.png)
Brobin, James Francis age 82 of New Brighton, MN. Born 2/15/35, Jim lost his year-long battle with ALS 9/16/17. Preceded in death by parents Ann and Red Brobin and brother, Robert. Jim grew up hunting and fishing, graduating from Ely HS. He married Sandra Meyer after they both graduated from St. Cloud Teachers College where they met. Jim started teaching at Mounds View HS in 1958 and was a fixture in the Biology Department for 34 years. At Mounds View, he was also instrumental in building a strong and successful swimming program. Jim retired in 1992 enjoying world travel with Sandy including many winters in Mazatlán. His booming voice and outsized personality will be missed by family, friends and the countless students and athletes who were influenced by "Coach B." Survived by wife Sandra of 60 years; children James Jr, Colleen (Mike), Christopher (Julie), Natalie (Steve); nine beloved grandchildren and great-grandchild Clark, born 9/13/17. A celebration of life is on October 6 at Centennial Methodist Church in Roseville. Visitation at 10:30 AM. The celebration of life (non-denominational) at 12:00 PM followed by luncheon at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations to the MN ALS Society www.alsmmn.org or the Turner Syndrome Society of the US www.tssus.org are welcome.
Mounds View High School
Class Of 1964
Obituary
Rebrovich, John Peter 92 years old. Born February 7, 1930 died November 30, 2022. John was born and raised in Keewatin, MN and proud to be a part of the Iron Range. Preceded in death by his parents John and Mary and brother Philip. Survived by son, Michael (Jean) Rebrovich of Lino Lakes, daughter, Lou Ann (Rick) Eberspacher of Rockford and son, Jim (Lisa) Rebrovich of Big Lake; grandkids: Sara, Emily (Alex), Elisabeth and John, and wonderful great granddaughter Hazel; along with 3 very special nephews: Danny, Ronny and Sonny, and sister-in-law Geri Rebrovich. John also leaves behind other relatives and many great friends! After graduating from the U of M, John taught mathematics at Mounds View HS and retired in 1985. John proudly served in the 438th Army Band. He was a member of: St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, National Education Association, Croatian Fraternal Union, National Croatian Cultural Society, U of M Alumni Association and the Keewatin American Legion. Our dad was an avid outdoors man, who enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping with family and friends. John was an amazing role model for how to show love and kindness and the importance of giving to others. He also took great pride in his Croatian heritage. He traveled to Croatia several times to meet and visit family members, and he attended many Tamburitzan music festivals throughout the US. Visitation will be Wednesday December 14, 2022 at Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church in Brooklyn Center, MN from 10:00am-12:00pm with a service at 12:00pm and a luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation towards the Croatian Fraternal Union Scholarship. Private Fort Snelling burial will follow in the Spring. Evans-Nordby 763-533-3000 evansnordby.com
Leroy D. Nyhus passed away peacefully on January 4, 2022, at his residence in Edina, MN. He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Betty Lee Nyhus, and his brother Lloyd Nyhus. He is survived by his sister, Barb (Jerry) Koch; his daughters, Carol (Jim) Heldt, Diane (Kevin) Lindholm and Ruth Nyhus; grandchildren, Kirsten (Tim Wolters) Lindholm, Bjorn Lindholm, and his nieces and nephews. Leroy was born in Hatton, North Dakota. He was an excellent student, and he did not recall ever missing a day of class. His love of math turned into a career in teaching. Leroy taught math and worked as a school counselor in the Mounds View School District for over 30 years. He served in the Air Force as a Cryptographer, and he did the cryptogram in the Star Tribune every morning including the day he passed. He graduated from Augsburg College and was an avid fan of all Augsburg sports. It was at Augsburg that he met Betty, the light of his life. He maintained close friendships with his school friends throughout his life. Leroy volunteered for Meals on Wheels until he was 91 and was actively involved in his Lutheran church. He loved tennis, handball, ping-pong, and taking daily walks. Leroy enjoyed travel and went to China at 85 years old to visit his granddaughter Kirsten, where she was teaching. Leroy was a devoted husband, a caring father, a generous grandfather, and a man that lived a life of integrity. Leroy requested that memorials be given to Lutheran World Relief (lwr. org) and Augsburg University (giving@ augsburg.edu). Private Interment will be held at Fort Snelling. www.Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996
NESS (Hagie), Bernice
Died Thursday, August 29, 2019, at Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck, New Brighton, MN.
