Obituaries

Donald Henry Hartung Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:12am

DONALD HENRY HARTUNG, 95, of Crosby, passed away on May 11, 2025, at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby. He was born on Oct. 20, 1929 in Crosby to Richard and Anna (Moritz) Hartung.  He was united in marriage to Mary Moore on Dec. 11, 1948 in Crosby. He mined on the Cuyuna Range for 24 years with Zontelli Brothers and Pittsburgh Pacific. He retired for the City of Crosby Water Department with 22 years’ of service. He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Crosby.

Jesse Nix Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:11am

JESSE NIX entered eternity on May 5, 2025, surrounded by loving family.  Jesse was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus and those who preceded him.  He was born Dec. 15, 1940, in Aitkin to Wayne and Jennie (Amos) Nix.   Jesse graduated from the Aitkin High School with the class of 1958.  At age 17 he joined the Navy, served 3 years, then 17 years with the Air Force.  He was a loving husband, family member, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Mary Kay (Hasskamp) Lacy Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:10am

MARY KAY (HASSKAMP) LACY, age 77 of Prior Lake, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. Mary Kay was born in Brainerd, MN on Sept. 10, 1947. She grew up in Crosby where she attended Crosby-Ironton High School. She earned an Associate of Arts degree from Brainerd Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in foreign languages (French and German). After completing her degree, Mary Kay served 37 years as a flight attendant for North Central, Republic, and Northwest Airlines.

Daniel "Dan" K. Fletcher Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:08am

DANIEL "DAN" K. FLETCHER, 75, of Emily, passed away April 29, 2025, at his home. Services will be held at a later date. A full obit will follow. Arrangements are with the Koop Funeral Home in Crosby.

Phillip "Phil" C. Backberg Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:07am

PHILLIP "PHIL" C. BACKBERG, 87, of Mission, passed away in Brainerd on April 30, 2025. Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are with Nelson Doran in Brainerd.

Matthew "Matt" Jerome Nelson Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:06am

MATTHEW "MATT" JEROME NELSON, 50 of Wishek, ND, passed away on April 15, 2025 unexpectedly at his home. He was born on March 6, 1975 in Shakopee, to Wayne and Mary Ann (Carrigan) Nelson. He grew up in Bloomington and graduated from JFK High School, class of 1993.  He earned a BS degree in Biological Science from St. Cloud State and went on to pursue his Master’s degree at South Dakota State University. He was employed as a Biologist with the U.S. Dept. of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service as a conservation technician on the prairie grasslands in Kulm, ND.

Jean (Bruehling) Braun Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:05am

JEAN (BRUEHLING) BRAUN, 79, of North Branch,  formerly of Pine Island and Ironton, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Prairie Senior Cottages in Isanti. Jean was born on May 22, 1945, in Chippewa Falls, WI, to Alvin P. and Marjorie M. Bruehling. She attended Notre Dame Grade School and graduated from McDonell High School in 1963. In 1964, she moved to Rochester, MN, where she began a 30-year career at IBM. That same city would become home to her growing family after marrying Maurice W. Klingsporn in 1967. Together, they raised two children, Joseph and Deanna.

Conrad Johnson Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 10:02am

CONRAD JOHNSON, a devoted servant whose unwavering faith guided his life's journey, peacefully entered eternal rest on April 9, 2025, in Tulsa, OK. Born on March 4, 1939, in Crosby, MN, Conrad pursued a vocation in education, earning a Bachelor's degree from Denver University and a Master's from St. Cloud State. He began his career as an elementary teacher and taught for some time in Crosby-Ironton where he touched countless young lives with wisdom and compassion. He joined the Army National Guard at age 17.

Jean Marie Braun Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 9:58am

JEAN MARIE BRAUN, 79, of North Branch, formerly of Ironton, passed away on Saturday, April 19, 2025. Services will be held at a later date.

Jeanne Lillian (Ruschmeier) Risnes Obit

Published by admin on Fri, 06/13/2025 - 9:58am

JEANNE LILLIAN (RUSCHMEIER) RISNES passed away April 18, 2025, at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Duluth Medical Center. She was born on Oct. 20, 1938, in Plato to Ernie and Lillian (Telthorster) Ruschmeier, and moved to Aitkin in 1946 where she graduated from Aitkin High School. She married Carl G Risnes in Aitkin in 1954. She started out her career at 3M in Minneapolis until moving back to Crosby in 1974 where she was a dedicated employee of Scorpion until 1980. She then worked for Crow Wing County until her retirement in 2003.