The motorcyclist killed in a Thursday night crash was identified Monday as an Inver Grove Heights resident.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office released the name of the motorcyclist as 51-year-old Marc Alan Langdon. He died of multiple blunt-force injuries suffered in the single-vehicle crash.

Rescue workers were sent to the 8100 block of Broderick Boulevard at 11:34 p.m. Thursday after receiving a call about the crash, according to a statement by Inver Grove Heights police.  Langdon was found in the middle of the roadway.

Crews began life-saving measures once they arrived, but Langdon died at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Inver Grove Heights police with help from the Minnesota State Patrol.

Seventy-five years ago —  on June 22, 1946 — George and Marian Kirchner got married in St. Paul. The story of how it happened is one of family, coincidence and commitment.

One of George’s cousins was dating a woman from Chatfield, Minn., a town 20 miles south of Rochester. George, a young adult at the time, tagged along on a visit and met Marian, the woman’s niece, he said. They began dating shortly after.

Then in 1944, George was drafted for World War II. He served in the 307th Infantry of the 77th Division on Okinawa and participated in the battle for the Maeda Escarpment, known as Hacksaw Ridge.

While he was away, Marian sent him letters every day, something he cherishes to this day.

“After they pulled them off back to the Philippines, he said there was a big stack of mail waiting for him. And they were all the love letters from mom,” their son Donald Kirchner said. “And you can imagine how therapeutic that was after seeing the horrors of Okinawa to be reading these loving letters from his girlfriend.”

‘SHE HAD TO BE THE ONE’

George returned to the states on May 4, 1946. Less than two months later, he and Marian got married.

“She had to be the one, so that’s why we came home, and we were married within a month after I got home,” George said.

After coming back from the war, George and Marian lived at George’s parents’ farm in Mendota Heights. They then moved to a farm in Inver Grove Heights, where they had their first child in 1947, followed by two more. Marian took care of the children, while George worked at the Armour and Co. meatpacking plant in South St. Paul until the plant closed in the 1970s.

“She always took good care of the kids. They come first. She took real good care of ’em,” George said.

George is now 96 and Marian, 95. The two celebrated their 75th anniversary on Saturday among friends and family, including the maid of honor, Arlene Egerdal, 96, and the best man, Elroy Beulke, 93, of their wedding.

‘WE WERE ALWAYS HAPPY TOGETHER’

Now, they keep busy in their two-bedroom home by playing games like Mexican Train, 500 and Pinochle, watching TV and taking care of the house. Marian dusts and does laundry while George vacuums and makes the meals, Marian said.

“He’s very good at helping me. If I need help with anything, he’s right there to help me. We work together,” Marian said. “He’s so kind to me all the time. We love one another very dearly. We just get along very well.”

Said George: “We were always happy together. We still are.”

Seventy-five years: three kids, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Marian credits their long-lasting marriage to flexibility and faith.

“Sure, we had our times where we didn’t agree on things, but we could always work them out,” Marian said. “And we always had faith in our religion. I do a lot of praying. I always pray, and it seems like the Lord always helps me.”

She says that it’s crucial to be open-minded about people’s feelings.

“You have to give in at times. What you think is right is not always right. And, you have to listen to the other person and see their feelings, too. And maybe their feelings are different than yours, and that’s all right, too,” she said. “And you’re not always right. You think you are, but when you stop and think about it, you’re not always right. I have learned that, certainly.”

One person was apparently killed in an Inver Grove Heights fire Monday morning.

Firefighters were called to a residence on Dickson Avenue just before 7:30 a.m. Monday where flames and smoke were seen coming from the windows. A neighbor told firefighters that multiple people lived in the home but it was not clear how many were there at the time of the fire.

Fire crews noted heavy smoke conditions when they entered the home to search for any occupants. Firefighters found the body of one person. A dog also did not survive.

The fire appears accidental, according to a statement by the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department. The blaze is being investigated by the city and state’s fire investigators.

Inver Grove Heights has hired Kristine Wilson to be its new city administrator.

Wilson, who is currently the assistant city manager of Bloomington, was chosen from a group of 29 candidates. The city council officially approved the hire Monday. Her first day will be Sept. 1.

“Inver Grove Heights is growing, and the City Council recognized the need for a seasoned, engaged leader to meet the challenges and opportunities our city is facing,” Mayor Tom Bartholomew said.

Wilson has spent more than five years with Bloomington, and worked on its five-year strategic plan. Previously, she worked for more than 10 years with Shakopee.

“I will look to engage staff members, elected officials and residents throughout the community to create collaborative solutions to the challenges facing Inver Grove Heights and to forge an effective and successful path forward,” Wilson said.

