Obituaries:: May 23, 2025

Paul Jay Roy
Paul Jay Roy, 65, lifelong resident of Soudan, died of cancer on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at home, with his family by his side. A Memorial Mass was held on Thursday, May 22 at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Tower. Reverend Father Beau Braun was the celebrant. Inurnment was in the Lakeview Cemetery in Tower. Memorials are preferred and may be directed to Essentia East Range Hospice Team. Family services were provided by Bauman-Vermilion, a Bauman Family Funeral Home in Tower.
Paul was born on Oct. 4, 1959, in Soudan, the son of Jay and Donna (Causin) Roy. He was a graduate of Tower-Soudan High School. He married Lynn “Toody” Meehan on June 4, 1984. He started working for Vermilion Golden Rule Lumber in 1977 and later purchased the business. Paul was also employed by ISD 2142 as a bus driver, working in that capacity for 35 years.
Paul was a member of St. Martin’s Catholic Church, where he plowed snow, served on the Parish Council, and was an usher. Paul was an avid snowmobiler, fisherman, four-wheeler rider and hunter. He enjoyed ricing and processing, making maple syrup, and going on adventures.
Paul is survived by his wife, Toody; daughters, Patricia Roy of South Carolina and Ashley (Scott) Clausen of North Dakota; son, Bradley (Clara) Roy of Soudan; siblings, Pam Hill of Soudan and Mark (Sue) Roy of Georgia; grandson, Easton Clausen; niece, Samantha (Andrew) Roy; and extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by a daughter in infancy, Christina Roy; mother, Donna Roy; nephew, Daniel Roy; and brother-in-law, Jim Hill.

Mary Beth Shepard
Mary Beth Klobuchar Shepard, 74, of Ely, died on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at her home. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 31 at the Grand Ely Lodge. Arrangements are with Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home of Gilbert.
Born in Biwabik on Nov. 27, 1950, she was the middle child of three children. Mary Beth graduated from Gilbert High School in 1968 and paid her way through college at St. Cloud State University, earning a degree in teaching.
She met her husband of 47 years, Brooks Shepard, in May 1978, and they married in October of the same year. They had three sons, Zachary, Jacob “Silas” and Jesse. Mary Beth stayed home to raise her boys until 1990. She then worked as a substitute teacher for local schools in the winter and at the Soudan Underground Mine in the summer. She found her full-time career of 25 years with the Minnesota Department of Revenue, retiring in 2015.
Mary Beth loved to travel and was always the first to encourage her friends and family to stay active. She took up golf in retirement and was known to have scored a birdie or two. She also loved to do water aerobics, watch movies at the local theatre, and watch live music at the Tiki deck. She was very active with her friends, either golfing, attending concerts and plays, or traveling in the countryside, and sometimes out of the country. When her grandchildren were born, the offspring of Jesse and Holly Bondensteiner Shepard, she did everything she could to see them, buy them gifts, and fill her phone with pictures. Bodie and John were the grandkids that she had wanted for so long. She was so very proud of her three sons.
She is survived by her husband, Brooks; three sons, Zach Shepard, J. Silas (Amy) Shepard and Jesse (Holly) Shepard; grandchildren, Bodie and John; sister, Becky (Denny) Bone; sister-in-law, Gloria; nephews, Garret (Morgan) Bone and Joe (Sarah) Berry; and nieces, Mallory Bone (Paul) Skalko and Lauren and Shelby Klobuchar.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jack and Elizabeth “Liz” Klobuchar; and older brother, Mark Klobuchar. 

Rosemary Vesel
Rosemary Vesel, 92, of Ely, passed away on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at Carefree Living in Ely. Funeral services are planned for the end of June. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely. 

Deborah Deyak
Deborah Deyak, 75, of Ely, passed away on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at Carefree Living in Ely. At her request, no services will be held. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely. 

Adam J. Burgess
Adam John Burgess, 41, of Tower, passed away on Sunday, May 4, 2025, from complications of CKD and Type 1 diabetes. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered for his dedication, kindness, and the countless things he built with both his hands and his heart. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Family services are provided by Bauman-Vermilion, a Bauman Family Funeral Home in Tower.
Born on May 21, 1983, Adam was known for his strong work ethic, creative spirit, and his constant drive to stay busy with a project. Adam had a passion for building and fixing things, whether it was woodworking, home remodeling, crafting model cars, or rebuilding vehicles. He also enjoyed fishing, target practice, snowmobiling, watching sports, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Adam is survived by his mother, Robin; brother, Daniel; grandmother, Penny; daughter, Mariah Mitchell; many beloved aunts, uncles and cousins; canine companion, Paco; and several lifelong friends who were like family and shared deeply in his life and memories.
He was preceded in death by his father, Gary Burgess; grandfather, Orvis Sunsdahl; and grandparents, Lorraine and Linden Burgess.

