Roger I. Fritsche, 91

Roger Ivan Fritsche, 91, of Woodbury, died on Nov. 7, 2012, at the Woodbury Healthcare Center, surrounded by his family.

Roger Ivan Fritsche, 91, of Woodbury, died on Nov. 7, 2012, at the Woodbury Healthcare Center, surrounded by his family.  Funeral services for Roger will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Afton. Burial will follow at the church cemetery. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to services as well as from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9 all at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred. Services are in the care of the O’Connell Family Funeral Home in Hudson chapel.   READ THE FULL OBITUARY

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Margaret Wachholz

6:12 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012

What a jolly picture of a lovely man. Condolences to Mr. Roger's entire family and especially to his wife, Ms. Laura. We can only hope to grow old like this couple, to be loved by someone, like they truly did for one another. They seem to thoroughly enjoy each other so much. My hope for this great loss is peace of mind for the family, and less grief as time goes by...   more ›

21-Year-Old College Student From Woodbury Dies in River Falls

Ryan J. Mumm, 21, of Woodbury, died Oct. 9 in River Falls. Services will be held in River Falls at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct.13.

Angela's Angle

Avoiding Retirement in Woodbury

Too much free time, no matter how much I crave it, will not help me stay mentally alert.

I will never retire. Not because our 401(K) took a beating in the recession, which it did. Not because I don’t have a pension, which I don’t. Not because I love working more than lounging on my porch reading novels and sipping sangria. (Because that depends on the day.) I hope to never retire because I have come to associate retirement with less physical activity, less social contact and less exposure to ever-changing technology. Typically, when I have a job to do, I hurry to get it done. Whether it’s doing a load of laundry, planting flowers or writing this column, my mindset is often dread. I’d prefer nothing to do. Then, I spend an hour volunteering at a nursing home. Let’s say, I’ve learned to be thankful for things to do. Not just fun…

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Link: Remembering Alexander G. Hunt

Link to online guestbook.

Oakdale Man Dies in Weekend Motorcycle Accident

John M. "Mickey" Nasseff, 68, died near Amery, WI on Saturday after he and his passenger, Oakdale resident Beth Holmgren, were ejected from their motorcycle.

An Oakdale man died Saturday afternoon after he and his passenger were thrown from their motorcycle near Amery, WI. John M. "Mickey" Nasseff, 68, of Oakdale was driving his 1992 Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on 120th Avenue and 130th Street near Amery, Wis. with Beth Holmgren, 53, who is also an Oakdale resident. Nasseff, who was driving the bike, lost control of the motorcycle and went into the south ditch where the bike flipped and ejected both Nasseff and Holmgren from the motorcylce. Neither were wearing a helmet.   A deer was lying dead in the north ditch. Nasseff most likely lost control of the bike after swerving to miss the deer, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Nasseff and Holmgren were transported to Amery …

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Remembering Hudson Drowning Victim for His Ability to Make Others Smile

Visitation for recent Stillwater Area High School graduate Alexander Cook, 18, of Lake Elmo, will be Sunday, June 24 from 1-6 p.m. at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home in Roseville.

Friends and family of Alexander Cook will remember the Lake Elmo teen as an amazing guy who was taking charge of his life and finding his happiness. “Alex could be having the worst day of his life and still bring a smile to another's face,” his aunt Jessica Beck said Tuesday night. “He could make his cousin giggle so hard you wouldn't think he could possibly stop—let alone breathe. He was sweet, sensitive, smart and strong.” Cook, 18, drowned Monday night trying to swim across a 200-yard channel of the St. Croix River at the end of the Lakefront Park dike in Hudson. His girlfriend, brother and two friends tried to help him, but he went under in at least 20 feet of water. “He touched so many lives, but of course his was cut too short,” Beck…

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Angela's Angle

Woodbury, Let’s Celebrate Some Solstice Sunshine

We should be making a much bigger deal out of the first day of summer.

The summer solstice will soon arrive. Sol for sun. Sistere, to stand still. That moment when the sun reaches its farthest northern point above the celestial equator, when we tundra dwellers experience the longest duration of daylight all year. And yet, we do not officially celebrate! There is a winter carnival in Minnesota and all sorts of cold-weather merrymaking. But what of summer? That brief season of porch sitting and barbeque grilling, when the longjohns come off and the boats get launched. The solstice is the pinnacle. From here on out, the days get shorter. We march toward the inevitable return of winter. We should be making a much bigger deal out of the first day of summer. It’s been done. Sort of. June has a historically been a …

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Link: Spirit of Life Bible Church Founder Frank Sanders Remembered

He started the Woodbury church and was known for his hockey prowess.

Obituary: Rev. Franklynn Bonn Sanders, Jr.

The pastor of Spirit of Life Bible Church in Woodbury died from pancreatic cancer Feb. 17, 2012.

Rev. Franklynn Bonn Sanders, Jr. (March 8, 1949 - February 17, 2012) Pastor of Spirit of Life Bible Church. Age 62 of Woodbury, MN. Formerly of Oakdale, MN. Loving husband, father and grandfather. After a heroic fight, Frank passed away from pancreatic cancer, on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 at home surrounded by his wife and kids. Preceded in death by father, Franklynn, Sr., mother, Cecilia and infant son. Survived by wife, Kathy, children, Timothy (Tricia), Jennifer (James) Mains and Jeremy (Lana); grandchildren, Owen and Declynn Sanders, Haley, Ayden, Charlie and Benjamin Mains, Jacob, Brennen, Caleb and Keegan Sanders; brother, Allen (Nancy) Olsen; sisters, Lillian (Gary) Weisbrod, Bonnie Weisbrod and Rebecca (James) Payzant; many nieces, …

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Whitney Houston's Music Director Has Woodbury Tie

Michael Baker says the late singer is "at peace," according to Pioneer Press story.