Richard Wallace “Sparrow” Scholljegerdes, age 91 of Waseca died on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at Birchwood Cottages in Owatonna.

LeRoy J. Janda, Fargo, formerly of Waterville, MN, was crowned with eternal life, by the grace of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ on February 16, 2019.  He died at Bethany Retirement Living on University in Fargo, ND.
LeRoy James Janda was born to Emil and Christine (Schwartz) Janda on January 21, 1936 at home in Waterville, MN. He was baptized at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Waterville.

Janice Kulla, age 86, of Waseca, died on Saturday, February 17, 2019, at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20, at Church of the Sacred Heart with Fr. Gregory Leif as Celebrant. Visitation will be for two hour prior to the Mass at the church on Wednesday. Interment will be in St. Casimir Cemetery at Wells.
Arrangements are with Starkson & Steffel Funeral & Cremation Service ~ McRaith Chapel of Waseca. www.wasecafuneral.com

Who do you call when you need to get to work and your car won't start on a blustery below-zero morning? The local towing company.
Gene Mach, owner of Bud's Service in Kilkenny, reported receiving more than 100 calls during the four-day frigid winter vortex that closed schools, stopped the mail, and sent Minnesota into the minus 30 degree fahrenheit range, Monday, January 28 through Thursday, January 31.
About eighty percent of the calls were for cars that wouldn't start. Mach and his crew also responded to stalls, flat tires, and requests for tows.

The WEM girls basketball team jumped out to a quick lead Friday, Feb. 8 against Blooming Prairie and defeated the Blossoms 47-37.
Blooming Prairie had defeated the Bucs earlier this season, but an 18-6 first half lead got the Bucs off to a great start and they never looked back.
WEM knocked down eight three pointers while the Blossoms made only three.
The Bucs also held a 35- 26 rebounding advantage. Trista Hering grabbed seven rebounds. Shelby Hermel added six and Paige Pittmann and Toryn Richards each grabbed five.

Classic cars from all over the nation are rolling into the little town of Kilkenny, Minnesota.
Their destination? Knish Kustomz, a small, two-person shop on the edge of town.
The custom upholstering business is owned and operated by 2005 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown graduate Dan Knish, whose intricate work has been featured at car shows, in magazines, and on television.
“I’ve always been a car guy, and enjoy doing what I do,” Knish stated. “It’s both challenging and rewarding.”

For the first time this year, the WEM boys basketball team is rated in the Class A Minnesota Basketball LifeEnterprise News polls. The Bucs, 18-1 overall and winners of 15 straight games, are rated 10th overall. Section 2A, which WEM will compete in in the playoffs, has four teams rated. BOLD is rated No. 2, Minnesota Valley Lutheran is rated No. 3, and Springfield is rated No. 4. WEM won their 15th straight game Thursday, Feb. 14, downing Faribault BA, 87-53. They will host USC Friday, Feb. 15 and travel to Maple River Tuesday, Feb. 19. Thursday, Feb. 21 will be a make-up game at Medford.

Morristown resident Eli Lange has been charged with five felonies after an incident in Waterville early Sunday, Feb. 3. Lange, 37, was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic assault by strangulation, and interfering with emergency communications in Le Sueur County District Court. For more on the charges check out the Feb. 14 edition of the Life/Enterprise.

Suel Printing Company graphic artist Jennifer Leff won second place in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s 2019 Ad Design Contest.
Studies show that people believe their local newspapers provide the truest information and trust them far more than information found online or on TV. Newspapers continue to have a solid impact on the communities they serve and statistics show that people of all ages consume more news now than ever before. The contest asked designers to tell that important story through a quarter-page full color print ad.

Gary David Stiller, age 79 of Waseca died on Monday, February 11, 2019 at the Lake Shore Inn in Waseca.

Roland Robert Cram,92 years old, passed away on Sunday, February 10, 2019, at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, MN.
Born on December 22, 1926, at Waterville, MN in his parents’ home northwest of Waterville, the only child of William Lester Cram and Esther (Marzahn) Cram. He attended Waterville High School and was married to Faith Geraldine Meyer on May 6, 1945. They were married for 60 years before Faith passed away on February 3, 2006.

WEM head boys basketball coach Jeff Wagner recently recorded his 500th coaching win with a 54-51 win over Hayfield Friday, Feb. 1. in Waterville. Wagner became the 45th all-time coach in Minnesota and 13th active coach to reach this milestone. His career record is 500-191. The Buccaneers are currently 16-1 this season and were rated No. 10 in Class A in the Feb. 6 poll. For more on the Wagner milestone, check out the Feb. 14 edition of the Life/Enterprise.

The fire detectors and the WEM School in Waterville were activated when an air-handler belt broke and caused another to create a lot of smoke in the mechanical room. Friday, Feb. 1 at approximately 12:40 p.m. The students were all evacuated until Building and Maintenance Director Scott Allen and the Waterville Fire Department deemed all was OK for the students to re-enter the building. According to WEM Superintendent Joel Whitehurst, no one was in danger and school resumed shortly after the evacuation.

The WEM/JWP wrestling team won its second match of the year, defeating Burnsville Thursday, Jan. 24 at Montgomery.
The Grizzlies competed in the quadrangular with Burnsville, Tri City United, and Grand Meadow/LeRoy- Ostrander/Southland (GMLOS).
WEM/JWP opened with a 65-12 loss to GMLOS. They followed that loss with a 48-25 win over Burnsville. Tri City United downed the Grizzlies 67-9 in the final match.
The Grizzlies recorded eight wins in the victory over Burnsville.
Gavin Krause (106) started the match off with a pin of Ripplinger Xavier in 3:46.

The WEM Board of Education is continuing through the process of planning for the upcoming building project.
A construction manager, R.A. Morton & Associates, Inc., had been selected earlier this month after interviews with four companies.
With this part in place, the board will approve the sale of the general obligation bonds Wednesday, January 30 in a special meeting.
During their regular January meeting Monday, Jan. 28, the board set a February 11 meeting to interview potential architects.

A project aimed at informing young people about the many career opportunities available in agriculture recently landed five 4-Hers a trip to Washington, D.C.