Audrey Jean Braun, 65, died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after a short battle with cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).
A celebration of life will be from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Dingmann Funeral Home in Worthington.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home of Worthington, dingmannandsons.com.  
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Shirley Jean Honken, 81, Hills, died Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in the Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
Shirley Honken was born June 21, 1940, to Fred Sr. and Gertrude (DeGroat) Honken in Luverne.
Shirley lived in Luverne, where she worked at the Pizza Ranch. She enjoyed painting and coloring.
Shirley is survived by her brother, Fred Honken Jr., Muscatine, Iowa; two nephews, Ken (Trella) Honken, Ft. Knox, Kentucky, and Dean (Melissa) Honken, Pipestone; and five great-nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home of Luverne, dingmannandsons.com.
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David Lee Barber, 81, Luverne, formerly of Milroy, died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Memorial visitations were Monday, Jan. 24, at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne and Tuesday, Jan. 25, at Hartquist Funeral Home in Tyler. Burial will be at a later date at Echo Cemetery in Echo.
David Barber was born on Nov. 24, 1940, to Robert and Mildred (Hughes) Barber on the family farm in Redwood County, Minnesota, where he was raised. He was baptized at Philip Brethren #4 where he belonged until age 25. He attended Milroy Public School for primary and high school. David farmed with his father for two years and then began his career in February 1963 with the Redwood County Minnesota Highway Department.
He married Mary (Bailey) in 1967. That same year he was confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. The couple lived in Milroy and were blessed with two sons. David and Mary divorced in 1996.
David retired from the Highway Department in 1996 and became the supervisor of West Line Maintenance Township for the next 10 years. He lived with Doug Christopherson in Milroy. He attended singles dances traveled with friends.
David met Elaine Bodey at a dance in White, South Dakota. They kept company as significant others for almost eight years. He relocated to Brookings, South Dakota, and became employed as the Parks Department playground maintenance man. He and Elaine purchased a home in Aurora, South Dakota. Elaine battled cancer and David cared for her until her death.
David met Ruth Skjeie in White, South Dakota, in the summer of 2005, and they were married on Oct. 17, 2007, in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Elvis Presley Graceland Chapel in the Woods. David moved to Luverne to join Ruth after their marriage. He commuted to Brookings for a few months. In the spring he joined Hills Stainless Steel in Luverne as the grounds maintenance supervisor until 2012.
Ruth retired from the Minnesota Veterans Home in November 2013. For the next five winters, the couple rented Park Models in RV parks in Texas, Arizona, and Florida. They enjoyed camping at their lake lot until 2015. From then on it was mainly small town life due to David’s health conditions. They enjoyed weekend road trips to visit their children and their families.
David was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. He served on the Milroy fire department for 28 years (treasurer for two years, chief for five years). He also served on the Milroy City Council and the Aurora, South Dakota, City Council, both for two terms each. He enjoyed playing softball and collected tractors, trucks and cars. He also enjoyed lawn-mower pulls, birdwatching, gardening and especially watering tomato plants.
David is survived by his wife, Ruth Barber, of Luverne; two sons, Allen (Nicole) Barber of Tyler, and Brian (Darla) Barber of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; three step-sons, Kenneth (Teresa) Skjeie, David Skjeie, and Rick (Shelly) Skjeie, all of Forest City; four grandchildren, Brian Barber, Kaitlyn Barber, Carissa Barber, and Caden Barber; and two great-grandchildren, Raelynn and Ridge Deery; eight step-grandchildren, Amanda (Matt) Adams, Caitlin (Curt) Dillavau, Drew Skjeie, Nicole (Brett) Osterman, Payton Skjeie, Audry Skjeie, Blake Skjeie and Carter Skjeie; seven step-great-grandchildren, Gaga Adams, Oliver Skjeie, Rhapsady Skjeie, Charles Dillavau, Gray Adams, Jake Dillavau and Holden Osterman; siblings Roger (Gwen) Barber of Marshall, Gordie (Twila) Barber of Redwood Falls, Dorothy (Bruce) Drevere of Maple Creek, SK, Canada; and other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Howard Barber.
Memorials are preferred to cancer research.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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Dr. Verland E. Johnson, 93, Luverne, died Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. A family graveside service was Saturday, Jan. 22, at North Eden Cemetery near Ihlen.
