Keith Russell Aanenson, 78, Luverne, died Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Visitation is from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, with a prayer service and time of sharing at 7:30 p.m., at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. To live-stream the service, go to www.facebook.com/DingmannFH.
Keith Aanenson was born Aug. 2, 1942, to Russell and Florence (Sibson) Aanenson in Luverne. He grew up on the family farm near Magnolia. He graduated from Magnolia High School in 1960 and then attended Worthington Community College. After graduation, he worked at the creamery hauling milk.
Keith married Audrey Umland on Oct. 12, 1963, at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. The couple lived in Luverne. Keith worked in law enforcement as well as operating his locksmith business, which he took over from his father. He was also a greeter at the Luverne High School and an employee of the Dingmann Funeral Home. He served as the Luverne chief of police for 19 of his 45 years in law enforcement. After he retired, Keith transported prisoners for Rock County. He was an EMT and DARE volunteer.
He was an active member of St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne, where he served as an elder and video-recorded services. Keith was also a member of the Luverne Optimist Club, CCSI, his morning coffee club and was a grand marshal in the Tri-State Band Festival. He enjoyed farming, fishing, traveling on his motorcycle, going on camping trips and spending time with grandchildren, square dancing, driving his convertible and attending his grandchildren’s events.
Keith is survived by his wife, Audrey Aanenson of Luverne; three children, Carrie (Rick) Van Santen of Luverne, Sheila (Ron) Johannes of Willmar, and Corey (Kyle) Aanenson of Moorhead; nine grandchildren, Brad (Donni) Van Santen, Derek (Morgan) Van Santen, Austin Van Santen, Jacob Van Santen, Mitchell (Moriah) Johannes, Joshua Johannes, Kayla Johannes, Monique Aanenson, Landon Aanenson and Maiah Aanenson; one great-grandchild, Madison Van Santen; and three brothers, Lee (Caryl) Aanenson of Oakdale, Al (Jan) Aanenson of Dent, and Gene (Deb) Aanenson of Luverne.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Terry and Dale Aanenson; and sisters-in-law Barb Elcock and Marvie Aanenson.
Arrangements are provided by Dingmann Funeral Home of Luverne, dingmannandsons.com.
(0121 F)

JoAnn Van Engelenhoven, 90, Luverne, died Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
A funeral service was Friday, Jan. 15, at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. Burial followed at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
JoAnn White was born on April 9, 1930, to John and Audra (Perrin) White in Guthrie, Oklahoma. She was raised in various towns in Oklahoma until 1941 when the family moved to Long Beach, California, where she later graduated from Polytechnic High School. She met Gerrit Van Engelenhoven during his service in the United States Navy in California.
JoAnn and Gerrit Van Engelenhoven were married on Dec. 20, 1947, at the church parsonage in Long Beach, California. They moved to Luverne for a few years before returning to live in Artesia, California, in 1951. Two years later they moved back to Luverne where they raised their children. JoAnn attended Worthington Community College in Worthington. In 1968 she began working at Tri-State Insurance Company of Minnesota in Luverne and worked there until her retirement in 1992.
JoAnn enjoyed her retirement years, especially traveling with Gerrit. She worked part time at the Sewing Basket in Luverne from October of 2000 until May of 2005. She remained active in volunteer work at Sanford Luverne Hospital. Gerrit died on Oct. 7, 2013.
JoAnn was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Luverne, where she participated in Mary Circle, Stephen Ministry, United Presbyterian Women, Committee on Ministry and the quilters guild. She also served as an elder and financial secretary in the church. She served on the boards for the Luverne Hospital, Luverne Chamber of Commerce, Luverne Dollars for Scholars and Rock County Opportunities.
JoAnn enjoyed reading and spending time with her family. She especially enjoyed the 21 years spent at Lake Sarah with her family.
JoAnn is survived by two children, Gail (Dwight) Bremer of Hardwick and Duane (Deb) Van Engelenhoven of Luverne; 10 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Gerrit; two daughters, Carol Wessels and Sheryl Schreck; three grandchildren, Cindy Bremer, Cami Gordon and Andy Wessels; great-granddaughter Lucie Sailor; and 19 siblings.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, www.hartquistfuneral.com.
(0121 F)

