Swanson Peterson Funeral Home

Our beloved mom and wife sadly passed away on January 29, 2024 at Methodist Hospital surrounded by her loved ones. She fought a short, but brutal battle with colon cancer and took her last breath at age 70.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Kieth; children Christine (Matt) and Adam (Tammie); her much adored grandchildren, Josh, Nolan, Reilly and Jameson; her brother David (Sandy); and many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors.

Family was the most important thing in the world to Karen and she treasured each and every moment that she was able to spend with both family and friends. She loved Kieth with all her heart and together they had countless adventures of travel, hiking, biking, quilting, cooking and camping.

Please see Karen’s CaringBridge site for service information.

John “Jack” Vigoren, of Minneapolis and Maple Plain, Minnesota, passed away on Wednesday, January 24th, 2024.

Jack was born to Roy and Evelyn Vigoren on August 6, 1947. One of seven siblings (six boys), Jack enjoyed a raucous upbringing along the banks of the Mississippi River. He graduated from Minnehaha Academy in 1965 where he played football and enjoyed many high school friends.

He graduated from the University of Minnesota and, later, the William Mitchell College of Law. Through his years in law school he served as a police officer for the City of Saint Paul.

In the early 1980s he settled in Maple Plain, MN, a small town where he practiced law. He would eventually become mayor in 1996, after campaigning with a large sign with the message, “YES WE CAN GET A LIGHT OH HIGHWAY 12!” He pulled that sign through the streets of town with a tractor and a hay wagon. That turned out to be a winning strategy. He was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church where he served as Choir Director for more than a decade.

Jack was known for his musicality, his gregarious and flirtatious personality, and a brusque indignation that you either loved or hated. Whether teasing his grandsons, telling a dirty joke, or playing a winning hand he always knew how to get a rise out of someone while making them smile. He lived life outspoken and unfiltered and encouraged those he loved to do the same.

Jack received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2017. With the help of the local Alzheimer’s Association and the Norman-dale Center for Healing and Wholeness he and his family were able to adjust to, and live with the disease.

Jack is preceded in death by his parents Roy and Evelyn, his brother George, sister Janet Louise, and his beloved son Joshua.

He is survived by his wife Margie, son Luke, daughter Alena (Wesley) Fuhrman, daughter Tessa (Andrew) Silbernagel, and grandsons Harvey, Loudon, Roger, and Edgar. He is also survived by his siblings Gerald, Martha, Robert, Paul, and Doug, as well as a multitude of in-laws, nieces, nephews, and friends. A private interment was held for immediate family at Riverside Cemetery near Annandale, MN. A memorial will be held by the family this summer on July 6, 2024.

Memorials may be directed to:
The Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness
6100 Normandale Rd
Edina, MN 55436

Or The Alzheimer’s Association at:
https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=859689

Michael Lane Rohde, 46, of Clearwater MN left this life on January 23, 2024.

Michael was born on August 6, 1977. He is survived by Fiancé LeeAnn, children Paige and Nicholas, step children Treyton and Kamryn, Mother LaNell (Steve), Father David (Mary), Siblings, Jodi (Danny), Amanda, Damon, Derek, Jerry and Nikki.

Michael was preceded in death by Grandparents Ralph and June Shepperd, Gilbert and Dolores Rohde, step brother Anthony.

Services will be held at St. James Lutheran Church in Howard Lake, MN on Saturday February 3, 2024 at 11 am with visitation one hour prior. There will be a luncheon following services at the St. James School in Howard Lake, MN. Burial will be at St. James Cemetery at Dutch Lake.

Our family matriarch, Alice Swanson, passed away on Sunday, January 21, 2024 in Cokato, MN. Alice was a rock of positivity, always seeing a half-full glass, even when it was nearly empty. Her life was a model of kindness and she showered her family with unconditional love and understanding.

Alice LaRoe Batcher was born to Ray and Tressie Batcher, on July 30, 1926, in Staples, MN. After graduating from high school, she studied nursing at Hamline College in St Paul. She was working as an x-ray technician when she met Gordon E. Swanson. They were married on September 11,1948. Alice had dreams of being a fashion designer in Paris but focused on designing a fabulous family. She and Gordy moved all the way out to Golden Valley, MN where they built a home and raised 9 children on some spit and love (Seriously, how did they manage?)

Alice was a mom and a damn good one (sorry for the profanity Mom, but the fact needs emphasis and an exclamation point was not enough.) She did things like pack extra food in Gordon’s lunchbox so he could share the leftovers with the kids when he got home from work. She never wanted the last piece of anything and always thought our ideas were excellent – even Wayne’s request for liver and onions which she cooked, even though she didn’t like it.