Verland Eldred Johnson was born on Sept. 7, 1928, to Alfred and Ella (Paulson) Johnson in Moody County, South Dakota. He attended rural school in Moody County and graduated from high school in Jasper in 1946. He then attended Saint Olaf College for three years, interrupted by a one-year stint teaching country school back in Moody County, and then continued his education and attended Dental School at the University of Minnesota, graduating in June of 1954.
On June 28, 1953, Verland married Doris Krapf at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jasper. Following Verland’s graduation from dental school, the couple left for Clark Field in the Philippines, where Verland was stationed with the 6208 USAF hospital dental services. They lived at Clark Field for two years.
In June 1956 the couple returned and made their home in Luverne, where Verland practiced dentistry until 1992. While living in Luverne, they were blessed with three children, Timothy, Paul and Sarah.
Doris was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1995 and died on Nov. 22, 2003. Verland continued living in their home until July 2020, when he became a resident at the Good Samaritan Society - Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
Verland was a longtime member, officer and president of the Southern District of the Minnesota Dental Association. He was elected to the Luverne School Board and served as president for over 10 years. He also served on the Luverne Community Hospital board, serving as board chairman. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow for Rotary International. He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne and served as superintendent of Sunday School, elder, council member and director of the annual children’s Christmas program.
He was also a ribbon-winning painter and walleye fisherman.
Verland is survived by two sons, Timothy (Mary) Johnson of Shakopee; and Paul (Brenda) Johnson of Luverne and their children Seth (Cali) Johnson (children Waylon and Weston), Elizabeth Johnson, and Ethan Johnson; his daughter, Sarah Johnson (Allison Kirschenmann) of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada; a sister-in-law, Marjorie Hey; and nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Doris; his parents; two brothers, Arlen and Norris (Shirley) Johnson; brother-in-law Dean Krapf (Ann); grandson Peter Johnson; and two nephews, Kerry Johnson and Michael Krapf.
Arrangements are provided by the Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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Estelle Rose Leuthold, 91, Hills, died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at Sanford Luverne Medical Center.
A funeral service was Monday, Jan. 24, at the Apostolic Christian Church in Lester, Iowa. Burial followed in the church cemetery.
Memorials are preferred to Game Plan 4 Hope (gameplan4hope.org.)
Estelle Moser was born March 16, 1930, to John and Rose (Kellenberger) Moser in rural Larchwood, Iowa. She was raised on a farm near Larchwood and attended Larchwood Township country school No. 2.
Estelle married Alvin Leuthold on April 6, 1948, at the Lyon County Courthouse. They first lived in Hills and then moved to a farm north of Beaver Creek. Later they started their homestead farm south of Hills where they lived and raised all of their eight children. Estelle worked on the farm nearly her whole life. On Oct. 30, 1993, Estelle’s husband, Alvin, died unexpectedly.
Estelle was a member of the Apostolic Christian Church in Lester. She enjoyed sewing and made many clothes for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She worked many hours in the garden and canned many foods. Her family was her legacy and meant the world to her. She especially enjoyed watching her family grow to the current number of 168 living Leutholds.
She is survived by eight children, Sandy (Ron) Feucht of Hills, Jerry (Sue) Leuthold of Victoria, Pam (Tony) Bosch of Brandon, South Dakota, Lois Leuthold, Alan (Lois) Leuthold, Dennis (Diane) Leuthold, Stuart (Rochelle) Leuthold and Melissa (Jeff) Bass, all of Hills; 29 grandchildren; 66 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild; three siblings, Franklin Moser of Larchwood, Iowa, Evelyn (Roy) Metzger of Bloomfield, Iowa, and Janet Wysong of Hills; and many other extended family members.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Alvin Leuthold; two grandchildren, Tammy Bosch and Matthew Feucht; a great-grandson, Kelvyn Leuthold; nine siblings, Milford John Moser (infant), Ione (John) DeHaan, Mariann (Elmer) Metzger, Johnnie Moser, Harry Moser, Leo (Leona) Moser, Donald Moser, Betty (Paul) Leuthold and Donna (John) Gerber.
Arrangements were provided by Jurrens Funeral Home of Hills, www.jurrensfuneralhome.com.
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Team scores continue to increase for the Luverne gymnasts as the Cardinals begin to close out their 2021-22 season.
LHS surpassed conference rival Windom Monday in a 131.675 to 127.9 team win.
The Cardinals fell in a close match against Jackson County Central Jan. 11, while still increasing their team score from previous meets. The Huskies scored 134.65 to the Cardinals’ 131.35.
“We had lots of feedback from the judges of things to work on,” said coach Phoebe Flom. “We have girls still working on new skills we would like to get into routines and, of course, staying on the beam.”
Next up for Luverne is Marshall in a home meet tonight, Jan. 27.
The Cardinals will round out the season Feb. 4 in an away dual against St. James Area.
 
