Obituaries

Dennis G. Hell 63, of International Falls died Sunday, September 4, 2022, at his home in rural International Falls, Minnesota.

Maurice “Red” Willard Ohlquist Sr., 89, of International Falls passed away with his loving family by his side on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Maurice was bom on October 8, 1932 in Badger, Roseau County, MN to Maurice and Myrtle (Bakken) Ohlquist. Maurice grew up on his family farm along with his sister Margaret, for which he was and has always remained especially close. As a child and young adult, Maurice was known for his coppercolored locks, quickly earning him the nickname “Red”.

Frank Theodore Oveson died September 7, 2022, at the Littlefork Care Center, in Littlefork, MN. He was bom on November 1, 1956, in International Falls, the son of Theodore and Lois (Lenhart) Oveson. After his schooling Frank entered the United States Air Force. He was honorably discharged ^ and returned home where he worked for the paper mill and drove cab.

Gerald Forsythe, 94, passed away at Rainy Lake Medical Center on Wednesday, September 7, 2023. Gerald was bom on February 25, 1928.

Ann Marie Coulombe, 74, of Sierra Vista, AZ, was found deceased on Sunday, September 4th, 2022 in her apartment with her beloved dog Oscar by her side. She died from a heart attack.

In 1926 three beautiful babies were born. One changed her name from Norma Jean to Marilynn. Another became the Queen of England, but the third was the most glamorous and regal of them all, one of the fabulous Markow sisters who, with sister Jennie (Coran), lived next door to the Ukrainian Hall on Ninth Street, daughters of John and Paraska Markow. This A-student was good with numbers. Remember the sign east of town that said, “Worlds Largest Pulpwood Storage?” Olga, now a Mando employee, was assigned to keep track of just how many logs were there. Her natural ability with numbers paid off. She became a deputy city clerk and was responsible for counting the change brought in from the downtown parking meters. Her gift was recognized by Russ Hanover who employed her as his bookkeeper for his various enterprises, and Olga spent most of her working life keeping track of the cash coming in and out of Snyders Drug and the movie theater. Olga worked hard, and she played hard. She and husband, the late Vern Reuter, bought a large lot on Stop Islands south shore and were in a hurry to enjoy it. Instant gratification took the form of moving a small house on Ninth Street to the lake where a freshly plowed ice road was waiting. The house was trucked across the lake and planted at the island. The fun began. The fun was entertaining so many people for so many years at Stop Island. Olga was the perfect hostess. Her wit and her charm are legendary. When the summer morphed into our beautiful north country fall, Olga and Vern changed gears and moved the party to the hunting shack on highway 65. Weekends and then weekdays they would get off work around four and straight to the shack. Despite her uncanny bookkeeping skills, she was not so good at keeping track of how many partridges she shot with her single shot Stevens 410. Safe it to say she was a ruffed grouses worst nightmare. Retirement did not change anything respecting summer and fall, but it did change things for winter. Eve

It is with profound sadness the family of Richard Scott Sjerven announces his passing on Monday, August 29, 2022; he was “loved by all.” A few weeks ago, Rich told me he was going to write his own obituary because he didn’t want his to have all the usual stuff in it. But he didn’t get to it, and now I’m not sure what to write for him, so this will be short.

Christina Antonia Frederick LaVigne died August 30, 2022, in assisted living. She was born June 19, 1925, in the CNR station house near Anola, Manitoba, Canada. Her parents were Anne Koltelo, a homemaker, and Constantine Gustantine Frederick, a CNR Station Master. Chris and her 3 brothers-- George, Ray, and Bobwere raised in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. Ukrainian and English were spoken at home. Chris completed eight grades in St. Mary’s Catholic school and graduated from Fort Frances high school. She was a strong student. Outside of classes she loved participating in mixed dance troupes. Her parents enrolled her in Ukrainian dancing in primary school, which led to an interest in Scottish sword dancing. She performed at Robert Burns banquets in Rainy River and Emo. She joined Alice Jones’s tap dance classes and performed in many concerts at city hall in Fort Frances.

Thomas G. Custer, 66, of International Falls, died Saturday, August 27, 2022, at The Rainy Lake Medical Center.