She will replace Joe Lynch who reached a mutual parting of ways with the city in December 2020. He had held the position since 2006, but was suspended in 2019 for violating a respectful workplace policy after an investigation found he insulted an employee.

As the top worker for the city of about 36,000 residents, Wilson will oversee about 155 full-time employees.

A court hearing is scheduled for next month on misdemeanor charges filed against former Inver Grove Heights city administrator Joe Lynch, who is accused of one count each of fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct after an office incident with a city clerk in 2018.

Lynch, 61, of St. Paul, was charged in April after a two-month investigation by Savage police that ended in February.

The Pioneer Press first learned of the charges on Thursday.

Because South St. Paul-based law firm LeVander, Gillen & Miller provides civil and misdemeanor criminal prosecution for the city of Inver Grove Heights, the case was handled by city of Apple Valley prosecutors to avoid a conflict of interest.

The charges relate to a July 2018 interaction between Lynch and then-City Clerk Michelle Clasen, who levied the accusations against him this past December.

Paul Engh, Lynch’s attorney, entered a written plea of not guilty last month. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Dakota County District Court.

Clasen, whose last name at the time of the incident was Tesser, left her job of four years in July 2019, after reaching a separation agreement with the city.

Clasen had brought other allegations against Lynch previously. In August 2018, Clasen filed a discrimination complaint against Lynch, and four months later he was suspended for three days without pay for his behavior in incidents not related to the latest alleged criminal acts. A law firm hired by the city found that Lynch insulted her on April 5, 2018, and made an offensive comment about her dress on July 9, 2018, shortly before a council meeting.

Lynch and the city mutually parted ways Feb. 28 after reaching a separation agreement. He had been in charge of leading the city since 2006.

WHAT THE CHARGES SAY

According to the April 22 criminal complaint against him:

Clasen told a Savage police investigator that she was assaulted by Lynch, who was her boss, in her office on July 20, 2018.

Clasen, who is identified in the complaint by her initials, “M.R.C.,” said that she had been exchanging emails with Lynch about her workload before he came into her office, yelled at her about getting her work done and slammed the door behind him, which startled her. She said that Lynch then walked quickly toward her while yelling and screaming, which “scared” her and caused her to back away and run toward the office door. She said Lynch was right behind her when she came around her desk and that she felt he was going to hit her.

“M.R.C. stated that she then opened up the door and had her back against the wall while Mr. Lynch stood directly in front of her with his chest out and his fist clenched,” the complaint read. “M.R.C. stated that she felt pinned against the wall by Mr. Lynch’s body.”

She told the investigator that she was shaking and asked Lynch what he was doing, and that he then left the office. She said her knees “gave out” and that she then went into a co-worker’s office.

In an interview with the investigator, the co-worker, identified in the criminal complaint by her initials, “J.M.S.,” said that Clasen “frantically” entered her office and was shaking “uncontrollably.” She said Clasen slumped down and hid behind an office door. When the co-worker asked what had happened, Clasen said Lynch had “come at her,” according to the complaint.

“J.M.S. stated that M.R.C. appeared traumatized after the incident and that J.M.C. believed M.R.C. felt physically threatened,” the complaint read.

The co-worker said that before she saw Clasen, she heard the office door slam, then “raised voices” and Clasen say, “Why are you swearing at me?”

Two other co-workers told the investigator that they saw Clasen crying and shaking afterward and that Clasen was afraid and concerned for her safety, according to the complaint.

Lynch could not be reached for comment Wednesday. In an emailed comment, his attorney, Engh, said the charges “run against the barrier of Mr. Lynch’s stellar career in public service. His good name has been unfairly blemished. The jury trial will be his remedy.”

CLAIMS OF TOXIC ENVIRONMENT

Following the 2018 investigation and other claims of a toxic environment at City Hall, consultants were brought in to try and get to the bottom of the ongoing issues and correct them.

Lynch took heat from residents and officials publicly over his suspension, including by two Inver Grove Heights’ parks commissioners, a school board member and a former state legislator. The criticism came at an August 2019 city council meeting, following the council’s decision a month earlier to enter into a separation agreement with Clasen, who as part of the settlement agreed to withdraw the discrimination complaint she had filed with the state Department of Human Rights over how she was treated by Lynch.

The city paid Clasen, whose annual salary was just over $96,000, a sum of $89,600 for “non wages.” Other terms included that she “releases and forever discharges” the city, its employees and elected officials and others involved from any and all claims, demands and lawsuits related to her employment.

Meanwhile, the city council on a 4-1 vote gave Lynch six months of pay through his separation agreement with the city; his 2020 salary was nearly $163,000.

Police are asking for help in locating a 39-year-old Inver Grove Heights woman who hasn’t been seen in more than a week.

