Furey Funeral Home

He always had a smile on his face and a song in his heart,” according to a post on Hanson’s online obituary guest book on the Furey Funeral Home website.Others who posted to the site expressed their condolences to the family and recalled Hanson as a “great friend,” “incredible boss,” and “the nicest man I ever knew.”“Vergas won’t be the same without this man,” wrote one woman. “He truly was one of the ‘good guys.’ …He will be missed, but his legacy will live on forever.”Born in 1925 in Pelican Rapids (along with his twin brother, Rodger), Rodney moved to Vergas at the age of eight and attended grade school there. He graduated from Frazee High School in 1943.Throughout his boyhood and for a few years following graduation, he worked for the family’s hardware store in Vergas. The store was started by his father, Henry Hanson, better known to locals as “Hardware Hank” Hanson.In 1948, Rodney joined the U.S. Army Air Force, helping to deter atomic bomb experiments and nuclear efforts in the Philippines, Guam, Japan and Tokyo. After a four-year enlistment, he was discharged and returned to Vergas, where he went back to work for the family business.About a year later, he married Olive Antonsen, of Frazee, and continued making a name for himself as an active family man, businessman and community man. While helping to raise four children, he also kept busy with several civic, religious and veterans organizations. He was an active member of the Vergas Methodist Church, a charter member of the Vergas Lions, life member of the Frazee-Vergas VFW, served as village clerk for 32 years, volunteered with the Vergas Fire Department, and was a Boy Scout troop leader in the 1950s and '60s.A singer, writer and history buff, he sang with a barbershop group for almost 40 years, was a life member of the Otter Tail County Historical Society, and wrote occasional columns for the Frazee-Vergas Forum. In 2005, he published a book on Vergas history, called “A Collection of Memories.” Excerpts are available online at vergasmn.com. In 2007, ... (Perham Focus)

Louise was born July 29, 1933 in Bay St. Louis, MS, to the late Vincent J. and Ina (LeBlanc) Piazza. She graduated from the St. Joseph Academy in 1950, and the Charity School of Nursing in 1953. Louise married Donald W. Kroening in July of 1952, and resided in Biloxi, MS while Don served in the Air Force in Greenland. They later moved to Bay St. Louis, MS, Harvey and Vernon Hills, IL, and then Elkhorn, WI. While the caring mother of four children, Louise began her nursing career at St. Francis Hospital in Blue Island, IL. After moving to Vernon Hills, IL, Louise served as a nurse at Condell Hospital until her retirement. After retiring, she also worked at the Condell Acute Center and managed the Condell Medical Equipment department, performing home care assessments. Perhaps her most rewarding endeavor was serving God at St. Mary of Vernon Church in Vernon Hills, IL, where she taught Religious Education until moving to Elkhorn, WI. She also worked at the School for the Deaf in Delavan. At St. Patrick’s church in Elkhorn, she chaired the Prayer/Worship Committee. She also instructed Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers, served with... (Gazettextra)