Funerals

Sally Matsch, 85, of Hastings, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on November 27, 2023. Sally was born on November 29, 1937, in Cumberland, Wisconsin, to Lawrence and Dorothy Mayer. She attended Cumberland High School, and was united in marriage to John Matsch on August 1st, 1959. Sally enjoyed all the holidays and festively decorated their home each year. She was very caring and thoughtful and didn’t forget a birthday, anniversary or holiday. She adored her children and grandchildren and enjoyed each minute with them.

Sally is preceded in death by her parents; and brother Philip Mayer. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, John; daughter Nancy (Mike) Thomas and sons David and Tom; her grandchildren Jacob Matsch, Zachary and Derrick Thomas and Tiffany Nordling; and other friends and family.

A private family memorial service will be held, with burial to follow at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Cemetery in Hastings, Minnesota. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Alzheimer’s Association.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sally, please visit the floral store.

Willard "Willie" Bauer, a respected builder and farm boy, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 at United Hospital in St. Paul with his loving family by his side on Monday morning, November 27, 2023, following a battle with COVID.

Willard Joseph, the son of Frank and Cathryn (Greten) Bauer, was born in Hastings on August 22, 1936. Following his graduation from Hastings High School with the class of 1955, he proudly served in the Army National Guard. On June 21, 1969, Willie married Charlene "Char" Peine at St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Trier, and they were blessed with fifty-four years of marriage.

Willie cherished his nearly seventy-year partnership in farming with his brother Loren, and is proud of his nephew Paul for carrying forward the Bauer Family Farming legacy. In addition to farming, Willie learned the construction trade from his uncle, Jacob Bauer, and went on to form W. J. Bauer Construction. As a general contractor, Willie built custom homes and lifelong friendships from their owners for over sixty years. One of his greatest prides was the community he created when developing a portion of the family farm into single family homes, and was deeply proud of being designated the honorary mayor of "Willie World". Willie will forever be remembered for his honesty, attention to detail, wisdom, big heart, and genuine desire to do his best for others.

Willie enjoyed boating with friends, time spent on Lake Mille Lacs, and aviation. He obtained a private pilots license and enjoyed flying small aircraft - although the family was never allowed to tell his mother about that particular hobby, as she certainly would not have been pleased with him!

He was preceded in death by his parents; recently by his brother Loren on November 1, 2023; and by many other extended family members.

Willie is survived by his wife, Char; daughter, LeAnn (Mike) Bauer-Staiger; sister, Mary Frandrup; and by many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, December 2, 2023, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Vermillion, with Father Michael Tix officiating. A reception will be held at the church following Mass. Private family interment at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Cemetery in Hastings will follow the reception.

Family and friends are cordially invited to a visitation from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Friday evening at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings, and from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning at church. In respect to the seriousness of Covid-19 variants, we kindly ask you to be respectful to the boundaries of health concerns while we gather.

In lieu of flowers, Willie's family kindly requests memorials be made to St. John the Baptist Catholic School in his memory.

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

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Willard "Willie", please visit the floral store.

James P. Maher, age 77 of Hastings, passed away October 26, 2023.

Jim worked for the city of Hastings Fire Department. He started as a volunteer in 1968, and he was hired as a full time fire fighter and EMT. He was the Assistant Fire Chief and active Fire Chief for six months. After that, he started working for Koch Refinery as a fire fighter. He remained on the Hastings Fire Department where he was a Captain. He worked for 19.5 years before having to retire. He was dedicated to his job, both fighting fires and ambulance/EMT calls.

He is preceded in death by his beloved son, Matthew; parents, Paul & Dorothy; brothers, Paul & William; sisters, Margaret & Carol.

Jim is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jane Balitz Maher; children, Sean, Martin (Jennifer), Angela (Joe) Nathan, James (Tami), and Jason (Lynn Roberts); 14 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Andrea; brothers, Michael (Liz), John (Barb), Richard (Mari), and Patrick (Diane); sisters, Janet (Dewey), Kathleen (Russ), Mary (Bob), Joan (Steve), and Susan (Bernie); many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

A Memorial Mass will be held Friday, November 17th at 2:00 PM at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Hastings with a visitation from 12:30 - 2:00 PM. A private interment for immediate family only will be taking place at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the family to be donated towards the Matthew Maher Memorial Scholarship.

Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.
 
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James, please visit the floral store.

Loren P. Bauer, a lifelong resident and farmer in Hastings, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Tuesday morning, November 1, 2023, at the age of 89.

Loren Peter, the son of Frank and Cathryn (Greten) Bauer, was born on June 22, 1934, in Hastings, and lived at the family farm until his health began to fail at the end of December 2022. Following his graduation from Hastings High School with the class of 1953, Loren was united in marriage to Rita Feidt on September 10, 1960, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Trier. Loren was a longtime farmer along with his brother Willard, and later his son Paul who now is running the operation. Today, the sixth generation now resides at the homestead. For his dedication to farming, Loren was awarded the Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year Award in 1966, and was proud to be classified as a Century Farm. Outside of farming, Loren was a successful insurance salesman who specialized in wind, hail, and fire coverage. He was an active member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic. Church and the Knights of Columbus Council 1600 in Hastings where he served as Grand Knight.

He was preceded by his wife, Rita; parents; and by many other extended family members.

