Anna Mary Peach, age 101 of Waterville died on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. Born on April 10, 1917 in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Louis and Anna (Heyde) Felrath.  She attended school in the rural St. Thomas area of Le Sueur County.  She married Gordon Peach on September 16, 1940 at St.

For the first time ever, the WEM volleyball team has been ranked No. 1 in the state of Minnesota. The Bucs, Section 2A runners-up last year, return all their players from that team this fall and were rated No. 1 in Class A by the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches Association July 25. For more on the raing, check out the Aug. 2, 2018 edition of the LIFE/Enterprise.

WEM 2018 graduate Amber Schramm placed second in the Junior Varsity Division of the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League State Trapshooting Championships in mid-June. Schramm hit 87-of-100 targets in the competition. For more on the State Trapshoot Competition check out the Aug. 2 edition of the LIFE/Enterprise.

Barbara L. Neitzel, age 85 of Waterville, died on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at Mayo Health System, St. Mary’s Campus, Rochester. A celebration of her life will be at Harvest Time Bible Church, 2627 2nd Ave NW, Faribault, MN 55021, on Saturday, August 11, 2018 at 2 p.m. with the Reverend Peter Kuriger officiating.  No visitation will be held prior to the service; a time of fellowship and lunch will be shared after the service. Arrangements are being completed by the Boldt Funeral Home, Faribault.

John Arthur O'Leary, Jr. age 98 of Waterville died on Thursday, July 26, 2018 at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. Born on April 19, 1920 in Morristown, Minnesota, he was the son of John A. and Theressa (Hamele) O’Leary, Sr.  He graduated from Waterville High School in 1938 and went on to attend business college in Mankato.  John served in the U.S.

Gordon Earl Zellmer, age 91, formerly of Waterville died on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at Foxdale in Waseca. Born on September 27, 1926 in Waterville Township, Minnesota, he was the son of Hugo and Ella (Kelm) Zellmer.  He was baptized and confirmed as well as attended school at St. Peter’s “Bell” Lutheran Church.  He married Dorothy Richter on September 5, 1948 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kilkenny where he was a long-time member and served as an elder and trustee as well as sang in the choir.  He farmed his entire life in Le Sueur County and enjoyed working in the garden and animals.

The Waterville Indians amateur baseball team finished off a successful regular season with a 7-2 win over Cleveland Sunday, July 29. The victory was the 13th in 13-60 League play, clinching the top spot for the Indians. Blue Earth finished with a 12-4 record, with two of those losses to Waterville. The Indians will host Arlington Saturday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. in the first round of the Region 4C Tourney. Morristown, the No. 4 seed from the 13-60 League, will play at Jordan against Fairfax at 4 p.m. Saturday. Both Waterville and Morristown will play games Sunday, Aug. 5.

Richard J. Kniefel, age 89 of Owatonna passed away on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at his home at Park Place in Owatonna. Born on February 5, 1929 in Clinton Falls, Minnesota, he was the son of Frank B. and Gladys (Bartosch) Kniefel. He graduated from Waterville High School in 1947 and following his schooling, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served from 1949-1952.  After his honorable discharge, he went to San Jose College in San Luis Obispo, California.

My crew of four headed north to a family cabin over the weekend.
Fun, right? Spending time with family at a beautiful lake in the summertime is always good. I enjoy being there, but getting there is a different issue.
First, comes the packing.
I hate packing. Hate. It.
My stomach lurches and my blood pressure rises just thinking about it.
I haven’t always been this way. I lived out of a backpack for six months while I lived abroad during college and never even paused to consider the time and effort packing requires.

The Le Sueur County Board of Commissioners have decided to take over the rural emergency sirens in the county.
During the Tuesday, July 24 meeting the commissioners discussed results from a special meeting held July 17 among those interested in the emergency sirens.
There are nine rural sirens in the county, with one on Lake Washington, one on Lake Emily, one on Lexington, and three on German-Jefferson and three on Sakatah-Tetonka.
The Lake Washington Lakes Association did not request help with keeping their sirens operational.

Who can talk to whom, limiting free speech and protecting information are just a few of the recent events in the court case against the Le Sueur County Historical Society (LCHS).
 
According to an order filed in Le Sueur County Court on July 17, attorneys for LCHS have sought to restrict first amendment rights of those involved in the case. The proposed order filed by Attorney Raymond Konz, seeks to preclude the 16 plaintiffs in the case from disclosing “confidential” information between each other, puts limits on the media, and potentially other people in the public.

Joan Marie Adams, age 78, passed away in her home in Waterville surrounded by her family on July 12, 2018. Joan was born on October 16, 1939, in Vernon Center to Alfred and Lucille Morrow (Burdick). She was one of eight children. Joan was known to be a fantastic runner in school among other athletics. She enjoyed playing cards, Scrabble, and badminton.  She also enjoyed spending time with family, raising her dogs, gardening, and watching the Minnesota Vikings.

Hundreds of Bike MS: Ride Across Minnesota (formerly known as TRAM) peddled through the local area Wednesday morning, July 18, stopping for water in Waterville and enjoying a rest stop with snacks in Elysian. It was day three of the five-day, 300-mile trek.
The event raises funds to support breakthroughs in multiple sclerosis (MS) research and ensures people with MS have what they need to live their best lives.
Pick up a copy of the July 26, 2018, LIFE or Enterprise to read more about the event and the people that make it happen.

An explosion and fire destroyed a vacant home in Montgomery early Tuesday morning.
 
The explosion occurred in the residence located at 104 3rd St. SW, across the street from Most Holy Redeemer Church. According to Police Chief Lou Sager and Fire Chief Ken Pavek, no one was injured.
 
Pavek said his crew was called to the scene around 2:15 a.m. He also called New Prague and Le Center for mutual aid.
 

In the fight against cancer, hundreds of Le Sueur County residents and their families and friends are raising awareness and funds for research, step by step. The Relay for Life of Le Sueur County is an active team fundraiser where people from all over the county, take turns walking around a track at the Le Sueur County Fairgrounds.
 

Le Sueur County’s 25th Relay for Life will be held this Friday, July 13 into the early hours of Saturday morning at the fairgrounds in Le Center with a 2 a.m. closing ceremony.
“This is the first year we won’t be going all night,” explained event co-chair Sara Slavik. “We used to go for 12 hours, until 6 a.m., but there were requests to shorten it. I think the earlier closing ceremony will make it easier for people.”