James J. Kratochvil, age 76, of New Prague, died peacefully in his home with his family by his side on Friday, July 25, 2025. Jim was born on September 25, 1948, in New Prague, to Wenceslaus “Vinny” and Agnes (Machacek) Kratochvil. A lifelong resident of New Prague, Jim attended St. Wenceslaus Parochial School, graduated from New Prague High School and went on to complete his associate degree at Dunwoody Technical College in Masonry.

Alice M. Jahnke, age 96, of Glencoe, Minnesota, passed away Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Samaritan Bethany Inc. in Rochester, Minnesota.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, August 1, 2025, 10:30 a.m., at the Church of St. Pius X in Glencoe, with interment following in the First Lutheran Cemetery in Glencoe.

Gathering of Family & Friends will be held will be held Friday, August 1, 2025, from 9:00-10:30 a.m., 1 ½ hours prior to the service ALL at the church.

Stephen A. Swenson, age 81, of New Prague, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2025. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Steve lived a life marked by love, service, and quiet determination.

He met the love of his life, Jean, on a blind date at the circus—an unforgettable beginning to a 57-year marriage. They were married on June 15, 1968. After living in the Twin Cities for several years, Steve and Jean followed their dream of country life and moved to a hobby farm in New Prague in 1977, where they raised their family and built a life full of meaningful work and community.

Thomas Duane (Lynch) Wegleitner, age 42, of Lonsdale, died tragically on Saturday, June 21, 2025, as a result of a motor vehicle accident in Nebraska, while returning from his daughter’s pageant.  The actions he took to avoid the oncoming vehicle saved his family’s life.

Thomas R. Walther, age 89, passed away on July 9, 2025, at Mala Strana in New Prague after a long battle with metastatic prostate cancer.  He is survived by his son, John (Brenda) and daughter, Janice; granddaughters, Arianna, Maya, Renata; sister-in-law, Nancy.
   Tom grew up in Minneapolis and was the youngest of four children.  He attended Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota.  After college, he served as a Specialist in the Army.

Joyce Mary Denzer, age 77, of Blaine, formerly of Montgomery, died following a three-year courageous battle with cancer on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at her home.

Gary James Rutt, age 80, of St. Thomas, passed away suddenly at All Saints Senior Living in Shakopee, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.  Gary was born on June 17, 1945, in New Prague, to Frank and Mary (Velishek) Rutt. He attended Holy Redeemer Catholic School and Montgomery High School.  He met the love of his life, Shirley E. Keough, at her “sweet 16th” birthday party and they married on October 2, 1965, at St.

Shirley Ann Budin, age 81, of Montgomery, died peacefully at her home on June 30, 2025, after spending two weeks under hospice care.
She was born at home on the farm in Union Hill, MN, to Norbert and Viola Weiers on May 31, 1944. She was the oldest of 12 children. She graduated from New Prague High School in 1962. She went to beauty school in Minneapolis and got a job at Southdale Mall at Doll House Beauty. 

Marilyn M. May, age 91, of New Prague, died tragically as the result of a car accident, on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
 Marilyn Mae Prokes was the only child born to Martin W. and Adeline (Shankey) Prokes on November 23, 1933.  Her childhood was spent living above the grocery store her parents operated and playing with the neighborhood children on Main Street.  She attended St. Wenceslaus and New Prague High School.  After graduation in 1951, Marilyn and friends headed to Minneapolis to live and work.

Roberta (Bert) Jane (Leatherman) McGuiggan, age 98, passed away June 18, 2025, at Christian Community Home in Osceola, WI. Roberta was born July 22, 1926, to parents Charles and Anna (Becker) Leatherman.
 She was married to John (Jack) E. McGuiggan Jr. on December 26, 1944, and to this marriage had 10 children – 7 girls and 3 boys.

Ralph Eugene Church passed away on June 19, 2025. He was preceeded in death by his parents. His father was Ralph E. Church, his mother was Clarice Marie Cameron. Ralph sadly never met his biological father. He was serving in the Army and passed away 3 months before Ralph was born. At age 5 his mother remarried. His stepfather was Raymond H. Bergquist. Ralph called him dad, and he loved him very much.

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Harriet Elaine Johnson, who died peacefully on May 1, 2025, at the age of 86. Born on July 29, 1938, in Chisago, Minnesota, Harriet was a cherished member of the community, known for her kindness, generosity and unwavering spirit.

Barbara “Barb” Joan (Zevenbergen) Givens passed away on Friday, June 13, 2025, at her home in Montgomery. She was born on February 21, 1947, in Hull, Iowa to loving parents, Ruth (nee Dorsman) and John Zevenbergen, Jr. She graduated from Northwestern University in Orange City, Iowa, in 1969. She taught English in Stillwater to middle school students. She loved teaching! She later moved on to help the Givens’ Family Best Lock Business. While her kids were little, she loved volunteering with the Cubbies at Awana and other opportunities at church.

Veda Sirek, age 88, of New Prague, died peacefully with her loving family at her side on Friday, June 13, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital Rochester.

Amanda A. Shimota, age 91, of New Prague, died peacefully on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Mala Strana Health and Rehabilitation Center.  Amanda was born on April 20, 1934, in New Prague, to Sigmund and Anna (Schommer) Schmitz.  She attended elementary school in St. Benedict and graduated from New Prague High School.  She met her future husband at a dance in Jordan and married Charles J. Shimota on October 20, 1951, at St.

Dr. Helen Therese Berg Fish
With heavy hearts but countless memories, our mother, sister, published author, educator, and friend, Dr. Helen Therese Berg Fish (81), passed away peacefully in Savannah, Georgia, surrounded by love on May 27, 2025.