Born in Minneapolis, MN on September 4, 1926. Preceded in death by parents, John and Mathilda Hagie and husband, Elmo Ness.
Received B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Minnesota. Was a member of the Marching and Concert Bands, Sigma Alpha Iota, Tau Beta Sigma and Pi Lambda Theta. Also was a charter member of the University Alumni Band.
Retired from the Mounds View Public Schools in New Brighton, MN after 33 years as a dedicated teacher.
Enjoyed traveling, reading, music, gardening and needle work, but most of all directing the Mounds View Alumni Choir.
Survived by sister, Estelle Hendrickson and nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held 11AM Wednesday, September 4th, 2019 at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1900 7th St. NW, New Brighton, MN, visitation one hour prior to the service. Interment at Sunset Cemetery.
James Francis Brobin
Bob Goff, St. Paul public relations pioneer, dies at 80
By NICK WOLTMAN | nwoltman@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
Goff’s nearly 50-year career in state government and public relations found him advising mayors, governors and countless corporate clients. He was a quiet force behind efforts to secure funding from the state Legislature for the Metrodome and the Xcel Energy Center.
“Bob was the classic behind-the-scenes guy,” said Norm Coleman, a former St. Paul mayor and Republican U.S. senator who relied on Goff’s counsel throughout his career. “He never wanted to be in the limelight. He was never looking for accolades.
Goff died Wednesday afternoon at his home in Lowertown at 80 years old. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer, a spokesperson said.
In addition to founding St. Paul-based P.R. firm Goff Public, Goff also served in the administrations of Govs. Rudy Perpich and Karl Rolvaag. A life-long DFLer, he made friends on both sides of the political spectrum and was sought out by officials off all ideological stripes for his insight.
“On the inside of (state and local) politics, Bob was a guy that folks just trusted,” Coleman said. “I think everyone in that circle just felt good about him.”
Despite the demands of his professional schedule Goff was never too busy for his family, taking his seven children on annual vacations to Minnesota’s North Shore, New York City and other destinations.
“It’s always funny for us to hear about all of the things he did because he was always there and very present,” his daughter Emily said. “It was so important for dad that we spend time together — that we have adventures together.”
Born in 1936, Robert Eugene Goff grew up in Staples, Minn. As a teenager, he spent summers working road construction jobs in Iowa. After graduating from St. Cloud State University in 1958, Goff took a job teaching history in Mounds View and also became involved in DFL politics.
Goff got his first taste of government work in 1963 when he was hired as an aide to Gov. Karl Rolvaag, seeing up close how things got done.
At a back table in St. Paul’s long-gone Blue Horse restaurant in 1965, Goff, Rolvaag and a handful of other officials worked out a deal to save Minnesota aviator Charles Lindbergh’s childhood home in Little Falls from the wrecking ball.
But a series of bruising political battles soon drove him into the advertising business.
“We had three or four real good dogfights in a row,” Goff told the Pioneer Press in 1978. “It just chews you up and spits you out and after a while your capacity for that kind of acrimony kind of fills up.”
In 1966, Goff and fellow-DFLer Nick Coleman Sr. — father of St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman (and no relation to Norm Coleman) — founded an advertising firm named Coleman-Goff Inc. Rather than talking their clients into expensive ad campaigns, Goff and Coleman pitched stories about them to local media, inadvertently becoming pioneers in the nascent field of public relations.
“He was kind of like family,” Chris Coleman said of Goff. “He and my dad were not just business partners but the best of friends.”
Goff sold his stake in the company in 1977 to take a job trimming government waste under the administration of Gov. Rudy Perpich, trading in his executive office for a windowless room in the Capitol basement.
After two years as Minnesota’s “Waste Wizard,” as he was dubbed by the press, Goff rejoined his old P.R. firm. There he drew on all of his varied experience to help steer the high-stakes negotiations in the Legislature to fund construction of the Metrodome and the Xcel Energy Center.
“He had ability to read a situation as well as anybody I’ve ever known,” Chris Coleman said. “He really understood that intersection of P.R. and politics and media. He understood that you had to work all three angles to be effective.”
