Martha M. Butkowski, 100, of New Munich, passed away peacefully May 20, 2022, at CentraCare Care Center in Melrose. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday, May 27, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in New Munich with the Rev. Daniel Walz officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be  4-7 p.m., Thursday, May 26, at Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose and 10-11 a.m., May 27, at the church. Martha Maria Hiltner was born Oct. 28, 1921, at home to John and Agnes (Dickhaus) Hiltner. She grew up on the farm in Melrose with her 12 siblings. Martha attended school through eighth grade. She was united in marriage to Florian “Bud” Butkowski June 1, 1950 in Melrose. They moved to St. Paul, which they called home until they retired and returned to St. Rosa. Survivors include her children, Jane (David “Sparky”) Johnson of Freeport and June (Ted) Smith of Everett, Washington; daughter-in-law Cheryl Carlson of St. Paul; grandchildren Karla (Jim) Maldonado, Daryl (Lyndsay) Johnson, Jayme (Paul) Schettner, Mark (Sarah) Emerson and Megan and Regina Smith; step-grandchildren Robert (Susan) Darby, Carolyn (Shaun) Krebsbach and Sara (Salvador) Vargas; great-grandchildren Michaela, Dalton, Dash, Shianne, Matthew, Alli, Salvador, Jr., Manny, Kamila, Viviana, Jacolby, Marilyn, Myles and Grace; siblings Lidwina Wolbeck, Alphonse Hiltner, Leander (Linda) Hiltner, Clarissa Barthel and Anna Mae (Donald) Speldrich; in-laws Carolyn Hiltner, Irene Hiltner, Lucille Stanek, Laverne Fleischhacker, Melvin (Carol) Butkowski, Annette (Sylvester) Hollenkamp, Raymond Butkowski, Dorothy Butkowski and Mary Ann Butkowski; and many nieces and nephews. Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Florian “Bud” Butkowski; parents; son Mark Butkowski; sisters Leona Wolbeck, Alvina Hiltner and Juletta Wolbeck; and brothers Edward, Edwin, Raymond, Melvin and Cyril Hiltner. Serving as casket bearers will be Daryl Johnson, Robert Darby, Paul Schettner, James Maldonado, Mark Emerson and Dalton Maldonado. Cross bearer will be Shianne Schettner and scripture bearer will be Dash Johnson. The reader will be Michaela Maldonado. Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral & Cremation Services of Melrose.

A private family funeral Mass was May 18 at Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Albany for Edgar C. Shannon, 70, who died Feb. 12, 2022, at Mother of Mercy Senior Living in Albany.  Ed was born Dec. 25, 1951, in Brainerd,  to Orville and Margaret (Cronin) Shannon. He graduated from Moorhead High School and attended Moorhead State University, graduating with degrees in English and German. He received his Master of Arts degree from St. Cloud State University. Ed taught in the Holdingford School district until retiring. He was a longtime director of the one act play and the three act fall play. Ed enjoyed fishing, golfing, reading, acting and writing poetry. He was an actor in the Resurrected Artists, a local theater company.  Survivors include his brother, Orville Shannon; his sister, Luanne Swenson; nephew Eric (Kylee Persing) Swenson; niece Shannon (Adam) Wander and their children Cora and Cooper. In lieu of flowers, feel free to donate to a charity in Ed’s behalf.