All Obituaries

Lylian Mae Richards passed away peacefully on September 21, 2023, at the age of 92, with loving family by her side. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, October 23 at Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home in Bemidji.  Family will greet friends an hour prior to the service, as well as after. Lylian “Mickey” was born on September 14, 1931, to George and Katharine (Anton) Swanson in Sanders Township, Pennington County, Minnesota.  She grew up on the family...

Sheila Kay Lindell “Wieme”, 54, gained her wings on Tuesday, Sept. 12th, 2023, at United Hospital, St. Paul, MN with her loved ones at her side. Sheila was born Jan. 28th, 1969, in Kanabec County to Rudolph (Rudy) and Karen Patch. The family moved to Blackduck and when she was 9, they settled in Hines, MN. Sheila attended Blackduck school K-12 except for one year when she lived in rural Kelliher with her sister, Shellie and family. Sheila graduated from Blackduck High School in...

Margie Hirt, a cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, peacefully departed this world on September 29th, 2023, at Golden Horizons in Aitkin, Minnesota. Surrounded by her loving family, she transitioned to her eternal rest, leaving behind a legacy of love and laughter. Margie (Vincent) Hirt graced the world with her presence on December 6th, 1932, in Elgin, Illinois. She was the seventh of twelve children born to David and Florence (Annis) Vincent. Margie's early years were...

Walter “Bill” William Pagel, 73, of Bemidji, MN passed away on September 15, 2023 at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Funeral Services will be at 2:00 p.m., Monday, September 25, 2023 at Eckles Community Center, Bemidji, MN. Visitation will be from 12:00 –2:00 p.m. at Eckles Community Center prior to the service. The Interment will be Tuesday September 26th at 11:00 in Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Camp Ripley, Little Falls MN. Bill was born to Ben and Mary (deVries)...

Lois Luella Benson Ward, 98, of Bemidji, MN passed away peacefully Friday, September 15th at Tamarack Court in Bemidji, MN with family by her side. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, September 25th at 11 a.m. at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Bemidji. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Inurnment will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Bemidji. Lois was born September 7, 1925 in Alida, to Martha Renata Weber and Gerhardt Benson. She was baptized at...

Dave Cheney, 79, of Bemidji, Minnesota passed away at his home on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Memorial Service on Friday, September 22, 2:00PM at Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home in Bemidji. Visitation to start at 1:00. He was a person with many interests including languages, music, gardening, and genealogy. As an active member of Bemidji Language Tables, he practiced his Spanish, Norwegian, Italian, French, Chinese, and Ojibwe. A lifelong learner, he recently started violin and mandolin...

Floyce Alexander was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, December 31, 1938, the son of a western Arkansas coal miner whose own father was a cotton tenant farmer in eastern Oklahoma. Growing up in the fifties in the lower Yakima Valley of Washington state, Alexander was paid ten cents per column inch for writing high school sports for a weekly newspaper for four years. Choosing to accept a journalism scholarship, he was sports editor of a nearby college weekly & editor in chief of the college...

Livestreaming Gladys' service can be found at:                     https://youtube.com/live/dBNcl-ibzsM?feature=share Gladys Marie Qualle passed away Tuesday, September 5th at Sanford Hospital in Bemidji with her son Paul by her side.   Funeral Services will be Tuesday, September 12th at 10:30 AM with a visitation Monday September 11th from 5-8 PM at Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home...

        Grace Marie (South) Watkins, age 76, passed away in her own typical quiet manner - taking her last breath on earth and her first breath in heaven - at her home in Bemidji, MN on December 29, 2022.  She was born December 10, 1946 in Crookston, MN to Lyle E.  and Beatrice M.  South.  She married Gary K. Watkins of Becida, MN, on August 22, 1964, he preceded her in death on July 10, 2000.  Grace and Gary were parents to Douglas and...

Gloria Aylesworth passed away peacefully on September 5, 2023 surrounded by her family. Memorial Services will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, September 8, 2023 at Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home, Bemidji. Family will greet friends one half hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Gloria was born on April 10, 1933 to Andrew and Emma (Bliss) Hartman at home in Pennington, MN. She lived and attended school there until the age of 10 when the family moved to Bemidji. On August 26,1953 Gloria married...