Arlene (Carlson) Rollag, 96, of Beaver Creek, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on Jan. 12, 2021, at Sanford Hospice Cottage in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Private family funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, at Palisade Lutheran Church, rural Garretson, Rock County, Minnesota. The service will be live-streamed at the Minnehaha Funeral Home & Cremation Services Facebook page. Private burial will precede the service at the West Palisade Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation, without the family present, will be from 5-6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, at the Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson, South Dakota.
Arlene was born near Brandon, South Dakota, on April 16, 1924, the daughter of Evald and Emma (Nelson) Carlson. She grew up on a farm in rural Garretson, one of four girls. She was baptized and confirmed at Beaver Valley Lutheran Church and graduated from Garretson High School in 1941. Following graduation, Arlene helped with the war effort and worked for Ryan Aeronautical Company in San Diego, California. Upon returning to South Dakota, she worked at John Morrell’s in Sioux Falls from 1944 to 1951.
On May 30, 1948, Arlene married Oliver Rollag and celebrated 71 years before Oliver passed away in 2019. Arlene worked tirelessly with Oliver for 54 years on their farm west of Beaver Creek. After retiring from life on the farm in their 90s, they then moved to Poplar Creek Estates in Luverne, Minnesota, in December 2016.
Arlene was a member of Palisade Lutheran Church in Rock County for over 70 years, where she was active in WELCA and the Hannah Circle. When she took the time to relax, Arlene enjoyed tending to her flower gardens, quilting, embroidery, baking (collecting recipes) and finishing many puzzles. She will be remembered for her creative sense of humor and quick wit. But first and foremost, she was a dedicated mother who provided an excellent role model for her children and grandchildren.
Arlene will be lovingly remembered by her four children: Diane Peterson of Hallock, Minnesota, Carlene Lawler (Pat) of Zumbrota, Minnesota, Janice Rollag of Lakeville, Minnesota, and Lyle Rollag (Sharil) of Beaver Creek, Minnesota. She’s also survived by grandchildren: Laura Linder, Beth Jiskra, Anna Peterson, Molly Lawler, Katie Lawler, Berik Kallevig, Thomas Rollag, Alaina Rollag, and Sean Rollag; as well as seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Oliver; her parents, Emma and Evald Carlson, and sisters Edna Monrad, Elinor Steen and Viola Bjorneberg.
Arlene’s family would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all that participated in her care in any manner. We’d especially like to thank the staffs at Poplar Creek and Sanford Hospice Cottage.
Though her death was not a tragedy, but instead the completion of a long and meaningful life, she will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
Arrangements were provided by Minnehaha Funeral Home, Garretson, www.minnehahafuneralhome.com.
 (0121 V)

Marian Helling, 94, Bismarck, North Dakota, formerly of Luverne, died Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, at Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck, North Dakota, after a brief illness.
A family memorial service will take place at a future date at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
Marian Olson was born March 17, 1926, to Theodore and Laura Olson on a dairy farm south of Kenneth. She attended a nearby one-room school house, then attended Augustana Academy in Canton, South Dakota, and then Mankato State Teachers College, where she earned her teaching certifications. Marian began her teaching career in the elementary school in Adrian. She then returned to Luverne for the remainder of her teaching career. She loved teaching kindergarten classes over the many years and enjoyed meeting her past students later on as adults.
Marian married Gordon Helling on June 26, 1949, at Zion Lutheran Church in Luverne. They lived in Luverne during their entire marriage and raised two children. They also looked after their parents.
In addition to her career in education, Marian and her husband enjoyed dancing at the VFW and taking family trips to northern Minnesota and Colorado. Gordy died in 2003, and Marian remained in Luverne until moving to Bismarck in 2019 to be closer to family.
Marian loved arts and crafts, listening to music, and excelled in playing both the piano and the organ, particularly music from the 1940s. She also enjoyed tending her flower garden and visiting with neighbors. Marian also would offer a summer retreat for her grandchildren and put her teaching skills to work to their delight.
Marian is survived by her children Valerie (Tim) Majors of New Salem, North Dakota, and Grant Helling of Louisville, Colorado; three grandchildren, Katherine (Jordan) Dittmann of New York Mills, Carolyn (Nathan) Schmidt of Bismarck, and Grant Majors of Bismarck; and three great-grandchildren, Parker, Emily and Liam. 
(0121 F)

The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911.
 