Authorities say Amber Haas was last seen at her home in Inver Grove Heights on Aug. 24.

She doesn’t have her vehicle and has not shown up for work, met with friends or answered phone calls since.

Authorities ask anyone who knows where Haas is to call 911 or the Inver Grove Heights Police Department tip line at 651-450-2530.

The new Safety and Mental Health Alternative Response Training (SMART) Center opened Monday in Inver Grove Heights, giving local law enforcement a place to learn how to handle crisis calls for help.

The 35,000-square-foot SMART Center, located on Highway 52 near the Inver Hills Community College, will be a crisis and de-escalation training hub for first responders and will give the Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team a much-needed office and training space.

There are five different training rooms that can be modified to fit any situation needed, Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie said. Trainers can make a room look like a bar, bedroom or a storefront in order to help officers properly train in those areas. All of the rooms are recorded so that first responders can watch themselves and get feedback right away.

Police encounter people who are struggling with mental illness and other crises every day, Leslie said. Officers need to be prepared to effectively help them.

“Certainly, the mental health issues facing our communities and law enforcement at times seem insurmountable, but with partnerships like this, we’re going to make progress,” said Dakota County Board Chair Mary Liz Holberg said in a prepared statement.

The SMART Center cost about $12.8 million to build, and received funding from Dakota County ($6.6 million) and state bonding ($6.2 million.) It’s been a joint project between the county and state, with planning starting in 2017.

The Crisis Intervention Team previously “had no place to train, so they would go across the state for sponsored training, they would (train) in like a closed school, or some sort of a public building,” Leslie said. “This is going to really take it to the next level.”

First responders from across the state will be able to travel to the SMART Center for such training. The location is easy for metro and Southeastern Minnesota first responders to access and those coming from farther can stay in nearby hotels.

“We’re really looking forward to it having an impact on law enforcement in general, but specifically here in Dakota County,” Leslie said.

The building will also house the Dakota County Electronic Crimes Unit, which specializes in electronic equipment for evidence in criminal cases, and the Dakota County Drug Task Force, a partnership with local police departments focused on drug, gang and violent crimes.

A former girlfriend has accused Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook of a violent attack at his Inver Grove Heights home last November.

Gracelyn Trimble, a 29-year-old sergeant in the U.S. Army, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Dakota County District Court, accusing Cook of assault, battery and false imprisonment. She’s seeking at least $50,000 in damages.

According to the complaint:

The two met in 2018 on a beach in Florida and began dating. In March 2020, Trimble was in the hospital having a miscarriage with Cook’s child when she learned he was cheating on him.

The two had a physical fight a week later and broke up, only to resume dating in May 2020. Trimble learned in November that Cook was spending time with the same woman as in March, so Trimble made a plan to remove her possessions from his Inver Grove Heights home.

When she got to his house on Nov. 19, 2020, she used a garage opener to get inside and grabbed a can of mace she’d been storing in the garage. When she asked Cook to help her gather her belongings, he grew angry and threw her over a couch, causing her face to hit a coffee table.

She tried to spray mace at Cook but mostly hit her own face. She later headed for the shower but Cook picked her up and slammed her on the floor, where her arm was cut against a corner of a bedroom.

Cook pinned her to the ground, punched and choked and threatened to kill her and later pointed a gun at her head.

Once he let her go, Trimble showered, then went to the kitchen, where she ripped up pictures of the couple. Cook began to use a broom to sweep up the pictures, then grew angry and beat her with the broomstick and again picked her up and slammed her to the floor, causing the back of her head to bleed.

Trimble ran down Cook’s driveway, but he carried her back inside and wouldn’t let her leave for several hours. She was allowed to leave the next day, flew back to Florida and sought medical attention on Nov. 25, when she realized her injuries were too severe to heal on their own.

The complaint includes photographs of Trimble’s injuries and a screenshot of an Instagram exchange, in which Cook seemingly apologizes and says “if you wanna go to the police I’ll respect that I’ll take my punishment for what I did!”

ATTORNEY: TRIMBLE TRYING TO ‘EXTORT’ COOK

Cook’s attorney, David Valentini, said in a statement to reporters that Trimble “broke into the home of Dalvin Cook and assaulted him and his two houseguests” and is “now attempting to extort him for millions of dollars.”

Valentini wrote that Cook and Trimble had a “short-term relationship over several months, she became emotionally abusive, physically aggressive and confrontational, and repeatedly attempted to provoke Mr. Cook, damaging his vehicle on two occasions, assaulted him and attempted to stop him from seeing other women.”

The statement said that Trimble had entered Cook’s home with a stolen garage door opener, and that she “physically assaulted Mr. Cook, punched him repeatedly and maced Mr. Cook directly in the eyes and then maced his two houseguests.” The statement said that Trimble was armed with a gun and “forced Mr. Cook and his guests, at gunpoint, to remain in his residence for the next several hours.”

