.
There’ll be a free lunch at noon at the implement building, and following immediately at 1 o’clock will be a free movie, “The Windjammer,” featuring Bob Burns. Tickets for the movie may be obtained free of charge by calling at the Sellen Implement Company. Four other interesting features will also be shown, according to Felix Sellen.
 
100 years ago (1922)
•Three carloads of Rock county corn are on their way to the starving people of Russia as a result of the campaign conducted in the Volga district. The campaign closed yesterday when the last car was shipped from Kenneth. Previously one carload was shipped from Hills and one from Beaver Creek.
While the donation of three carloads of corn is a fine testimonial to the generosity of the people of Rock county, fully twice this amount could have been secured through a more energetic campaign. Evidence of this is found in the fact that in the sections where the district chairmen got out and hustled the response was most generous, while from other sections only scattering donations were received. Hills and Martin township, for instance, donated a carload of corn alone, and the Beaver Creek district and the Vienna district each contributed approximately half a carload. From all other sections of the county the contributions by township units were comparatively light. J. N. Jacobson had charge of the Hills and Martin district, O. I. Godfrey of the Beaver Creek district, and Wm. Perkins of the Vienna district, and each of these men labored earnestly for the cause.

Kruse named to St. Mary’s dean’s list
Kasyn Kruse was named to the Fall 2021 semester dean’s list at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona. To be eligible, students must earn at least a 3.6 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Kasyn is the son of Jason and Karla Kruse of Luverne.
 
Students named to Winona State University’s dean’s list
Jessica Anderson, Luverne, Nicole Hoogland, Luverne, and Julia Ferguson, Steen, were all named to the Fall 2021 semester dean’s list at Winona State University. To be eligible, students must earn at least a 3.5 GPA with a minimum of 12 graded credits.
 
 
Jarchow makes dean’s list at Drake
Ben Jarchow, Luverne, was named to the Fall 2021 dean’s list at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. To qualify, students must earn a minimum of a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
 
Wendland named to dean’s list at Luther
Courtney Wendland, Luverne, has been named to the Fall 2021 dean’s list at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. To be named, students must earn a GPA of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale with at least 12 graded credits.