Luverne 131.675,
Windom 127.9
Luverne upped their season record to 4-2 in the Big South Conference with a win over the Windom Eagles Monday night in Windom with a score of 131.675 to 127.9.
The visiting Cardinals claimed the top cumulative scores in the vault (35.85), uneven bars (30.1), balance beam (31.775) and the floor exercise (33.95).
Individually Ella Reisdorfer took the all-around competition at the meet with a score of 35.225. She had the top scores in the vault (9.225), uneven bars (8.425) and floor exercise (9.1). Windom’s Brooklyn Paulson received the top balance beam score of 8.675.
Finishing in the top four in one or more of the meet events for Luverne were Sarah deCesare, who placed second on the vault (9.025), tied for third on the beam (7.975), and was fourth in the all-around (31.9). Kianna Winter placed fourth on the vault (8.85) and fourth on the floor (8.275). Amira Cowell finished second on the uneven bars (7.725), third on the floor exercise (8.375), and third in the all-around (33.775).
 
Individual scores
All-around: Reisdorfer 35.225, Cowell 32.475, deCesare 31.9
Vault: Reisdorfer 9.225, deCesare 9.025, Winter 8.85, Cowell 8.75, Tiana Lais 8.65
Uneven bars: Reisdorfer 8.425, Cowell 7.725, Addyson Mann 7.125, Kendra Thorson 6.825, deCesare 6.7
Balance beam: Reisdorfer 8.475, Cowell 7.625, deCesare 7.975, Mann 7.7, Winter 6.2
Floor exercise: Reisdorfer 9.1, Cowell 8.375, Winter 8.275, deCesare 8.2, Mann 8.05
 
JCC 134.650,
Luverne 131.350
After two event rotations at the meet with Jackson County Central in Jackson, Luverne was less than one point away from the lead.
Luverne posted the highest score on the vault with a score of 35.7 to 35.1. JCC then edged the lead from Luverne on the uneven bars (30.65 to 29.975).
The Huskies grew the point advantage when the teams moved to the final two events of the balance beam (33.375 to 31.675) and the floor exercise, with Jackson scoring 35.525 to Luverne’s 34.0 to finish the meet.
Coach Phoebe Flom said she feels confident that her gymnasts’ scores are improving.
“This was a great meet,” said Coach Flom. “The difference is judging.”
Individually, Luverne’s Ella Reisdorfer received the highest scores in the all-around (35.125), vault (9.1), uneven bars (7.9) and floor exercise (9.125). Reisdorfer tied with JCC’s Payten Benda for the top beam score with 9.0.
Cardinals scoring with Reisdorfer in the top five individually included Amira Cowell, who finished fourth in the all-around (33.525), third on the vault (8.9), tied for third in uneven bars with JCC’s Makayla Hotzler (7.675), third on beam (8.3) and fifth on floor exercise (8.65), Sarah deCesare finished fifth in the all-around (31.475), second on vault (8.95), and tied for fifth with JCC’s Payten Benda on the uneven bars (7.55).
JCC junior varsity won the dual 127.850 to 112.1.
 
Individual scores
All-around: Reisdorfer 35.125, Cowell 33.525, deCesare 31.475.
Vault: Reisdorfer 9.1, deCesare 8.950, Cowell 8.9, Kianna Winter 8.75, Tiana Lais 8.575.
Uneven bars: Reisdorfer 7.9, Cowell 7.675, deCesare 7.55, Addyson Mann 6.8, Kendra Thorson 6.7.
Balance beam: Reisdorfer 9.0, Cowell 8.3, Mann 7.375, deCesare 7.0, Winter 6.975.
Floor exercise: Reisdorfer 9.125, Cowell 8.650, Winter 8.25, deCesare 7.975, Mann 7.8.

The Luverne girls’ hockey team picked up a win Monday night in Le Sueur against Minnesota River before losing a tough rivalry game Thursday night in New Ulm and coming up short against a talented Dodge County team Saturday in the Blue Mound Ice Arena.
The Cardinals, 19-3, hit the road to face Worthington Tuesday before returning home for a game with Marshall on Thursday.
 
Luverne 8, Minnesota River 1
The Luverne girls’ hockey team wasted no time getting on the scoreboard against Minnesota River in Le Sueur.
Luverne seventh-grader Macie Edstrom started the scoring just over four minutes into the contest with Billi Connell and Ella Apel assisting on the goal. Less than two minutes later Kamryn Van Batavia gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Shots on goal for the period were 14-6 in favor of the Cardinals.
Luverne senior netminder Cheyenne Schutz had six saves in the period.
The Cardinals picked up another five goals in the second period. Scorers were Van Batavia (unassisted), Payton Behr (Van Batavia, Edstrom assisting), Reghan Bork (Van Batavia), Billi Connell (unassisted) and Van Batavia again (Apel and Bork).
The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead into the third period, when shots on goal were 10-8 in favor of Luverne. Schutz had eight saves for the Cardinals.
Van Batavia picked up her fourth goal of the night at the 11:18 mark of Period 3 with assists going to Mallory Nelson and Anika Boll.
Minnesota River got on the scoreboard with three minutes left in the game to cut the score to 8-1, and that would be how it ended.
Shots on goal favored the Cardinals for the period 10-3 and for the game 34-17.
Schutz ended with 16 saves.
 