In the 80’s and 90’s, Alice and Gordy were able to travel in style thanks to LaRoe’s airline passes. They flew coast to coast, sometimes just going to the airport to see which flight they could grab. They enjoyed lunch in Toronto, foggy visits to Seattle, buffets in Las Vegas, cherry blossoms in DC and the beaches of Grand Cayman.

After the kids flew the nest, Alice and Gordon moved to a small town near Little Falls where they had a little house with a very welcoming garden and backyard. Alice’s birthday became a family holiday with all the kids and grandkids making the trip to Flensburg every July to celebrate with a picnic.

A move to Howard Lake in the 90’s meant they were closer to family. After Gordon’s health required a move to a long-term care facility, Alice moved into Brookridge Assisted Living in Cokato. Her sun filled little studio overlooked the golf course and was attached to Gordon’s facility, allowing her to walk over for visits and meals until he passed on December 24, 2016. The assisted living community became her home and her children are grateful for the care and comfort she received from the staff there.

Alice is survived by her 9 children, LaRoe Swanson (Bill Wolfe), Beverly Elmshauser, Becky Scharber (Richard), Wayne Swanson (Sylvia), Cindy Swanson (David Athey), Dale Swanson (Cheryl), Doug Swanson, Lyle Swanson, Lori Yerbich (Julian). Grandchildren Erik Elmshauser, Elyssa Wanek (Dave), Joe Scharber (Nicole), Jean Houston (Matt), Scott Athey (Sydney), Sam Athey (Megan), Greg Swanson (Amanda), Emmy Logeais (Mark), Nick Swanson (Stefanie), Allison Holthaus (Ben), Zach Swanson (Brittany), Jacob Swanson, Sydney Swanson, Matt Swanson, Amanda Kenney (John), Alex Yerbich (Grace Welton), Jai Yerbich, Sophia Yerbich. 28 great-grandchildren.

Alice is preceded in death by her husband Gordon E. Swanson, brother David L. Batcher, son-in-law Steven Elmshauser and daughter-in-law Lori Swanson.

Lately, Alice was very stressed about so many people hungry and without shelter and would love a tribute gift in her name to Second Harvest Heartland: https://www.2harvest.org/get-involved/donate-money/tribute-gift

A memorial for Alice will be held in the spring of 2024 at the First Presbyterian Church in Howard Lake with date and time to be announced.

Ernest Stanley Lantto (Ernie or Stan) is off on his greatest adventure at 92. He died on January 16th, 2024 in Dassel, MN. A green burial was held at Steeleville Cemetery the following Friday.

Ernie was born on April 3, 1931 in French Lake, MN to Ernest B. Lantto and Emma J. Rokala. After graduating from Annandale High School in 1948, he attended Gustavus Adolphus College and graduated in 1952 with a degree in Mathematics.

He married Louise A. Granath in Dassel on September 13, 1953. Ernie and Louise first lived in Dayton, Ohio while serving in the US Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force base where Ernie was involved in the Air Force’s first deployment of computers. They later moved to St. Louis Park, MN where Ernie began his career as a computer engineer for Univac. In 1971, the family moved to Europe as Univac had transferred him there. The family lived in The Hague, Netherlands and the Bonn, West Germany metro area. They spent summers traveling across Europe in a Volkswagen camper van. This sparked Ernie’s passion for traveling the world, eventually visiting 43 countries and even traveling to Europe and Costa Rica in his 90s. He was an adventurer, always willing to try the food and learn about the local culture. The family returned from Europe in 1976 to the same home they had left in 1971.

Ernie retired from Univac in 1988, after purchasing Louise’s childhood farm home in rural Dassel. He loved renewing the property and caring for the land and its wildlife. He thrived on reconnecting and learning about the people where he grew up. Ernie will be remembered for his story telling and undying love of his Finnish heritage. He was active in the local Finnish-American Genealogical Society and helped build Temperance Corner north of Cokato. For over 30 years, Ernie took pride in caring for Steelesville and Riverside Cemeteries as their Sexton. He was an active member of the Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel, as well as a member of the Kingston American Legion Post #483.

Ernie was a devoted husband to his wife, Louise, personally caring for her night and day the last 5 years of her life as she suffered the ravages of dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Ernie is survived by sons, Eric (Patricia) and Samuel, daughter Julia Hansen (Jeffrey), nine grandchildren, five great grandchildren, siblings Mary Sharon Bekkala, Katherine Johnson, Judy Byman, Chris Lantto as well as many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife Louise, daughter Karen Willcox, son Orville, grandchildren Stanton Willcox and Genevieve Lantto, and siblings Paul, John, Charlotte Peterson, Reuben, Carol Schacht and Greta Meade.

A memorial for Ernie will be held in the spring of 2024 in Dassel with date and time to be announced.