Gary Akkerman, 73, Luverne, died Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, at Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage in Luverne.
Visitation will be Wednesday, Feb. 23 from 4-8 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. Funeral service will be Thursday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. at the church with burial at Maplewood Cemetery following the service.
Gary Allen Akkerman was born on September 3, 1948, to Clarence and Etta (Huisken) Akkerman in Worthington. Gary grew up on a farm near Lismore. He attended Adrian High School in Adrian. In his youth he enjoyed playing football, working on cars and helping on the farm. On June 3, 1967, Gary was united in marriage to Shirley Gehrke at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jasper. The couple made their home in Luverne where they raised their two sons, Lenny and Jesse. Gary worked at Hanson Silo and later at IBP. He then started driving truck for Sathers and from there drove for American Freight, D & J Transfer, Degroot Trucking and other small trucking companies. In 1998, he became employed by Dedicated Logistics, Inc. and would remain with them until his retirement in April of 2021.
Gary was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. His hobbies included guns, dirt track racing, hunting, shooting trap, reloading and working on cars. He loved his jeeps. He enjoyed farming and driving for Ahrendt Farms and Knutson Farms. Gary will be remembered for being such a hard worker, always willing to help others, and a man that was dedicated to the love of his life, Shirley, and their family. If you knew Gary, you likely heard the following sayings more than once - “it’s junk”, “cut it up” and “wonderful”.
Gary is lovingly remembered by his wife, Shirley Akkerman of Luverne; two sons, Lenny (Angie) Akkerman of St. Michael, and Jesse (Candyce) Akkerman of Luverne; grandchildren, Nick (Aspen) Akkerman of Rogers, Makayla (special friend, Caleb Hultman) Akkerman of St. Michael, Brielle Watters, Masyn Akkerman, and Kane Akkerman of Luverne; sister-in-law, Sandy (Jim) Loose; and many other family and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Etta Akkerman; his beloved dog, Abbie; parents-in-law, Harvey and Cora Gehrke; sister-in-law, Kari Hamann; brother-in-law, Gar Gehrke; and nephew, Joshua Frey.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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Donald Dean Erstad, 93, Alexandria, died Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, at his home on Lake Ida.
A memorial service was Saturday, Feb. 19, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Alexandria with a military salute following the service.
Donald Erstad was born on December 11, 1928, in Garretson, South Dakota, to Elmer and Alma (Steen) Erstad, who predeceased him. He grew up with his mother and sister, Carol Amdahl, as his father was killed in an automobile accident when he was 10 years old.
Don graduated from Jasper High School in 1946 and enlisted in the Army at age 17, with his mother’s signature. He served in the Army of Occupation in Japan and was honorably discharged.
He applied the G.I. Bill to attend South Dakota State University for one year. He then attended the Minnesota School of Business in Minneapolis where he graduated in May 1951.
After graduation, Don sold vacuum cleaners door to door.
Don married his sweetheart Yvonne Remme on October 28, 1951. Don and Yvonne raised their three children in Davenport, Iowa.
Don took a position with International Milling selling Robin Hood Flour. He transferred his family to Davenport where he literally became the face of Robin Hood Flour, donning green tights, bow and arrow, and a pointed hat with a red plume, for public appearances.
Don was a driven professional with an unmatched work ethic. He took a new position with International Playtex in 1966 and was an unprecedented National Sales Rep of the Year, three times. Playtex honored Don’s retirement in 1993 after 27 years of dedicated service with an induction into the Playtex Hall of Fame.
Don and Yvonne retired in 1994 to their lake home in Alexandria. He volunteered numerous hours to help protect and preserve the beauty of Lake Ida and attended community meetings for Ida Township.
In October of this last year, Don and Yvonne celebrated 70 years of marriage.
Don enjoyed hunting and fishing and celebrating “Fun in the Sun Days” at the lake.
Don was the ultimate sports fan. He could remember games, meets, stats and times for his children from 50 years ago! He was an unwavering Gopher enthusiast. But his greatest joy was watching and supporting his grandkids and their activities. There was no one more proud than Grandpa Don.
Don is survived by his wife, Yvonne of 70 years; his three children, Denise (Bob) Falls, David (Susan) Erstad, and Diane (Todd) Achterkirch. His pride and joy were his grandchildren, Jennifer (Brandon) Hyland, Tyler (Hayley) Erstad, Lindsay Erstad, Emily Achterkirch, and Alana Achterkirch.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister.
Memorials are preferred to Knute Nelson Hospice or American Cancer Society.
Arrangements were provided by the Anderson Funeral Home. www.andersonfuneral.net
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Donald (Mark) Odland, Jr., 71, of Carlos, Minnesota, passed away on February 18, 2022.
Visitation will be 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. Visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28 at Calvary Lutheran Church with a memorial service at 11 a.m.
Mark was born on October 26, 1950, to Donald and Mary Odland in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in Luverne, Minnesota, where he was an outstanding four sport athlete. After graduating from Luverne High School in 1968, he went on to attend Augustana College where he played basketball and, like his father before him, studied pre-med.  After college, he enlisted in the National Guard. Mark went on to graduate from medical school at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara and completed his internship and residency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 
In 1974, Mark met Patricia Johnston. They wed in 1975.  After Mark completed his medical training, he and Pat moved to Alexandria where they fulfilled their dream of building a home on Lake Carlos. Mark joined the Alexandria Clinic where he practiced family medicine and served as an on-call physician at Douglas County Hospital for 15 years. He helped generations of countless families and delivered hundreds of babies. In 2000, he transitioned to full-time emergency medicine at the hospital where he served for the remaining 20 years of his career. Mark retired in 2020. 
Mark’s expertise and calm, caring demeanor was felt by the staff and patients alike. One of his co-workers recounted that when Mark entered the exam room, we had confidence that “everything was going to be okay.” The ER staff viewed him as a mentor, a friend, and a father figure. EMTs expressed feeling reassured when Mark was working. A colleague and friend shared, “Everyone here likes Mark. No, they love him”. His patients remember him as a caring physician who made time for them and really listened to their concerns. Through the years, he answered phone calls from concerned patients at any hour. Mark made many house calls for friends and neighbors and showed genuine compassion for those he served.
