Swanson Peterson Funeral Home

Omar Edward Glessing, age 95, of Howard Lake, died Monday, April 4, 2011, at the Howard Lake Good Samaritan Care Center.

He was born Nov. 16, 1915, in Howard Lake, the son of Henry and Emma (Zech) Glessing.

A lifelong member of St. James Lutheran Church in Howard Lake, Omar was baptized Dec. 12, 1915, by the Rev. A.L. Oetjen, and confirmed in his faith March 24, 1929, by the Rev. C.G. Seitz.

Omar received his education at Rice Lake School, St. James Lutheran School, Howard Lake Public School, Cokato Normal Training, and the Minnesota School of Business. He taught at Grass Lake School for three years before entering the banking business at Dassel State Bank as an assistant cashier.

At the Security State Bank of Howard Lake, Omar held the position of vice president and president. He was also active in banking associations, serving as president of the Wright County Banking Association, treasurer of the Independent Bankers of Minnesota, and as a member of the Agriculture Committee of the Minnesota Bankers Association. Upon retiring in 1983, he had a total of 49 years in banking.

Omar was married to Verna Reiter June 7, 1941. Their marriage was blessed with a son, Rolland.

As a member of St. James Lutheran Church in Howard Lake, Omar taught Bible school, sang in the church choir, and served as treasurer and president.

He enjoyed bowling, fishing, and hunting. While hunting in Ontario, Canada in October 1959, Omar had his greatest thrill as a sportsman when he successfully harvested a trophy moose.

Omar entered the Howard Lake Good Samaritan Care Center in 2001.

He is survived by his wife, Verna, of Howard Lake; his son, Rolland and his wife, Jean, of Plymouth; his granddaughter, Dr. Brooke and her husband, Dr. Peter Baggenstos of Minneapolis; his grandson, Peter Glessing of Minneapolis; a brother, Lorren and his wife, Jeanne, of Howard Lake; sister-in-law Eva Glessing; nieces; nephews; and a host of other relatives, and friends.

Omar was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Emma Glessing; three brothers, Warren, Howard, and Maurice; and two sisters, Mabel Sherva and Eva Handrich.

The funeral service took place Thursday, April 7, at 2 p.m. at St. James Lutheran Church in Howard Lake, with the Revs. Michael Nirva and Martin Schoenfeld officiating. Special music was provided by soloist Marge Stueven, and Mae Wannarka served as organist. Interment was in the Howard Lake Cemetery.

Visitation was Wednesday, April 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home of Howard Lake, with a prayer service at 7 p.m.; and continued Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church.

Pallbearers were Marlin Diers, Delbert Gerdes, Allen Glessing, Daniel Glessing, Neal Glessing, Peter Glessing, and Dr. Roger Handrich.

The Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home in Howard Lake handled the arrangements.

Mildred Martha Morris, age 89, Cokato, died Friday, April 1, 2011, at Providence Place Center in Minneapolis.

She was born March 10, 1922, in Dassel, to Charles and Hilda (Harkanen) Tormanen.

Mildred grew up north of Dassel on a farm near Big Swan Lake, and attended Big Swan Country School through eighth grade. She graduated from Litchfield High School in 1941.

Mildred was united in marriage to Alger Morris July 29, 1944. They lived the first few years in Dassel, and from there, farmed by Knapp, then Howard Lake, and West Albion. They moved to Cokato in 1963.

Mildred was a homemaker during her married life and helped out at the family grocery store. She enjoyed baking and spending time with her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Alger; her parents, Charles and Hilda Tormanen; seven sisters; four brothers; one grandson; and one great-grandson.

Mildred is survived by 10 children: Myron (Laurie) of South Haven, Judy Hill (Calvin) of Plymouth, Jayne Holker (John) of Osseo, Kathy Kesti (David) of Cloquet, Shirley Strohschein (Bruce) of Shakopee, Cynthia of Edina, Vicky Janckila (Gary) of Cokato, Carolyn Compton (Kevin) of Darwin, Mary Piepgras (David), Bradley (Ruth Ann), all of Cokato; 41 grandchildren; and 50 great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by two sisters, Dorothy Raisanen and Lorraine (Robert) Torola; sister-in-law Hilda Jo Tormanen; brother-in-law Carl (Nora) Morris; and sister-in-law Elizabeth (Marvin) Johnson; along with a host of relatives, friends, and brothers and sisters in faith.

The funeral service took place Wednesday, April 6 at 11 a.m. at First Apostolic Lutheran Church of Dassel.

Visitation was Tuesday, April 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the church.

Arrangements were handled by Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home in Cokato.

Norma Lee Samuelson, age 78, of Cokato, died Friday, March 25, 2011, at Meeker County Memorial Hospital in Litchfield.

She was born April 6, 1932, in Minneapolis KS, to Vern and Verna (Disney) Johnson. Norma grew up there and graduated from Minneapolis High School in 1950.

After high school, Norma attended Brown-Mackie business school in Salina, KS.

As a young lady, she moved to Menahga, MN with her parents.

Norma married Raymond C. Samuelson June 7 1952. To their union, five sons and one daughter were born.

The couple farmed at Menahga on Ray’s home farm until 1966. They moved to West Concord, MN, where Ray was employed by Appliance and Refrigeration Company, and attended Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis.

In 1970, the family moved to Cokato; and in 1973, Ray and Norma opened their own business, Ray’s Refrigeration, which they operated until 1999. Norma was an intricate part of the business, putting her secretary and bookkeeping skills to work, as a full partner with Ray in the business.

Norma enjoyed sewing, fishing, gardening, and writing. Most of all, she enjoyed her family, and her dog, Nicky.

She was a member of the First Apostolic Lutheran Church of Cokato and Dassel.

Norma is survived by her children: Michael of Buffalo, Dennis (Linda), Jerry (Cecilia), David (Suzie), and Cindy (Melvin) Nowak, all of Cokato; 17 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Virginia Kelley of Minneapolis, KS.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray; her parents, Vern and Verna Johnson; a son, Stephen; and a brother, Richard.

The funeral service took place Wednesday, March 30 at 2 p.m. at First Apostolic Lutheran Church of Dassel, with interment at Cokato Finnish Cemetery.

The Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home handled the arrangements.