Funerals

Carol J. Serres, age76, of Hastings, passed away July 27, 2020 at Regina Senior Living. She was born in Hastings on January 14, 1944 to Paul and Dorothy (Ulbrich) Maher. She married Thomas "Tim" Serres in Hastings on May 11, 1963.

She was a woman who was very proud of her Irish heritage. She loved flowers, birds, crossword puzzles, playing the harmonica, watching Jeopardy, and most of all loved spending time with her family.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents; brother, William "Bill" Maher; and sister, Margaret "Peggy" Bird.

She is survived by her husband, Thomas "Tim" Serres; daughters, Jane Snyder (Mike Banaszewski), Sheila (Timothy "Tim") Groth, and Kathie "Kate" (Steve) Sutton-Brown; grandchildren, Rachel Serres, Matthew Snyder, Megan (Matt) Bauer, and Abbie (Caleb) Thurmes; great grandchildren, Taryn, Bentley, Camden; siblings, Paul, Janet, Kathy, Jim, Mike, John, Mary, Dick, Pat, Joan, Susan; and many other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, July 31 at 10:30 AM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2035 W. 15th St., Hastings. A visitation will be held from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM on Friday at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel, 3075 Vermillion St., Hastings. Interment, Fort Snelling National Cemetery. The Mass will be live streamed on the Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel Facebook page at 10:30 AM on Friday, July 31.

Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers.

A special thanks to the nurses and staff at Regina Senior Living, especially Jo Fairbanks.
 

We are glad to be able to have funeral liturgies once again at SEAS Church, but because of current precautions due to the coronavirus, a few things will look differently than before.

1. SEAS is not able to host any kind of visitation during this current stage of reopening. We are open for funeral liturgies only.
2. When you come to a funeral, you will be seated by a porter no earlier than 30 minutes before the funeral. The pews have been roped off throughout the church to ensure proper safe distance of six feet from other households while you are in the sanctuary.
3. Immediate family of the deceased will not walk in the entrance procession but will be seated in the front rows before the liturgy begins. The sprinkling rite, usually taking place in the baptistery, will occur right in front of the altar.
4. Communion will happen at the usual Communion time during Mass. Please maintain six feet of distance between households as you come forward. The priest or other Communion minister will distribute to you through a Plexiglas shield.
5. Please read the obituary before you come. It will give you a good idea of what parts of the funeral day are open to the public and which parts the family will keep private. Each family is different as they protect themselves from this virus and we ask you to be respectful of their wishes. Even if you are not able to attend, any small gesture of sympathy means a lot to the grieving family.
6. Listen to instructions from the porters, funeral directors, and other ministers throughout the liturgy. As at other places in public, we strongly advise you to wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, and maintain an adequate six feet of distance from others.

Shirley Rotty, age 94 of Hastings, passed away peacefully at home on Friday morning, July 10, 2020.

Shirley Jane, the tiny three pound daughter of John and Theresa (Martin) Otto, was born on May 13, 1926, in St Paul. As a young child, Shirley's family moved around frequently prior to settling in Hastings where she graduated with the class of 1944. In 1947, she was united in marriage to Eugene "Jim" Rotty and they were blessed with two daughters and seventy years of marriage prior to his passing on January 2, 2018. Shirley was a hard working lady, and helped on their strawberry farm outside of Hastings. She was a great wife, mother, and grandmother, and truly enjoyed being on the farm with her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jim; and by her sister, Jean Johnson.

Shirley is survived by her daughters, Sue Rotty and Becky (Chuck) Mann; three granddaughters and seven great grandchildren; sister, Maggie Hicks and family; and by many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

A private family graveside service will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Cemetery in Hastings.

Cards and condolences can be sent to Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel, Rotty Family, PO Box 275, Hastings, MN 55033.

Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.
 

Barbara J. Cyr, age 67, of Hastings, passed away peacefully July 9, 2020. She was born in St. Paul on June 30, 1953 to Lawrence and Phyllis (Mahoney) Klein. She loved her nieces and nephews, beach vacations, and doing word search.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Bob and Bernie Klein.

Barb is survived by her loving husband of 47 years, Paul Cyr; sister, Becky (Dwight) Cummins; brother, Bill (Bobbi) Klein; and many other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, July 17, at 10:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2035 W. 15th St., Hastings. A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 16 from 5:00-7:30 PM at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel, 3075 Vermillion St., Hastings. Interment, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Cemetery. Face coverings will be mandatory.
 

Donald Eugene Vaith, age 89 of Hastings, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Wednesday morning, July 8, 2020.

Don was born on June 13, 1931, in Owatonna to Joseph and Bernadine “Bunny”(Lynard) Vaith. He was raised by his mother and grandparents, Chris and Mayme Lynard on a farm in Summit Township. Don graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1950. He excelled in football where he was a captain and four-year letter winner on four conference championship teams.

On January 17, 1953, Don married Geraldine Underwood at St. Columbanus Catholic Church in Blooming Prairie. On February 10, 1953, he entered the Army and was stationed in Germany. After returning home from the service, Don farmed for 20 years. He was active in NFO (National Farmers Organization) and served as vice president for Steele County. Don and Geraldine moved into Blooming Prairie in 1969 and he worked at Hormel Foods in Austin. While in Blooming Prairie, Don served St. Columbanus as a member of the church council and was active as a member of the Knights of Columbus. He also served on the cemetery board.

Faith and Family were Don’s Hallmarks. He was always that supportive person in the audience, in the stands or on the sidelines at his childrens’ activities. Later he became a fixture at his grandchildrens’ events. His smile and support were endless. His many interests along with spending time with Geraldine were watching the Vikings and Twins and defeating his children and grandchildren in Fantasy Football. He always enjoyed a card game and dominos with his family and friends.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Bunny Vaith; and by his infant daughter, Sherry.

Don’s warm embraces will be missed by his wife of 67 years, Geraldine; seven children, Jim (Julie), Mason City, IA, Paul (Jill),Hastings, Steve (Lisa), Blooming Prairie, Ruth (Scott) Stangeland, Minnetonka, Tom (Julie), Stillwater, Doug (Jody), Lake City and Sandy, Hastings; 22 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Don is also survived by two brothers, Richard (Joan) of Owatonna and Ronald of Lakeville; as well as many other family members and friends.

Private Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church with Father David Hennen officiating. To view the Mass live on Facebook, visit the Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel Facebook page at 11:00 am on Tuesday, July 14. To view the Mass after the Funeral, visit hastingsmnfuneral.com and go to Don's obituary.

Cards and condolences can be sent to Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel, Don Vaith Family, PO Box 275, Hastings, MN 55033.

For guestbook and further information, please visit www.hastingsmnfuneral.com

Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.