Rock County Village ( from 01-14-20 edition of the Star Herald)
 
         In the fall of 1880 a side track was constructed, and a correspondent predicted that Ashcreek was about to shape itself into a metropolis. The extent of the subsequent building operations, however, was the erection of a second grain warehouse, 16x30 feet in size, put by E. A. Brown, who at the time commenced his successful career as a Rock county grain merchant. A box car was placed at the new station to answer the purpose of a depot building.
         An event of the year 1882 promised great things for the embryo town. This was the sale of the Kniss and Brown farm, upon which the station was located, to Col. Alfred Grey, an English capitalist and a large owner of real estate in this section of the state and Iowa. Col. Grey proposed to build a flourishing town at Ashcreek, to be the headquarters for his various interests, much after the English baronial system. A year elapsed before the promoter commenced the execution of his plan. A survey of a townsite was completed in August, 1883, by James P. Gilman, and the dedication of the site was made September 6, 1883, by James B. Close, Col. Grey’s agent. The plat included eight blocks. The owner was fully honored in the names bestowed upon the streets running east and west, which were Colonel, Grey and Alfred. The intersecting streets were designated as First, Second and Third.9
         Coincident with the platting, three dwellings, each a two-story structure covering a ground space of 24x36 feet, and three barns were built by Col. Grey for the accommodation of the employees on his nearby farms. There was persistent talk of a store on the site, but it remained for other than the Grey interests to supply the want. J. T. Woodrow, whose store was completed in October, 1884, was the first merchant and for a number of years the only one in Ashcreek. The Ashcreek postoffice was moved to the new store and Mr. Woodrow commissioned postmaster.
         There was some progress during the half dozen years following the opening of the pioneer store. In 1885 the railroad company established stockyards at Ashcreek, and one year later erected a serviceable depot. Early in 1886 the believers in Ashcreek’s future greatness became convinced that the dawn of a new era was at hand because of the proposed building of the Burlington railroad to Sioux Falls from Ellsworth. At an enthusiastic meeting held February 20, plans to induce the new railroad to change its route so as to pass through Ashcreek were considered. It was proposed to offer $15,000 as a bonus to secure this change of route, but the attempt to make of Ashcreek a railroad center came to naught.
         The Congregational church society, organized in the spring of 1889, erected a neat church edifice in the village the same year. The church, built at a cost of $1100, was dedicated Sunday, February 9, 1890. Rev. William Fitch was the pastor at the time.
         L. S. Welker succeeded to the business of J. T. Woodrow in the summer of 1888. A grist mill was established by C. A. Delamater in January, 1890, but it continued in operation only a few months. The Ashcreek farm of 894 acres was sold by Col. Grey in 1891 to Ezra Rice and James H. Gray, and this transfer was the commencement of better days for the humble village. The new owners were men intensely interested in the advancement of Rock county. Progress commenced at once. In September, 1891, J. T. Fort, a blacksmith, located in the town, and E. A. Brown erected a second elevator. The year following, E. C. Palmer came from Sioux City and established a new store and lumber yard.
         Ashcreek in more recent years has been added to gradually, and at no particular period has experienced a boom or unnatural condition to force the extension of its limits. A creditable school building was erected in 1903. A public hall is maintained, and in the village are to be found residences that would do credit to a more pretentious community.
         9One addition to Ashcreek has been platted: Kitterman’s by Benjamin T. Kitterman and William Lemka, December 12, 1896; surveyed by J. P. Gillman.
 
         The story of the village of Bruce will begin in the Jan. 28 edition of the Star Herald.
         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.

The Luverne Cardinals girls’ basketball team has been itching to get back out on the court since suffering a heartbreaking loss during last season’s section tournament.
The wait was much longer than anticipated for the Cardinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then the Cardinals had to wait one more day due to the blizzard that hit the area on Thursday and Friday.
The long wait finally ended for the Cardinals Saturday morning when they opened the season at home with a 78-67 victory over Jackson County Central.
“As expected, the first game had its ups and downs,” said Luverne coach TJ Newgard.
“Anytime we can score 78 points, we are going to have a good chance to win. Having six players score eight or more points shows the balance that we have.”
It was a slow start for the Cardinals as they trailed for the first 10 minutes of the game. At one point they were behind 13-5.
“Defensively I think we struggled to move our feet and communicate,” Newgard said. “That led to some easy points for JCC around the rim and at the free-throw line.”
A Christina Wagner bucket gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game at 25-24.
The two teams swapped leads before the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 35-27, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
At the half the Cardinals led JCC 45-38.
Elizabeth Wagner opened the second half by knocking down a three-pointer to put Luverne up 48-39.
With the Cardinals clinging to a 63-60 lead, Brooklynn Ver Steeg scored seven straight points for the Cardinals to build a 70-62 lead.
Ver Steeg finished the game with a team-leading 22 points. The junior guard dished out 10 assists, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded two steals.
Averill Sehr scored 14 points and recorded five steals.
Emma Beyer and Christina Wagner both had 13 points.
Elizabeth Wagner scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded five blocks.
The Cardinals will play their second game of the season on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at home against Worthington.
“I’m really proud of our effort and how we played,” Newgard said. “We look forward to getting back out there against another quality opponent on Tuesday.”