Loren is survived by his children, Sharon (Allen) Schaffer, Paul (Jean) Bauer, and Donna (Ray) Karnick; eleven grandchildren, Jeffrey (Nicole) Schaffer, Jason (Jessica) Schaffer, Justin Schaffer, Amanda (fiancé, Kevin Burns) Bauer, Christina (Tyler) Schmidt, Laura Bauer, Jessica Bauer, Makayla Karnick, Haley Karnick, Sara Karnick, and Nicholas Karnick; nine great grandchildren, Triston, Brooke, Alexis, Owen, Mason, Taylor, Aiden, Raelynn, and Elouise; brother, Willard (Char) Bauer; sister-in-law, Mary Frandrup; and by many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, November 6, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Hastings, with Father Dave Hennen officiating. Interment will follow in the parish cemetery.

Family and friends are cordially invited to a visitation from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings, and from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. prior to mass at church on Monday.

Loren's family would like to extend a special thank you to Morning Glory Home Care and Regina Senior Living for their dedicated care.

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

Evelyn R. Wilson, age 92 of Hastings, died peacefully at Regina Senior Living of Hastings on Sunday morning, October 29, 2023.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Hastings, with with Father Michael Tix officiating. Private family interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery will take place at a later date.

Family and friends are cordially invited to a visitation for one hour prior to Mass at church on Tuesday afternoon.

A complete obituary will be published later.

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

 To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Evelyn, please visit the floral store.

With our deepest sorrows, we announce that Jeffrey Lee (Couch) Lothenbach, beloved son, brother and favorite uncle, passed away on October 22nd, 2023 at the age of 40.

Jeff will be missed every day by his parents, Donald Lothenbach, Kathy (Marc) Lothenbach, brother Bryan (Kristina) Schultz, sisters Amy (Tim) Wenskaug, and Tracy (Justin) Lohmann, nieces and nephews Olivia, Carter, Bennett and Julia Schultz, Alyssa and Gavin Wenskaug and Sam and Elliott Lohmann, grandmother, Phyllis Lothenbach, many aunts, uncles and cousins. And his best buddy, his dog, Duggie.

Those who knew Jeff, even just a little, lost a shining light in their lives. He was a 2001 graduate of Hastings High School where he excelled in both football and wrestling. In his senior year, he was named to the All State and All Metro Football Teams. His coaches called him “tenacious” and his teachers thought of him as a “gentle giant.” He went on to play football at St. Cloud State University.

Jeff’s career as a low voltage electrician led him to travel, most recently to Las Vegas in the construction of the new MSG Sphere.

From an early age, he formed a love for the outdoors. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and trail riding on his four wheeler. He was a great cook and his signature wild rice casserole was always a request from family.

His greatest joy was being with family, especially with his nieces and nephews. The kids loved his playful nature that often led to a wrestling match or tickle fight. His quick wit brought so much laughter and usually an eye roll from mom. At family gatherings, when the kids started acting up, it was always Jeff as the instigator.

We know Jeff is now with his sister Wendy and grandparents Shirley Feidt, Francis and Marion Feidt, and Thomas Lothenbach, where he is loved in Heaven as much as he was on Earth.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church with a visitation starting 2 hours prior at 9:00 A.M. A luncheon will immediately follow Mass with interment at 1:30 P.M. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Cemetery.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jeffrey "Jeff", please visit the floral store.

Monica Olson, age 93 of Hastings, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family on Thursday evening, October 19, 2023, at Benedictine Senior Living ~ Regina in Hastings.

Monica Ann, the daughter of Frank and Ottilia (Erdmann) Wendt, was born on August 5, 1930, in Beardsley, Minnesota. Following her graduation from Beardsley High School as the Valedictorian, Monica continued her education and obtained her Nursing Degree. Monica and her husband Don owned and operated Olson's Floral and Greenhouse in Hastings from 1960 until his passing in 2006. She will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her, especially her kids, grandkids, great grandkids, and fur babies.

She was preceded in death by her parents; five siblings; and by her husband, Don.

Monica is survived by her three children, Vangie (Tom) Waldera, Donnie Olson, and Mike (Julie) Olson; nine grandchildren and many great grandchildren; and by other relatives and friends.

Private family services will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Hastings, with interment following in the parish cemetery.

A special thank you to the staff members of Benedictine Senior Living ~ Regina and to Noreen Swanson for the love and care you provided to mom, you will not be forgotten.

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

Cleo I. Swanson, age 90 of Hastings, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 13, 2023, with her daughters by her side.

Cleo was born on April 18, 1933 in Austin, MN to Maynard and Florence Blowers. She married Dean Swanson of St. Paul, MN on October 3, 1953. In 1960 they moved to Hastings where they raised their four children.

Cleo loved her family and cherished the time she spent with them. She was a good mom, kind and fun loving grandma and great grandma. She was loyal and sassy to those she loved. In her spare time she enjoyed scrapbooking, decorating, making porcelain dolls, playing bridge and reading. She was a long time member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.

Cleo is preceded in death by her husband, Dean Swanson; son, Steve; parents, Maynard and Florence; sister, Doris; brother, Dale; and grandson, Bradley Freppert.

Cleo is survived by her daughters, Diane (Tom) Freppert, Joan (Mark) Donisi, Sue (Jim) Williams, daughter-in-law, Janet Swanson; eight grandchildren, seven great grandchildren with one on the way; and siblings Joe Blowers and Mary Lou Dougherty.

A special thanks to the staff of Allina Hospice, especially Susie Thompson, R.N. and Dr. Sarah Markert, her home healthcare aides, and her special neighbor Kenny who all took such good care of Cleo.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Hastings with a visitation one hour prior at the church. A luncheon will be held in Mother Seton Hall following the Mass with interment to follow at 1:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Cemetery.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Cleo, please visit the floral store.