New Ulm 6, Luverne 0
Luverne made the trek to New Ulm Thursday for a big Section 3 tilt.
The Cardinals had some opportunities in the first period but just couldn’t capitalize on them.
New Ulm would get three goals in the opening period to take a 3-0 lead into the first period break.
Shots on goal were 9-5 in favor of Luverne for the period.
In the second period New Ulm was able to add to their lead with three more goals to take a 6-0 lead.
Luverne couldn’t get much going on offense and shots to the net in the period.
Shots on goal were in favor of New Ulm 10-3.
The final period in New Ulm saw no scoring, and Luverne didn’t generate enough offense to get on the scoreboard.
The shots on goal for the period were 7-4 and 22-16 for the game in favor of New Ulm.
 
Dodge County 6, LHS 2
Luverne hosted a competitive Dodge County Wildcats girls’ hockey team Saturday afternoon in the Blue Mound Ice Arena.
Luverne wasted no time taking the lead in the first period when Kamryn Van Batavia scored an unassisted goal midway to make it 1-0.
Just three minutes later Payton Behr put the puck in the net to give the Cardinals the 2-0 lead after one period.
Shots on goals were tied at 7. Luverne goalie Cheyenne Schutz save all seven shots she faced.
The second period saw the visiting Wildcats come out in a fury. The visitors put up five goals in the second period to take the lead 5-2 heading into the third.
Luverne battled back but couldn’t get anything in the net. Shots on goal for the period were 10-4 in favor of Dodge County.
The final stanza on Saturday afternoon saw a total of 26 shots on goal and many opportunities for both teams.
Dodge County added a goal five minutes into the period to take the 6-2 lead.
Schutz was solid making big saves in the period, trying to get the Cardinals back in the game, but Luverne just couldn’t break through, and the period would end with the Cardinals falling by four goals.
Shots on goal were in favor of the Wildcats 15-11 in the period and 32-22 for the game.

The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team fell to Southwest Christian on Thursday night in Hills and to Elkton at the Crossover Classic in Elkton, South Dakota, Saturday before rallying against Edgerton Public Monday night in Edgerton.
With the two losses and one win, the Patriots now stand at 6-6 overall and at 4-3 in conference play. They will host Westbrook-Walnut Grove on Thursday night.
 
SWC 76, H-BC 43
The Southwest Christian Eagles got off to an early lead and were able to maintain it all the way through Thursday night in Hills. The Eagles’ scoring came as a team effort as all 13 players scored in the game and the leading scorer had just 13 points.
The Patriots also managed to have 10 different players score, and it was Troy Durst (8 points) who led the way. Cole Baker (7 points), Ty Bundesen (6 points), Brayden Metzger (5 points), and Oliver Deelstra (5 points) were all contributors for the Patriots’ offense.
The Pates’ defense also played well at times, forcing the Eagles into 20 turnovers in the game.
But 26 turnovers of their own was too much to overcome as the Patriots fell 76-43.
 
Box score:
Baker 2 0 3-4 7, Deelstra 2 0 1-2 5, Raymon 1 0 2-2 4, Harnack 1 0 0-0 2, Page 0 0 0-1 0, Leenderts 0 0 2-2 2, Bundesen 3 0 0-1 6, Gehrke 1 0 0-0 2, Metzger 1 1 0-0 5, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0,  Durst 4 0 0-1 8, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 1 0 0-0 2, Wiersema 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
H-BC: 17 of 47 (36 percent), 8 for 13 free throws (62 percent), 20 rebounds, 26 turnovers
SWC: 29 of 59 (49 percent), 11 for 22 free throws (50 percent), 37 rebounds, 20 turnovers
 
Elkton 57, H-BC 40
It was a lopsided fourth quarter that helped the Elks pull away from the Patriots Saturday in Elkton. It was the first game of the day of the Crossover Classic at Elkton Public Schools featuring matchups between South Dakota and Minnesota schools.
The Patriots found themselves only trailing 39-35 heading into the final quarter before being outscored 18-5 in the final eight minutes.
Ty Bundesen led the way for the Patriots with 11 points and six rebounds. Cole Baker and Oliver Deelstra also scored in double digits with 10 points each. Andrew Harris also had six points to round out the scoring for the Pates who head to Edgerton to take on the Flying Dutchmen Monday night.
 
