Deaths Reported Since Our Last Reunion

Sanmartín, Connie Age 77, of Edina Passed away July 8, 2023. Survived by loving husband José, children, many grandchildren, brother Dan, and dear friend Carol. A Celebration of Connie's Life will be held at Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie, MN, August 5, 2023 at 11:00AM, refreshments will follow. 

Leistiko, Lawrence "Larry" aged 76, of Peoria, AZ, formerly from Bloomington & Edina, MN, passed away peacefully on June 14, 2023, after a brief battle with lung cancer. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Larry was preceded in death by his father, Frank Leistiko, and his mother, Anne Leistiko. He is survived by his loving family: his wife of 40 years, Lois; his children Scott (Stephanie) Leistiko and Adam Leistiko; his sister Linda (Dan) Mullenbach; his sister-in-law Jane (Jon) Gang; as well as nieces, nephews, and countless friends.

Born and raised in South Minneapolis, Larry pursued his education at the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He embarked on a successful career, initially working for John Deere before transitioning to positions at Honeywell and ADC.  Larry's passion for innovation and entrepreneurship led him to establish his own company, Computerkeels, where he could combine his engineering skills with his love for sailboat racing.

Larry's adventurous spirit extended beyond his professional life.  He was an avid skier and sailor, finding joy in the exhilaration of the open waters and fresh powder.  Together with his wife Lois and their sons he embarked on countless travels, creating cherished memories along the way.  He was very proud of the fact that he has traveled to 6 of the 7 continents.  Larry also enjoyed golfing, pickleball and hockey as a player, coach and fan.  However, his greatest joy came from spending quality time with his family and the numerous friends he held dear.

A celebration of Larry's life will be held at a later date in Arizona, where his loved ones will come together to honor his memory. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or a charity of your choice.

Larry's presence in our lives brought laughter, love and inspiration. He will be remembered for his warm heart, his zest for life, and his unwavering devotion to those he held close.  As we mourn his passing, we find solace in the beautiful memories we shared with him.  Larry's spirit will forever reside within our hearts.

We love you, may you rest in peace.

Condolences: simplycremationaz.com/obituary/lawrence-larry-leistiko/

Dale Hammerschmidt, 75, died April 5, 2022 on the inpatient hospice service at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital. He had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain cancer in September 2021 and entered a clinical trial to try to find better treatment for this devastating malignancy. A breakthrough case of Covid-19 in January interrupted his treatment, despite vaccination and a booster. Complications kept him from being able to start second-line therapy for the glioblastoma soon enough to slow its growth. He lost speech and movement and entered hospice. He passed into unconsciousness and died peacefully with his wife at his side.

Dr. Hammerschmidt received his M.D. from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1970. He completed his internal medicine residency and hematology fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He joined the faculty in the Hematology Oncology Division in 1979, where he specialized in hematologic disorders. His research, funded by the National Institutes of Health for decades, focused on complement activation, neutrophil biology, inflammation, and coagulation. He was centrally involved in the seminal work that led to the recognition of the importance of complement activation and granulocytes in tissue injury. His clinical expertise encompassed all of hematology from leukemia and lymphoma to inherited platelet, white cell, and red cell disorders, rare defects in the clotting and immune systems, and acquired abnormalities of bone marrow and immune system function. He was the go-to person for complicated patients with rare disorders that no one else could diagnose.

Dr. Hammerschmidt will be remembered as a caring physician, passionate scholar, and devoted teacher to many students, residents, fellows, and faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He leaves behind an indelible impression, not because of his 60s-style ponytail and long beard, but because of the breadth of his knowledge, wit as a communicator, and intelligent passion as an advocate for medical ethics. He was the consummate educator, and anyone who had the privilege of attending his lectures on coagulation or Grand Rounds will recall the clarity of his teachings and his charming sense of humor. He was a long-time friend to many across the Medical School with a legacy of distinguished service to the medical profession.

In the early 1990s, he became increasingly active in the bioethics of human research. Because of his keen interest in the rhetoric of the consent interaction, Dr. Hammerschmidt also held an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Rhetoric. He first served on an institutional review board in 1976 and was heavily involved in regulatory affairs and research ethics at the University of Minnesota throughout his career. His interest in research ethics grew as he dealt first-hand with the problems related to consent among patients facing devastating diagnoses. He published extensively on issues related to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality protection, disparities in health care and health care research, inadequacies in the oversight of research involving human participants, and other ethical issues related to clinical trials. Dr. Hammerschmidt also served as Senior Editor and then as Editor in Chief of The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine for 15 years.