Albert J. Harvat
Albert “Al” James Harvat, 94, of Tower, passed away on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Virginia Regional Medical Center. A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 30 at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Tower. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. with the funeral service to follow at 11 a.m. Lunch will be served in the church basement following the funeral.
Al was born on Feb. 7, 1931, in Ely, to John and Mary Harvat. He graduated from Ely Memorial High School in 1949. Al worked for Reserve Mining Company for 31 years and was known for his strong work ethic, dependability, and hard work. After retiring from Reserve, Al continued working during the summers for about 10 years, operating a gravel truck for Dave Desannoy. He enjoyed staying active and being involved in local projects.
Al was an active member of St. Martin’s Catholic Church and enjoyed spending time outdoors, especially fishing and relaxing at the lake. ln later years, he developed a strong interest in home improvement and took pride in working on projects around the house well into his 90s.
He is survived by his life partner, Gwenn Lilya; six of his children, Merrie Trembath, Polly Beadu, Joan (JoJo) Harvat, Alberta Havig, Liesl (Peter) Provoznik and John Harvat; 24 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; honorary grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Mary Harvat; and daughters, Teresa Beaudry and Katie Harvat.

Matthew P. Whitmore
Matthew Paul Whitmore, 42, of South St. Paul, passed away in his sleep on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at his home. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 21 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cook. A lunch and reception will follow. If you would like, please wear a “plain white tee” to the reception. We want to honor Matt and his love of music, especially ‘90s music, and fun. Arrangements are with Mlaker Funeral Home of Cook.
Matt was born in Roseau to Charles and Kelly Whitmore. He lived in Warroad until 1987, when his family moved to Bemidji. After living there briefly and beginning Kindergarten, Matt moved to Cook to finish out the school year. His sweet, funny nature earned him lifelong friends instantly, and he graduated from Cook High School in 2001. While in Cook, Matt worked for the Cook Building Center and the Youth Conservation Corps. He was still telling stories about those jobs.
Matt attended Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids before transferring to the University of Minnesota. There he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry in 2006, as well as a degree in Business a year later from the U of M’s Carlton School of Business. Throughout his career, Matt worked primarily as a data analyst for the MN Department of Health and Human Services. He was an extremely hard worker all the way up until his death, despite health problems. He was very proud of his current job and enjoyed it, and he always spoke highly of the coworkers and bosses he’d had in various positions over the years. He had recently been recognized for 15 years of service to the state of Minnesota.
There were so many things Matt enjoyed. He was involved in every sport and gave his all, but he excelled in, and truly loved, baseball. Starting with tee-ball, Matt played all the way through the grades, until he was pitching for the Cook Little Gophers high school team. When he wasn’t playing the sports anymore, he was watching them - any Minnesota sports team.
Matt also very much loved the outdoors. He was an avid hunter and fisherman most of his life, and he will go down in history (in his family, at least) as the one who bagged the elusive “Mr. Big” buck in 2003. As soon as Matt bought his beloved house in 2021, Mr. Big was there. So were his huge walleye from Mille Lacs Lake, his Super Nintendo, every note and card he’d ever received, and so many framed pictures of the people he loved.
Some of Matt’s favorite places included the family cabin near Mille Lacs Lake, Colorado, Florida, the North Shore of Minnesota, the “secret” lakes he fished, and grounds he hunted with his dad and other family members, and St. Paul. Despite his small town-minded family members and their dismay that he wanted to live in “the big city,” he loved South St. Paul. He loved walking around his neighborhood, winding down closer to the Mississippi River. He loved having so many friends nearby, and though he wasn’t in close touch with them at the end like he always had been, he treasured them so much.
A dear friend recently said of Matt, “He was kind to everyone, no matter where they came from.” He absolutely was. And he was the best son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, brother-in-law and friend one could ever hope to have. He was the #1, as he always put in his cards to his loved ones, along with detailed drawings, like of his dad shooting a turkey and the feathers flying everywhere.
Matt is survived by his parents, Charles “Chuck” and Kelly Whitmore of Cook; sister, Laura (Adam) Bjerk of Bemidji; nephew, Lewis Bjerk and niece, Marilyn Bjerk, both of Bemidji; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; his cat, Emma, and many, many friends.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents; maternal grandparents; a great-aunt; and too many classmates, especially his dear friend Joel Kantola.