Box score:
Baker 2 2 0-0 10, Deelstra 2 1 3-4 10, Raymon 0 0 0-0 0, Harnack 0 0 0-0 0, Page 0 0 0-0 0, Leenderts 0 1 0-0 3, Bundesen 3 1 2-3 11, Gehrke 0 0 0-0 0, Metzger 0 0 0-0 0, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0, Durst 0 0 0-0 0, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 3 0 0-0 6, Wiersema 0 0 0-0 0
 
Team stats:
H-BC: 15 of 37 (41 percent), 5 for 7 free throws (71 percent), 16 rebounds, 14 turnovers
Elkton: 23 of 46 (50 percent), 9 for 11 free throws (82 percent), 24 rebounds, 10 turnovers
 
H-BC 68, Edgerton 40
The Patriots were able to cruise to victory with ease on Monday night in Edgerton.
It was a lopsided victory from the start as the Pates built a 32-17 halftime lead. Cole Baker (21 points) and Drew Leenderts (15 points) each had 10 in the first half.
The second half was more of the same as the Patriots increased their lead on their way to a 68-40 victory.
Andrew Harris and Oliver Deelstra each contributed for the Patriots with 10 and nine points respectively.
 
Box score:
Baker 3 4 3-4 21, Deelstra 4 0 1-7 9, Raymon 0 0 1-2 1, Harnack 0 1 0-0 3, Page 1 1 0-0 5, Leenderts 3 3 0-0 15, Bundesen 0 0 0-0 0, Gehrke 0 0 0-0 0, Metzger 1 0 0-0 2, Taubert 0 0 0-0 0, Tatge 0 0 0-0 0,  Durst 1 0 0-0 2, Scholten 0 0 0-0 0, Harris 5 0 0-1 10, Wiersema 0 0 0-0 0

“Even though we lost, that was as proud of this team as I have been all year.”
That's how Luverne head girls’ basketball coach TJ Newgard summarized his team’s 56-53 loss to Marshall at home Friday night. 
The Tigers, 13-4 on the season and undefeated (7-0) in the Big South Conference, dominated much of the first half of the game and took what appeared to be a commanding 36-19 lead to the locker room at halftime. 
“We got down early by making silly mistakes on both ends of the floor,” Newgard said. 
In the second half, Luverne was down by as much as 20 points (54-34) with nine minutes remaining before the Cardinals started methodically cutting into the Tigers’ lead. 
LHS scored eight consecutive points to trim the lead to 12 points (54-42) with five minutes on the clock. 
A three-pointer by Christina Wagner with 3:30 remaining cut the Tigers’ lead to single digits, 54-45. 
The Cardinal defense held Marshall at 54 points for nine minutes of game time. When Kira John made a three-point play (layup and successful foul shot), Luverne cut the lead to four points with 1:30 left in the game. 
A long 3-pointer by Averill Sehr got the Cardinals to within one point (54-53) with 12 seconds on the clock. 
The Tigers finally responded to put the score at 56-53 with two seconds remaining. 
“Once we forgot who we were playing and started playing our game, we were able to climb back into it and give ourselves a chance to tie the game on the last possession,” Newgard said. 
When Christina Wagner’s three-point attempt just missed, the Tigers escaped the Luverne Classic Gym with a 56-53 victory. 
“The girls could have easily given up but that’s not who they are,” Newgard said. 
“They just put their heads down and worked as hard as they could.”
Elizabeth Wagner led all scorers in the game with 18 points. John had 13 points. 
Christina Wagner pulled in 12 rebounds. 
The Cardinals, now 11-3 on the season, have a busy week ahead. 
The team was scheduled to play in St. James Tuesday (Jan. 25) and will play away games at Redwood Valley Friday and Southwest Christian Tuesday before hosting Worthington on Feb. 3. 
 
Box score:
C. Wagner 1 1 0-0 5, Beyer 3 0 1-2 7, Ver Steeg 3 0 0-0 6, Sehr 0 1 1-2 4, E. Wagner 9 0 0-0 18, Hart 0 0 0-0 0, John 5 0 3-3 13
 
Team stats:
Luverne: 23 of 41 (56 percent), 5 of 7 free throws (71 percent), 26 rebounds, 16 turnovers
Marshall: 18 of 52 (34 percent), 14 of 19 free throws (74 percent), 29 rebounds, 12 turnovers