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Robert (Bob) Piekarski floated away in calm water into the eternal lake of abundance on Sunday, August 7th. Bob entered the world, fishing rod in hand, on April 16th, 1940, where he would begin his lifelong journey of securing the title of “World’s Greatest Fisherman”, by certified unofficial ranking of family and friends. Bob was born to Tony and Tillie Piekarski (of Polish and Italian descent, respectively) in a quiet (to the outside) modest and loving home on 13th avenue in International Falls. The inside of Bob’s home growing up was nothing short of chaotic. A dad who owned Piekarski construction funded by the hard work of Bob, a mom who at 4’9” yielded a butcher’s knife to accurately emphasize the most important points in all conversation, and brothers and a sister who all shared handme downs and walked to school uphill in snowstorms both ways. Bob’s school years consisted of boot hockey, taunting the nuns and showing off the ruler scars on his knuckles as proof. Some of his fondest memories were of caretaking the 8th street rink and letting the boys lock up… “and don’t forget to turn off the lights”. He always felt pride in watching the local hockey develop on that rink and shared in all of the success. He never let us forget that he was a proud member of the PeeWee hockey team invited to Boston in 1952. His greatest love growing up was hunting and fishing. The stories of hunting and fishing trips with friends and family along with the trophies as proof will always be a testament to his talents for the generations to come.

Stanley Orville Lukenbill, 90 year old long time resident of Big Falls, MN, current resident of Royalton, MN, died Wednesday, August 3. There will be no funeral per his wishes, he will be laid to rest at Gremmel Cemetery at a later date. Stanley was born March 5, 1932 to the late David and Cora (Cook) Lukenbill in Orth, Minnesota. As a young boy his family moved to Spokane, WA to be closer to family. After the death if his mother he moved back to Minnesota. He was drafted into the United States Army and served his Country for two years and was honorably discharged. He met the love of his life Esther McMillen, and they were married on April 16, 1960 in Cloquet, MN. The couple made their home near Big Falls, MN for over 60 years. Stanley worked for Page & Hill Forest Products for over 50 years. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities.

James “Jim” Herman, age 75, passed away peacefully on July 30th, 2022 at Marywood Memory Care in Duluth, Minnesota. Jim was born in International Falls, Minnesota and graduated from Falls High School in 1964. He attended Bemidji State University. He joined the Air Force in 1967 and was deployed to Thailand during the Vietnam War. He met the love of his life, Shirley, while stationed at the Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah. He married her on March 6th, 1971 and moved to International Falls, Minnesota. They went on to have three children, Amy (Chad) Eichers, Jeff (Jacinta) Herman, and Kristi (Lars) Herman Hill. He was a very involved father and never missed a concert or game to support his kids. He trained to become an electrician at Boise Cascade in International Falls and was a lifelong master electrician, known as the guy who could fix anything. In 1987, he was hired on the start-up team at Lake Superior Paper Industries and moved the family to Duluth. After retiring in 2009, he became involved in several volunteer activities around Duluth. Jim was a passionate Democrat and spent countless hours volunteering with the DFL and Veterans for Peace. He also served on the Building and Appeals Board for the City of Duluth and the board of the Citizens Federation. Jim was most proud of his five years volunteering his electrician skills to help build the Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” when it moved to Bayfront in Duluth.