After retiring in 2012, Goff had more time for reading the stacks of books that littered his home and taking the long walks around St. Paul that he loved, Emily Goff said.
A Lowertown resident since 2000, Goff first saw the neighborhood’s potential when he moved his company down there in the mid-1990s.
“You couldn’t get a meal on Sunday when he first moved there and now it’s bustling,” Emily Goff said. “He really was a very forward-looking guy his whole life — politically, socially and commercially. He always knew which way the wind was blowing.”
Goff is survived by his wife, Phyllis, seven children and a dozen grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.
And.......
Obituary: PR man Bob Goff, promoter of Minnesotans and DFL politics, dies at 80
Bob Goff partnered with Nick Coleman to build one of Minnesota's first PR firms.
By Nicole Norfleet Star Tribune
MARCH 31, 2017 — 9:17PM
Goff Public Bob Goff, a teacher until 1963, co-founded a public relations firm in 1966. He worked for two Minnesota governors and on JFK’s ’60 presidential campaign.
Bob Goff, who shaped public opinion and policy for a half century on matters as diverse as tribal sovereignty and the construction of the Metrodome in the Twin Cities, has died.
Goff died Wednesday at age 80 after briefly battling an aggressive form of cancer.
With the St. Paul public relations firm that became known as Goff Public, he played a behind-the-scenes role in many high-stakes public affairs issues. But still, he retained the warmth and wit of a man who understood the value of personal connections.
"You treat them well because there's a lot of reasons why you should and there are almost no reasons why you shouldn't, your employees, your customers, whoever it is you are dealing with," Goff said in an interview with the Star Tribune last August. "This company has always done that. That part of it I'm very proud of."
Robert Eugene Goff was born in 1936. He grew up in Staples, Minn., a small city about 30 miles west of Brainerd. He graduated St. Cloud State University in 1958 with a degree in social studies education and an emphasis on history. Goff went on to teach American history at Mounds View High School until 1963.
As a teacher, Goff became active in DFL politics. He worked on numerous political campaigns, including John F. Kennedy's presidential run in 1960, many times helping with writing and placing advertisements for candidates across the state. After he left teaching, Goff became a senior aide to Gov. Karl Rolvaag, who served from 1963-67.
Goff grew up in Staples. His agency served a range of clients, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Polaris and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
In 1966, the day after Goff helped Nick Coleman be re-elected to the Minnesota Senate, Coleman asked Goff to form an advertising agency with him. Coleman and Goff Advertising was established that month. Goff described Coleman as the more talented out of the pair.
"It was always a great wonderment to me that somebody would ask that I would write something," Goff said.
Nick Coleman's son, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, said Goff was one of the most "wickedly smart and brilliantly funny" people that he had ever met and that it was no surprise why his father had chosen to partner with him.
"I think in Bob he found a partner that understood the merger of his political life with the public relations side of it," the mayor said.
Goff described the ad business in that era as the Wild West with "big bucks" being spent on advertising work done by out-of-town agencies. Goff said he and Coleman prided themselves on offering clients more affordable options.
The agency was one of Minnesota's first public relations practices and served a range of clients, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Polaris and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
"Not only was he a very strategic political thinker, he was also in the business of public relations, marketing, figuring out strategies for clients," said Roger Moe, a friend and former DFL state Senate leader. "He was without a doubt one of the best I ever watched."
Moe said that Goff knew how politics came down to connecting with people.
"He understood it was about friendships and knowing people," Moe said. "He spent time getting to know people. ... He was a great and dear friend. I'll miss him."
One of the things that state Sen. Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, will remember the most about Goff was his sense of humor and wit.
"His humor was very funny and very biting," said Cohen.
In 1977, Goff sold his stake in the agency and served as the staff director of the task force on waste and mismanagement under Gov. Rudy Perpich. After two years, he went back to the public relations firm.
Goff would later use the breadth of his experience in politics to help lobby for the construction of the Metrodome in Minneapolis and the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
In 2012, Goff retired from the firm, but he joked he would still pop up in the office from time to time to check the corners and "look under the rug."
"He was just really friendly and fun," said his daughter Emily Goff. "I think he was fun to be around as a dad, and he was fun to be around as a boss."