The Hills-Beaver Creek boys’ basketball team battled in their season opener against Southwest Minnesota Christian, and in the end it was the visiting Eagles that upended the Patriots 80-72.
Oliver Deelstra scored the first three points of the game for the Patriots, taking a 3-2 lead.
With the two teams tied at 8-8, the Eagles went on a 5-0 run to open up a 13-8 lead.
The Patriots answered back with a bucket to trim the lead to 13-10. Then the Eagles scored the next seven points to open up a 20-10 lead.
With the Eagles holding a 30-17 lead, the Patriots went on an 8-0 run to make it a 30-25 game.
At the half, the Eagles held a 43-37 lead.
The Patriots were unable to overcome that six-point halftime deficit as the two teams battled, with the Eagles outscoring H-BC 37-35.
Deelstra led the Patriots with 26 points. Deelstra also grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists, and recorded four steals.
Cole Baker finished with 23 points and knocked down three three-pointers. Baker also grabbed seven rebounds.
Zander Wysong scored three three-pointers and finished with 13 points.
The Patriots will be back in action on Friday when they travel to Slayton to take on Murray County Central.
The Patriots split with the Rebels last season. H-BC lost the first matchup 43-37 and then won the second meeting 54-26.

For the second straight season, the Luverne Cardinals boys’ basketball team has opened the season with a 2-0 record.
The Cardinals tipped off their season Saturday with a resounding 65-31 victory over Jackson County Central.
On Monday the Cardinals improved to 2-0 with a 54-49 victory over Worthington.
Although things started off on the sluggish side for the Cardinals against JCC, Luverne was in control of the game from the start.
“You could definitely tell that it was the first game of the season,” Luverne head coach John Sichmeller said.
“The game started pretty sloppily for both teams with a lot of turnovers. It wasn’t always pretty, but I was very happy with our effort.”
The Cardinals led 33-18 at the midway point.
JCC went on a 6-0 run to trim Luverne’s lead to 37-26. The Cardinals then went on an 18-0 run to build a 55-26 lead. That strong finish to the game for the Cardinals was due to their effort on the defensive end of the court.
“Once we got settled into the game, our defensive pressure led to a lot of easy baskets for us,” Sichmeller said.
Sophomore Gannon Ahrendt recorded a double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Bailey Cowell scored 16 points and dished out six assists.
Jayson Rops grabbed six rebounds and Arekel McLaughlin recorded four steals.
Against the Trojans on the road Monday, Ahrendt led the team with 17 points. Cowell finished right behind him with 16.
The Cardinals will hit the road again on Friday when they take on Martin County West. Luverne lost to MCW last season 70-66.

The Luverne boys’ hockey team battled but could not dig themselves out from an early 3-0 deficit against Windom Area on Saturday, Jan. 16.
That early lead held for the Eagles as they defeated the Cardinals 5-2 in the season opener at Blue Mound Ice Arena.
“It was great to finally be able to play our first game of the 2021 hockey season,” Luverne head coach Phil Paquette said.
“I was very happy with our team’s drive to compete and their will to battle back from down 3-0 early in the second period. Unfortunately we weren’t able to complete the comeback.”
Windom struck first in the first period off a goal from Brady Espenson. Alex Espenson recorded the assist on the goal.
The Eagles added one more goal in the opening period off an unassisted goal from Chase Hamlett.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the second frame with a goal from Ben Purrington. Cragen Porath recorded the assist on the goal.
Sophomore Brock Behrend got the Cardinals on the board at the end of the second quarter to cut Windom’s lead to 3-1.
Behrend tallied his second goal of the game when he opened the scoring in the final quarter to trim Windom’s lead to 3-2.
Brady Espenson scored his second goal of the game for the Eagles to give Windom a 4-2 lead.
Borath wrapped up the scoring with a goal with 40 seconds left in the game to make the final score 5-2.
The Cardinals will be back on the ice on Friday, Jan. 22, when they travel to Redwood Falls to take on Redwood Valley.
“We have plenty to work on and tighten up as we look ahead to our next game against Redwood Valley,” Paquette said.
Redwood Valley dropped their season opener to Minnesota River 7-4.
Luverne swept Redwood Valley last season, winning the first matchup 5-2 and then completing the season sweep with a 7-1 victory.