Virgil B. Schoenecker, age 96, of New Prague, died peacefully at his home at Praha Village on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.  Virgil was born on August 22, 1927, on the family farm in Belle Plaine Township, to Joseph and Celia (Ruhland) Schoenecker.  He attended the district school in Union Hill.  

Shirley Jean Lebo, age 97, of Chaska, MN, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on January 7, 2024.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, January 19, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour before at Hope Lutheran Church located at 201 Hope Ave. Jordan, MN.  The inurnment will be at Spirit Hill Cemetery in Jordan.

Elvin Leigh Wehking, age 57, of rural Janesville, died in a single vehicle crash on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
    The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s dispatch center received a 911 call at 5:33 p.m. of a vehicle crash near a residence on Tetonka Lake Road in Elysian Township. Le Sueur County Sheriff’s deputies and Elysian Fire and Rescue were initially dispatched to the scene. 
    Sheriff’s deputies noted that a 2003 Ford Taurus, driven by Wehking, had left the roadway, travelled through a ditch and collided with a large tree — which caused extensive front end damage to the vehicle. 

After splitting two games over break, the New Prague High School girls’ hoops team started 2024 off right with a solid win over section competition before opening Metro West play.
New Prague topped Rochester John Marshall Jan. 2, a victory that could help NPHS earn a top-four seed in the section seedings and a home playoff game later in the season. The victory gives the Trojans a leg up on the Rockets as an upper-middle tier team in the section behind Section 1AAAA powerhouses Lakeville North, Lakeville South and Rochester Mayo, said NPHS coach Eric Specht.

Andrew Thom stresses he is joking when he says he was hoping his daughter would arrive in time for he and his wife, Nicole, to receive a tax credit for having a child in 2023.
But Nicole and Andrew were delighted when their daughter, Louella Ann, arrived in time to become the first baby of 2024 in The New Prague Times’ New Year’s Baby 2024 contest.
Louella Ann arrived Monday, Jan. 1, 8:10 p.m. Born at St. Francis Regional Medical Center, she arrived weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Louella arrived at 21 1/2 inches long. Louella Ann is the couple’s first child.

The New Prague High School wrestlers traveled to Chanhassen High School where the Trojans wrestled 15th ranked AAA Chaska/Chanhassen in the opening round and then faced off against Eden Prairie. In both NPHS had close wins, clipping the wings of the Stormhawks, 31-25, and the Eagles, 36-29. New Prague is scheduled for a tournament at St. Cloud Tech High School, Saturday, Jan. 13. The Trojans have one remaining conference dual with Waconia on Thursday, Jan. 18. For more see an upcoming print edition of The New Prague Times.

Carol Anna Lambrecht, age 88, of Jordan, MN, passed peacefully surrounded by her family on Monday, January 8, 2024, at St. Gertrudes Health and Rehabilitation Center in Shakopee, MN.

Yvonne Geraldine (Severson) Schaefer, peacefully passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 95 in Aitkin, Minnesota. She looked upon her children and smiled as she took her final breath.  She was born on September 17, 1928, in Churchs Ferry, North Dakota, to Paul and Aagot (Nygaard) Severson.

Delores A. “Dee” Nelson, age 83, of New Prague, died peacefully at her home on Monday, January 8, 2024.  Dee was born on August 25, 1940, in Brainerd, to William and Irma (Anderson) Lenzen.  She proudly grew up on the Iron Range and graduated from Hibbing High School.  
She married Charles A. “Rocky” Nelson on May 1, 1965, in Minneapolis and the couple began their life in Minneapolis and moved to New Prague in June 1974.  Dee owned and operated, along with her husband, Helm Electric and Highlander Center, the laundromat in New Prague.  

Eldon L. Davidson, age 79, of New Prague, died unexpectedly on Friday, December 29, 2023, shortly after his arrival for a long-anticipated winter stay in Naples, Florida.  Eldon was born on March 28, 1944, in Keokuk, IA to Clarence and Dovie (McCune) Davidson.  He served in the US Army during the Vietnam War and attained his Bachelor of Arts Degree later in life.  Eldon married Jean C. Kunz on March 15, 1964, in Sutter, Illinois.  They made their home near Quincy, IL, and in 1988, moved to Minnesota. His profession was a computer programmer/analyst/consultant. 

Geraldine "Geri" Hope (Frye) Sandin, age 80, passed away on January 2, 2024, peacefully at home surrounded by family. Geri was born January 30, 1943, in Clayton, Iowa to John and Lucille (Beckett) Frye.

On Saturday, Dec. 30, descendants of Francis Atherton Bean Sr. and Jr. were in New Prague to meet with the current and future owner of the Bean Mansion at 211 Second St. NW, which has been a home for many families.

The two end zones were uncharted territory when the Ptarmigans and Polars resumed their annual rivalry in the 64th annual SnoBowl tackle football game Saturday, Dec. 30, at Memorial Park.

More than 150 people, mostly children with their families, celebrated the new year early with a ball drop at noon during the second annual Noon Year’s Eve Ball Drop Sunday, Dec. 31, at Eagle View Elementary School in Elko New Market.
“It seemed like a bigger crowd than last year,” said Pastor Gordon Deuel of Crossroads Church, which hosted the event. “We had a good crew of volunteers and something fur for all ages.”

Although the little steps toward getting better aren’t yet showing up in the win-loss column, the New Prague girls’ ice hockey team is taking small steps the Trojans hope will show up as they head into the conference season.
With about a month left in its season, New Prague is hoping for a turnaround. The Trojans need to win some games to receive a better seed, one that will spare them an opening round match against a powerhouse like Minnetonka. A year ago, the Trojans fell in their opening section game, 14-1, to a Minnetonka team that reached the state tournament.

There’s little doubt 2023 was a good year in New Prague. The community is continuing to grow and, arguably, prosper. Its school children display their talents on many stages on a regular basis. The community has many reasons to look forward with great enthusiasm for its future.