He loved the outdoors and had a passion for hunting pheasants and waterfowl, especially with his sons and brothers. Mark was an avid fisherman, eagerly anticipating his annual trips to Canada for over fifty years. He enjoyed countless hours of activities on Lake Carlos with his family. Mark found serenity being surrounded by nature. He once shared with Pat his love for solitary moments watching the sun rise at the farm.
Despite his quiet manner, Mark enjoyed playing practical jokes on his family, friends, and co-workers. He was an enthusiastic fan at his sons’ sporting events and other school activities, and in recent years, “Papa Mark” cherished his ten active grandchildren. He loved spending time with them and felt pride and joy as he watched them grow.
Mark was preceded in death by his father, Donald Mark Odland, Sr., and his mother, Mary. Mark is survived by his wife Pat, their three sons; Mark, (Rachel), Matthew (Kristin), and Anthony (Ashley), and his ten grandchildren; Brooke, Oliver, Charlotte, Jack, Magdalena, Isabelle, Evangeline, Henry, Barron, and Thea. He is also survived by his siblings; David (Sharon), Paul, Steven, and Debra, and his nieces and nephews.
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Bryan J. Fransen, age 66, of rural Luverne, died Thursday, February 17, 2022, at the Sanford Luverne Hospital as a result of a heart attack.
Visitation will be Monday, February 21, from 9:00 – 10:45 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11:00 a.m., all at the American Reformed Church in Luverne. Burial will follow at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. To sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Bryan Jay Fransen was born on April 20, 1955, to John and Velma (Cook) Fransen, Jr., in Pipestone, Minnesota. He grew up on the family farm in Edgerton as “the favorite” spoiled sibling. He milked cows every morning before school and participated in band, basketball and cross county. He also served on school patrol and attended Legionville camp. He was a great big brother and spent time chauffeuring his younger brother before he could drive. Bryan graduated from Edgerton Public School in 1973. He then attended Canby Vocational and Technical School where he studied Ag Business. He returned home to Edgerton and worked at Simplot in Hatfield, Minnesota. When he was living at home, his mom would wake up at midnight when he came home from work to fix him a meal – adding to his “favorite” status. On March 14, 1981, he married Darla Erickson at Bethany Lutheran Church in Luverne, Minnesota. The couple lived in Edgerton and then moved to an acreage outside of Luverne in 1987. They were later divorced. Bryan continued to reside on the acreage. He worked with Simplot for over twenty years before taking jobs with various other seed companies. He married Peggy Johnson on November 27, 2010 at the American Reformed Church in Luverne. The newlyweds made their home out on the acreage. Bryan retired from seed sales in 2018. He then began driving for community transit and enjoyed meeting new people and learning their stories. On Thursday, February 17, 2022, Bryan had a heart attack while at his home and was taken to the Sanford Luverne Hospital where he died at the age of 66 years, 9 months and 27 days.
Bryan was an active member of the American Reformed Church where he served as a Deacon and Elder. During most of the summer, you could find Bryan outside in his garden. He loved the process of planting, tending the garden and sharing his produce with family and friends. He liked to travel, go camping, do wine tastings and read. In the last several years, he began doing genealogy research and traced his family tree back through six generations. He also recently started studying the Spanish language. Above all else, Bryan was a devoted family man from the time he was a son and big brother to being a husband, father, grandfather, step-father and step-grandfather. He cherished time spent with all of his kids and grandkids.
Bryan is lovingly remembered by his wife Peggy Fransen of Luverne; children, Darren (Melissa) Fransen of Marshall, MN, Brent (Heather) Fransen of Winona, MN, Tyler (Peggy) Johnson of Luverne, Travis (Stephanie) Johnson of Sioux Falls, SD and Meghan Johnson of Sauk Centre, MN; siblings, Gene (Kaye) Fransen of Owatonna, MN, Karen (Bob) VanEssen of Edgerton, and Dean (Ardeth) Fransen of Edgerton; 14 grandchildren, Caiden, Cora, Addison, Asher, Eli, Isaac, Brendan, Shawn, Rayna, Clara, Connor, Camryn, Maci and Remy; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
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Glenn Allen Overgaard, 67, Ellsworth, formerly of rural Luverne, died Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at the Parkview Manor in Ellsworth.
A memorial service was Tuesday, Feb. 22 at the Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne with burial at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne following the service.
Glenn Allen Overgaard was born on June 29, 1954, to Gordon and Alice “Mabel” (Tofteland) Overgaard in Luverne. He grew up on the family farm near Kanaranzi and attended country school through the sixth grade. He then rode the bus into Luverne to finish school. During his younger years, Glenn participated in FFA, raised and showed Suffolk sheep, and was a member of the debate team. While in high school, he took on the nickname, “Too Tall”. Glenn graduated from Luverne High School in 1972. He then attended Kansas State University for Ag Education until he was forced to drop out due to illness. While at college he was given the nickname, “Tree”. It was also during college that he met Dawn Hedges. The couple was married on November 15, 1975, at Scott City, Kansas. The couple later divorced. Glenn was employed various places during his working life, including for Luverne Oil Company and IBP in Luverne. He worked road construction, which included work on I-90 by Luverne and throughout North Dakota. He also lived and worked in Arizona for a year in food wholesale. In his early 40s, Glenn was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He remained actively working until he was forced to retire due to health. In June 2016, he became a resident at the Parkview Manor in Ellsworth.
Glenn was a member of Grace Lutheran Church where he was baptized and confirmed. He enjoyed racing cars, particularly in the enduro races, collecting coins, hunting, riding motorcycle cross-country, bowling and playing softball. Later in life, he took to vegetable gardening and was helpful in the Luverne Farmer’s Market. He volunteered frequently at the Eagle’s Club. Glenn struggled with alcohol and gambling during his life. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous, where he was able to share his personal story and help others with their battles with addiction. He could be a bit stubborn at time, but Glenn will be remembered for always being good hearted, telling jokes and having a fun time.
Glenn is survived by his two daughters, April Kempen of Morrison, Colorado, and her sister; three grandchildren, Aiden Kempen, Ethan Kempen, and Colin Leuthold; mother, Mabel Overgaard of Luverne; four siblings, Gary Overgaard of Magnolia, Marcia (Darrel) Johnsrud of Corcoran, Mark (Amy) Overgaard of Luverne, Loren (Julie) Overgaard of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; numerous relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Gordon Overgaard; and sister-in-law, Emily Overgaard.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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