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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Obituaries: Sept. 27, 2019

Posted

Roger D. Berglund, M.D.
Roger Dale Berglund, M.D., 77, of Lake Vermilion-Soudan and Mt. Iron, died on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, in his Mt. Iron home. A Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29 in Bauman’s Vermilion Funeral Home in Tower. A gathering time for family and friends will begin one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will take place in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Duluth. Family services are provided by Bauman-Vermilion, a Bauman Family Funeral Home in Tower.
Roger was born on Aug. 17, 1942, in St. Paul, the son of Dale E. and Edythe (Newman) Berglund. Roger graduated from Washburn High School in Minneapolis in June 1960 and enrolled in the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Chemical Engineering. In 1964 he changed his field of study to Zoology and graduated in March 1965 with a degree in Zoology. In September 1965, Roger enrolled in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota and graduated with a Medical Degree in 1969. In his second year of medical school he was selected a member of the National Honorary Medical Fraternity, Alpha Omega Alpha. Admittance to this fraternity was given to students in medical school having an outstanding scholastic and academic record. Upon graduation, he received the Borden Foundation, Inc. Award which is the undergraduate research award in medicine at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Up to that time, only 23 other students had received this award for proficiency in research.
His internship was at San Francisco General Hospital. During the Vietnam War, Roger enlisted in the Public Health Service as a military surgeon. From 1970 to 1972, he worked at the Public Health Hospital in Anchorage. Roger enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 1972 for his residency in Ophthalmology, graduating in 1975. In August 1975, he became employed by East Range Clinics, Ltd. in Virginia as one of the ophthalmologists.
In February 1991, Roger was awarded Board Certification in the sub-specialty field of cataract/implant surgery from the American Board of Eye Surgery. This certification ensures the ophthalmologist maintains a high level of surgical excellence as measured by his peers.
In July 1993, Roger terminated his employment with the East Range Clinic. In February 1994, he entered into his own practice headquartered in Virginia. He also maintained offices in International Falls, Ely and Duluth. He established the Northern Refractory Surgery Center and went on to hire partners Dr. Jeff Weis and Dr. Bridget Sundell. At age 77, Roger was still practicing medicine at the Essentia Clinic in Virginia and with Dr. Weis in Hermantown.
Roger was very hardworking and honest. His ethics and talents as a surgeon were beyond compare. He was an innovative surgeon and had performed surgery on thousands of patients, yet he remained humble. He was a carpenter, a landscape designer, and an electrician. He built many projects, did finishing work on his homes, and designed and built two ponds with waterfalls and koi fish at his lake home. He liked to garden, do woodworking, and liked to be intellectually challenged. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.
Roger is survived by his wife, Amy Berglund; children, David (Jami) Berglund of Big Lake and Christina “Nina” (Gus Chung) Berglund of Sacramento, Calif.; stepson, Charles Crayne of Soudan; siblings, Richard (Pat) Berglund of Wyoming, Minn., and Judy Listberger of Minneapolis; grandchildren, Avi, Lily, Juliet and Jonah; nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents.

Earl Ahlstrand
Earl Ahlstrand, of Ely, passed away at his home on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, surrounded by family. Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Kerntz Funeral Home in Ely.
He is survived by his wife, Georgann Sterner Ahlstrand; five daughters, Roxanne (Ron) Perttula, Brenda (Gary) Pieper of Pinopolis, S.C., Shelly Bach, La-Rae Olson and Lisa (Barry) Burton of Hibbing; sisters, Dorthy (Eugene) Maki and Betty Mather (Tony) Erner; brother, Bill (Lillian) Ahlstrand; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Stanley E. Stenbeck
Stanley Erwin Stenbeck, 89, of Cook, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. There will be a private family committal at a later time. Arrangements are with Mlaker Funeral Home of Cook.
Stanley was born to Wayne and Hilda (Makela) Stenbeck on May 30, 1930. He grew up and attended school in Cook, graduating from Cook High School in 1948. Stanley became a mechanic right out of high school, working until he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952. He remained stateside, serving in the Motor Pool division until he was honorably discharged in 1954. Soon after, he was united in marriage to Mary Leah Larson in October 1954 in Trinity Church in Cook. They were married just one month shy of 65 years at the time of his passing. During this time, Stanley continued his mechanical career, working at Maki Motors, Gentilini Motors and Waschke Auto Plaza in the Virginia-Eveleth area, until his retirement in 1992.
Stanley and Mary Leah both loved the water, so they followed their dream and moved to a home on Lake Vermilion, where they lived for 47 years. Stanley loved spending time with his wife, especially when they were fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling together. His wife and family remember Stanley as a soft-hearted, kind and gentle man. He will be dearly missed.
Stanley is survived by his loving wife, Mary Leah; sister, Shirley Reichel; brother-in-law, Edward Larson Sr.; 10 nieces and nephews; and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews.  
He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Hilda; sister, Dorothy Whiteside; brothers-in-law, Jack Whiteside and Dick Reichel; nephew, Marty Reichel; great-nephew, Trevor Reichel; niece, Ann Katzenberger; and great-great-niece, Peytynn Russell.