In his eight years of retirement, Dale and his wife Mary enjoyed raising and releasing monarch butterflies and creating a habitat for them and other wildlife in their urban garden, sharing their passion for bugs, birds, and blooms with the neighborhood children. He grew vegetables, including some very hot peppers. In the winter, they lined their sidewalk with ice luminaries, lit with candles that Dale recycled from used wax, and he and Mary contributed ice lanterns to winter luminary events.

Cycling was Dale's sport, transport, and chosen retirement volunteer activity. He rode in the Minnesota Ironman for many years, and he participated in citizen races on a road bike. He rode a recumbent bike or trike ten miles to the University in summer and as much of the winter as possible. He hadn't missed a day of cycling in over six years when surgery for the glioblastoma interrupted his riding streak for 8 days, only to stop it again forever in late January.

Dale was passionate about sharing the opportunity to cycle with people who could not, for one reason or another, ride a conventional two-wheeler. His cycling interests had led to connections with manufacturers of adaptive equipment in Europe and Australia, where social programs routinely include people with disabilities in sports activities. He began to watch for used equipment to match to disabled riders' needs. It was a small, private effort at first, helping those riders who could store, transport, and maintain the special bikes.

Dale was excited to volunteer with a new program in Minneapolis for adaptive cycling. Twin Cities Adaptive Cycling (TCAC) offers a range of equipment to enable almost everyone to ride without having to own their own bikes. It was Dale's primary volunteer activity for the past five years, with a partial pause in 2020 for the pandemic. Two days before his September hospitalization, he had taken a blind rider out for a ten-mile tandem ride. He was one of the few "captains" at TCAC who could ride 30 miles with a blind partner on a two-wheeled tandem. He also helped to find equipment, to maintain the bikes and trikes, and to tirelessly promote the program to anybody else who would volunteer or donate to it.

The glioblastoma robbed Dale of his eloquence and eventually of his brilliant analytical abilities, but it could not extinguish his passion for life and service. He wanted to beat this cancer, while making as much of a contribution as possible to the knowledge of how to treat it. He enrolled in a clinical trial comparing standard care with immunotherapy. He chose to share information about his care and the process of selecting treatments in hopes of informing future patients and their caregivers.

Dale is survived by Dr Mary Arneson, his wife of 46 years, their children, Erika and Karl, and his niece Julie, as well as many extended family members. He leaves a beloved rat terrier, Bungee B, who misses him terribly. He was predeceased by his parents, Harold (“Shadow”) and June Hammerschmidt and by his brother Allan.

Memorials are suggested to the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc, Twin Cities Adaptive Cycling, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, or Caring Bridge.

Paul D. Sand, 77, Burnsville, MN Died 11-17-2023, peacefully at home surrounded by family. Survived by wife of 56 years, DeeDee. Daughter Amy (Peterson); Pa of Bianca, Paige (Matt); Great grandpa of MJ, Zaylee, & nieces; brother John, sister Judy (Burmeister); and so many Forever Friends. Graduate of Washburn High School, Gustavus, member of Phi Alpha fraternity. 30+ years at Ameriprise. Avid golfer and longtime member of Brackett's & The Woodies. 

Dick Sigurdson reported the death of Mark Benson:

https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000352457/?fullname=mark-h-benson

And several classmates reported the death of George Headrick:

https://m.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000351510/?fullname=george-allen-headrick,-jr


Paige Van Vorst was at our 55-Year Reunion and realized we never published news of the death of Larry Grouse. Here's Larry's obituary from 2016.

Lawrence Douglas Grouse Age 69, born in Minneapolis in 1946 and a Gig Harbor resident since 1992, died June 10, 2016. Larry was a graduate of Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Carleton College in Northfield, MN, and the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Larry was a physician, a gifted researcher and Ph.D. in molecular biology, a clinical faculty member in the department of Neurology at the University of Washington, a distinguished writer and medical editor, and an innovator in medical communications. He is survived by his wife, Jan; son, Eric (Yuko); daughter, Katie (Rick); granddaughters Elena, Emily, and soon-to-be-born Emma; and his sisters, Judith Thornton, Ruth Bulger (Roger), and Dorothy Fontana (Robert), and their families; and his two beloved Westies, Mac and Angus. A memorial service will be held at 2pm Saturday, June 25 at the Haven of Rest Cemetery, Gig Harbor. All are welcome. Please sign his guest book at www.havenrest.com where you can light a candle and leave memories and condolences for the family.
Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on June 19, 2016


Charles Running sent news of the passing of two of our classmates since our last reunion: Gary Ott passed away a couple of months ago from cancer. He had retired from a woodworking business in Aspen CO.  Mike Swartz passed away about two years ago from cancer. He had been a fishing guide on Lake Mead.  

