Obituaries: February 9, 2024

Jeanne A. Burgess
Jeanne Anita Burgess, 95, formerly of Tower, passed away peacefully on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, at Pine View Care Center in Black River Falls, Wis. A celebration of life memorial service will be held in Tower at a later date. Memorials can be made to an animal cause organization of your choice, or a tree can be planted in Jeanne’s memory anywhere of your choice. The family wishes to give Pine View Memory Care Unit’s employees and St. Croix Hospice a special thank you for the care, patience and compassion they showed during her end-of-life journey. Family arrangements are with Buswell Funeral Home of Black River Falls, Wis. 
Jeanne was born on Feb. 20, 1928, in St. Paul, to Roy and Anita Skooglun. She grew up in White Bear Lake. Shortly after graduating high school, she worked at Kodak Camera doing some modeling. (When Jeanne looked at some of her young pictures, she would say, “I was a looker wasn’t I?”) She then moved with her parents to Sausalito, Calif., where her father worked at building construction and her mother welded in the shipyard. She then moved with her parents to Tower, when they purchased the Birch Point Inn resort on Lake Vermilion.
She was united in marriage to William “Bill” Burgess on Sept. 16, 1950.  They operated the Birch Point Inn in Tower, after purchasing it from Jeanne’s parents, from 1961 until its sale in 1975. Jeanne had many passions. She loved hard work, people, was devoted to her family, loved nature, spending a lot of time outdoors, animals and singing.  When she was a young girl, she would sing out of her bedroom window hoping to be discovered. After retiring from the resort, she found she had a love for gardening, singing in her church choir, painting, crafting, and collecting nature’s beautiful gifts from the woods where she would hunt for moss, bark, nests, and twigs. She enjoyed snowmobiling in the Boundary Waters, stopping for a lunch of toasted sandwiches and snowshoe grog over a fire to warm up before going on to the next lake.
Jeanne was a very sweet person, always putting others before herself, never complaining because she knew she was blessed, and the grass was always greener on her side of the fence. She would rescue abandoned or injured birds, often being successful, and never turned down a good game of bridge or cribbage. Jeanne loved to have her grandkids spend time with her out at the lake and as they grew up and married, always hoped to be around long enough to welcome some great-grandkids into the world, which she did with Bentley and Kayla. She will be missed and remembered by her family and friends for all these good things and always her offering of, “Can I help?”
Her surviving daughters, Linda (David) Oreskovich and Anita Nevala (Greg Northrup); grandchildren, Joshua (Jenny) Nevala and Annie (Lance) Dougherty; and great-grandchildren, Bentley Nevala and Kayla Dougherty, all want to say, “Thank you, mom, grandma and great-grandma. You did good.”
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; their Golden Retrievers; and her parents. 

Harvey Dennis Jensen
Harvey Dennis Jensen Sr., 76, passed away on Jan. 29, 2024, in Plymouth, Minn.
A ceremony to honor Harvey’s life will be held around the 4th of July weekend in Buyck, Minn. where he will be laid to rest next to Duane, details of which will be provided later. The Jensen family appreciates your support and condolences during this difficult time.
He was born on Feb. 9, 1947, in Minneapolis. Harvey, also known as Denny or Dennis, is a Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient who served in the Vietnam War.
Harvey is survived by his son, Harvey (Denny) Jensen Jr., and his daughter-in-law Sally Jensen. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Tyler and Isabella Jensen, and his brother Rob (Sandy) Jensen. Harvey was preceded in death by his son Duane Jensen; his father and mother, Harvey and Irene Jensen; and his brothers John and Everett.

Harold H. Newman
Harold Henry “Pete” Newman, 78, of Cook, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. Funeral arrangements are pending with Mlaker Funeral Home of Cook.

Deborah I. Dantes
Deborah Iva Mae “Debbie” Dantes, 75, originally of Orr, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Carson City, Nev. There are no services planned at this time.
She is survived by her brothers, Harry (Anne) of Texas, Gary (Barbara) of Orr and Dennis (Virginia) of Eveleth; brother-in-law, Mike (Maureen) Vidmar of Virginia; and numerous nephews and nieces.