Bob Goff was a family man who loved to read; his large collection of books was arranged by the Dewey Decimal system.
"He was the self-made man that he was because he was such a reader," Emily Goff said.
Last summer, the Star Tribune asked Goff if he would have changed anything since he was first asked by Nick Coleman to start the firm.
"No," he replied. "It started out more of a ride than I ever expected."
Goff is survived by his wife, Phyllis; children Cindy, Paul, Carolyn, Laura, Bill, Emily, Matt; and numerous other family and friends. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Kermit W. Anderson
Kermit W. Anderson- Oct. 16, 1910 - Mar. 30, 2002. Loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, educator and friend of many. Kermit is survived by wife of 65 years, Luella; daughters, Juel E. Anderson, Annie L. Jones and Karen R. Anderson; sons, Erle K. (Marge) and Neal E. (Cathy); 5 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Kermit attended St Cloud State College receiving a bachelor's degree and later received his master's degree from the U of M. He taught for 2 years at Fairfax, MN where he met Luella. They married, moved to Litchfield, MN in 1936 and he taught and coached at Litchfield until 1954. Then he moved to New Brighton, MN to teach math & science as well as coach football and wrestling. He retired from Mounds View High School in 1972. He - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/twincities/obituary.aspx?pid=277567#sthash.schKnRDX.dpuf
Anderson - Kermit W., Oct. 16, 1910 - Mar. 30, 2002. Loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, educator and friend of many. Kermit is survived by wife of 65 years, Luella; daughters, Juel E. Anderson, Annie L. Jones and Karen R. Anderson; sons, Erle K. (Marge) and Neal E. (Cathy); 5 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Kermit attended St Cloud State College receiving a bachelor's degree and later received his master's degree from the U of M. He taught for 2 years at Fairfax, MN where he met Luella. They married, moved to Litchfield, MN in 1936 and he taught and coached at Litchfield until 1954. Then he moved to New Brighton, MN to teach math & science as well as coach football and wrestling. He retired from Mounds View High School in 1972. He enjoyed fishing, golfing, studying Norwegian, German and calculus, reading and playing 'OH-HECK' and going to the cabin in Nisswa. Services will be held at UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 1000 Long Lake Rd in New Brighton on Tuesday April 2nd with visitation from 2-4pm and the memorial service 4pm. Memorials preferred to the Kermit W. Anderson Science Scholarship. Sunset Funeral Chapel 612-789-1535.
Published in Pioneer Press from Apr. 1 to Apr. 2, 2002 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/twincities/obituary.aspx?pid=277567#sthash.schKnRDX.vuMvs7TO.dpuf
Douglas Edward Christenson
Christenson, Douglas Edward Passed away on May 10, 2016 in the loving hands of his family. Born February 24, 1931 Litchfield, MN. Before retirement in 1986, Doug was a math teacher for 28 incredible years at Mounds View High School. Doug and Boo have spent the past 48 summers enjoying family and hobbies at their Lake complex, Kaposia Lodge Webster, WI. Preceded in death by his parents, George and Grace, brother George and sister Marie. Survived by his wife of 61 years, Marilyn (Boo), children and their families Jamie (Tom), Molly, Nell, Griff; Tod (Kim), Jenni, Jack (Ariel), Jacy; Luke (Jaci), Croix, Cole, Ky, Grace; Courtney (Jill), Quinn, Anna, Carly; Andy (Molly), Maddie, Nick, Meg, Emily. Doug is survived by his 3 brothers, Don (Kathleen), Neil (Bernadine), Andy, and sister-in-law Joann. Visitation Friday, May 13, 4:00-7:00 PM at St. Johns the Baptist Church, New Brighton, MN. Funeral Services Saturday, May 14, 11:00 AM at St. John's Catholic Church, Webster, WI. Burial followed by luncheon at Kaposia Lodge. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be accepted and used to establish a scholarship fund in his name. Remit to Doug Christenson Scholarship Fund, 642 11th Ave NW, New Brighton, MN 55112.
Published on May 11, 2016
.png)
Dennis Deanovic
Mr. Brainard was an English teachers beloved by many classmates. He was referred to as "Mounds View's Poet in Residence" and left a yearly scholarship for student poets.
|