Barbara Johnson Dowdal of Elicott City, MD died during the week of August 19, 2019.

Patricia "Pat" Kelley Lysfjord age 70 of Minnetonka died August 1, 2017. She was a beloved wife, mom, grandma and friend. She was preceded in death by parents, Don and Juel Kelley; special aunt, Katy Peterson. She is survived by husband of 49 years, Jack; daughters, Kari Lysfjord (John Murdoch) and Molly (Eric) Kurzweg; brother-in-law, Tom Lysfjord; many cousins. Pat's pride & joy were her grandchildren, Ellie and Lauren Kurzweg. Our family would like to thank the Mayo Clinic sarcoma team, in particular, Dr. Steven Robinson and Jean Stahl, and Fairview Hospice for the excellent care.

Barry W. Larson of Eden Prairie/Wahkon, MN, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away on April 24, 2017. Survived by wife Barb; children, Kristi and Nicholas, four grandchildren; siblings, Bruce Larson and Karen (Scott) Butterfield; and many nieces, nephews, extended relatives, and friends.

David Richard Bast, devoted son, father, grandfather, and husband, died at age 72 in his home in San Pedro, CA on June 24, 2019. He joins many loved ones in heaven including his parents, brother, son and first wife, Claudia. David is survived by 4 grandchildren, 2 children and their spouses, many friends and family members, and his loving wife, Susan. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, August 3 at 11:00 am at Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

 

Elaine Jorgenson Landergan passed away on May 3, 2019. She was an RN for 32 years and was loved by all who knew her. She and her husband Mark traveled extensively, visiting 44 states, many in their RV, and 20 countries. She enjoyed sports, and was an avid baseball fan. She ran many 10k races, both in the area and elsewhere & snowshoed and kayaked with her husband. She enjoyed cooking and being with her family and friends. She held three degrees and became fluent in Spanish. She is survived by her husband of 51 years, son Christopher. and many relatives and friends.

Brian P. Bakk passed away at Ebenezer Care Center in south Minneapolis on October 15, 2018. Brian was formerly employed by Old Republic National Title Insurance Co. He was a gifted pianist from an early age, and known as a fierce Scrabble competitor with an uncanny memory. He was a member of the Ebenezer community for more than a decade.

Bill Pritchard passed away on Sunday, July 8, 2018 in California from diabetes. He attended our 50th Reunion in 2014 and enjoyed spending time with his classmates that weekend. His sister is Marianne Pritchard Trennepohl and she can be reached at 218-340-5479 or mariannetrennepohl@yahoo.com. 

Carol Tiffany Priest passed away on February 28, 2018.  She graduated from the University of Minnesota and worked as a supervisor in the Public Assistance programs in Ramsey County for her entire 40-year career.  She enjoyed golf, gardening, reading, travel, and animals, and was an active volunteer with several animal rescue organizations.

Timothy Jon Leaf passed away in Scottsdale, AZ on December 2, 2017 from brain cancer.  He was a graduate of Augsburg College and served in the Army and Air Force Reserves.  The majority of his career was spent in advertising sales at WCCO TV and in the cable television industry.  He retired to Scottsdale, AZ and continued to work for the San Francisco Giants during spring training.

Craig K. "Lucky" Lien passed away on January 7, 2017 in Minneapolis.

Bill Kuross passed away on January 31, 2018.  He was a tennis and squash star and coached Washburn to a city conference championship in football.  He taught social studies at both Ramsey and Washburn.

William R. Schwalbe's obituary appeared in the StarTribune on Sunday, August 9, 2015.  He posted a message in our Guestbook, but did not attend the reunion.

Robert W. Blackmur, one of our memorable teachers, died on January 14, 2015.  He may not have been your favorite teacher while you were his student, but you remember him for his love of Shakespeare and classic literature.  He drilled us on the "Basic Essentials" until they became part of us. It took years to appreciate what he taught us, but I know many from our class will miss him.

Here's a link to his obituary: 

http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/61407/?fullname=robert-w-blackmur

The Guest Book entries reveal a great deal about him. 

Louise Parten Long died on January 14, 2015 after a long illness. She attended the 50th reunion with her daughter, Lara.

Margaret (Micki) Ponsford Hansen used her skill as a graphic designer to create a poster honoring our deceased classmates. Although it was a bittersweet process to create it, it helps us remember our friends who are gone. The poster was on display at our reunion in 2014, and you can view it here.

Click here to view our "In Memory" poster from our 50-Year Reunion.