David M. Glowaski

David Marshall Glowaski, 73, of Orr, passed away on Wednesday, Sept.18, 2019, at his home surrounded by loved ones. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Monday, Sept. 23 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Orr. Arrangements were with Mlaker Funeral Home of Cook.
David was born to Joe and Helen (Lehtonen/Wardas) Glowaski on July 8, 1946. David lived most of his life in Orr. He attended and graduated from Orr High School, where he was an avid sportsman, participating in football, basketball, baseball, track and cross country. After high school, David went to Virginia Junior College where he continued his love of playing sports. He played college football, basketball and track. He then enrolled in St. Cloud State University, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education.
After teaching jobs dried up, David moved back to Orr and began working for Abramson Construction, where he remained for years. He then worked for Ulland Brothers. Dave logged in the winter and the allure of the woods compelled him to work in logging “year-round”. He became an independent logger and formed his own logging business, Glowaski Logging. David saw a lot of problems that affected his industry, therefore, he got involved at the local and national level and during this time he became the co-founder of the Associated Contract Loggers. Dave was also a pilot and he co-founded the Pelican Flyers Flying Club. He also served as the Mayor of Orr for several years after the 1994 fire. Dave was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Orr.
David is survived by his daughters, Kirbie Glowaski of Orr and Jeaniel Glowaski of Virginia; grandchildren, Niamoni Kingbird, Nahvaya Kingbird, Marriah Kingbird, Celice King, Bonzelle Walker and Michael David Griffith; brothers, Harvey (Merrie) Glowaski of Wyoming, Minn.; and Peter (Nancy) Glowaski of Orr; sister, Karen Prew of Rosemont; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Helen; and sister, Joanne Johnson.

Aaron J. Lokken
Aaron James Lokken, 36, of Cook, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Arrangements are with Mlaker Funeral Home of Cook.
Aaron was born to James and Linda (Neimi) Lokken on Dec. 26, 1982, in Chisholm. He attended school in Cook, graduating from Cook High School. He furthered his education by attending three years of Votech School in Eveleth, becoming an auto body repair and mechanical specialist. He was employed at Arrowhead Paint and Repair in Gheen.
His love for all things mechanical was ingrained in him. As a child he loved remote control (RC) race cars, planes and helicopters. When Aaron was a teenager, he competed in the RC car races in Chisholm.
Aaron also had a quiet side. He enjoyed the peacefulness of the outdoors. He spent his spare time fishing, hunting and four-wheeling. When he wasn’t outside, he could be found working on cars and trucks.
Aaron was a quiet and thoughtful person, who in recent years moved in with his father so that he could help care for him. His family remembers him as a happy and easy-going free spirit, with a little bit of stubbornness mixed in. He liked to do things his own way. Aaron will be dearly missed.
Aaron is survived by his father, James “Jim” Lokken; brothers, Jack and Dale; and sisters, Tina and Eileen.
Aaron was preceded in death by his grandparents, Gilbert and Alice Lokken; and mother, Linda.

Walter A. Fendt
Walter A. Fendt, 87, of Ely, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Ely United Methodist Church. A gathering of family and friends will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Leo G. Pullar
Leo George Pullar, 89, of Hoyt Lakes, formerly of Embarrass, died on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, at the Essentia Health-Northern Pines Nursing Home in Aurora, surrounded by loving family. A memorial service was held on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Hoyt Lakes with Pastor Barbara Hegfors officiating. A Masonic Service was also held on Sept. 24. Military honors were accorded by the Aurora-Hoyt Lakes Color Guard. Arrangements were by Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Aurora. Memorials are preferred for Trinity United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Merna; sons, Chris (Tammy) of Hoyt Lakes and Steven (Karin) of Shafer; daughters, Julie (Stephen Vanderburg) Johnson of Barnes, Wis., and Patricia (Richard) VonderHaar of Sauk Rapids; grandchildren, Angela, April, Richard, Jennifer, Theresa, Matthew and Amy Jo; 11 great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter; sisters, Jacquelyn (Floyd) Christianson, Doreen (Gordon) MacMurray, Judith (Herb) Fuller and Cathie Eldridge, all of International Falls, and Karen Tupper of Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada; and numerous nieces and nephews.

obituaries, death notices, Leo G. Pullar, Walter A. Fendt, Aaron J. Lokken, David M. Glowaski, Stanley E. Stenbeck, Earl Ahlstrand, Roger D. Berglund