The Vikings in a statement Tuesday night said they’re still gathering information:

“We recently received notification from Dalvin Cook’s legal representative regarding a situation that occurred between Dalvin and a female acquaintance in November 2020 and led to an ongoing dispute between the parties,’’ the team said. “Upon learning of this, we immediately notified the NFL. We are in the process of gathering more information and will withhold further comment at this time.”

Nick Ferraro and Josh Verges contributed to this report.

A Minneapolis man was charged Tuesday with raping a minor at a group home in Inver Grove Heights.

Abdulkadir Jama Hassan, 25, was charged in Dakota County District Court with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to the complaint, police responded to the Honovi Crisis Respite Home for foster teens Friday on a report of a sexual assault. A 17-year-old girl told police Hassan, a staff member of the home, had caught her alone in a shared living space and raped her.

Hassan at first denied having any sexual contact with her, but later said the sex was consensual, the complaint states.

Hassan does not have any prior felony convictions in Minnesota. He is being held at the Dakota County Jail. His next court appearance is Dec. 16.

A Dakota County grand jury has indicted a Minneapolis man with first-degree murder in an Inver Grove Heights shooting death.

Prosecutors had earlier charged Gabriel Alfonso Sanchez Cruz, 43, with second-degree murder in the Jan. 31 killing of 38-year-old Bryant Jon Lutgens of Burnsville. According to a criminal complaint, during a drug deal seller Lutgens was shot in the head by a buyer and left in a snowbank. The shooter then took off in the vehicle Lutgens had been driving.

Sanchez Crus was arrested a few days later after he led Minneapolis police on a short chase before crashing the Lutgens’ rented vehicle.

On Friday, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office announced that a grand jury had returned an indictment with charges of first-degree murder while committing an aggravated robbery, and second-degree murder. The new first-degree charge supersedes the prior charge.

Sanchez Cruz is being held in the Dakota County Jail. Bond has been set at $2 million without restrictions.

Those convicted of first-degree murder could get a life sentence without parole, while those convicted of second-degree murder face up to 40 years in prison.

Inver Grove Heights has hired away a recreation manager from Minneapolis to become its new Parks and Recreation director.

Adam Lares, who spent 18 years with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, will assume his new role on Jan. 3 in Inver Grove Heights.

“I am excited to join the community of Inver Grove Heights and share my commitment to championing the role that parks and recreation play in improving quality of life,” Lares said in a prepared statement.

Lares will oversee more than 200 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees; 27 parks; and a number of city facilities, including the Veterans Memorial Community Center and the Inver Wood Golf Course.

Lares said he plans to take an active role in his position to foster community support for advocating for parks and recreation activities as the city plans to add new park land.

In Minneapolis, Lares served as the manager of the agency’s North Service Area, which includes seven recreation centers.

Lares’ “experience, energy and focus on community engagement will help guide the next chapter of park development in Inver Grove Heights,” City Administrator Kris Wilson said.

Lares holds a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul and lives in Farmington with his wife and two daughters.

Lares will replace former Inver Grove Heights parks director Eric Carlson, who held the position for 14 years.

A 63-year-old Georgia man died in a rollover crash Tuesday night on an icy highway in Inver Grove Heights.

Calvin Evans of Dublin, Georgia, was headed north on Minnesota 52 when his Ford Transit 250 went off the road to the left, hit a guardrail and rolled around 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, according to the State Patrol.

Evans, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said the crash may have left him in a position where he was unable to breathe.

Kathleen Gaylord is planning to retire from the Dakota County Board when her term ends this year, capping off a two-decade run as a commissioner.

Gaylord, who represents District 2, which covers South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Sunfish Lake and four precincts in Inver Grove Heights, made the announcement at Tuesday’s county board meeting, shortly after commissioners elected her to serve as chair in 2022.

“I truly appreciate the honor of leading the board in 2022 to mark my 20th and final year on the Dakota County Board of Commissioners, as I’ve decided not to run for re-election this fall,” she said.

Before joining the board in 2003, Gaylord served a decade as mayor of South St. Paul after eight years as a council member.

In an interview Wednesday, Gaylord joked that her years of public service “is a big number when I add them all together. I try not to too often.”

Gaylord, 69, said it is time to move on to a different part of her life.

“I’ve very much enjoyed being at Dakota County, and I’ve been honored by the voters to be elected and then re-elected four times,” she said.

Gaylord will also be stepping aside from her career as an attorney. For two decades, she and her longtime business partner, Alan Weinblatt, ran the law firm Weinblatt & Gaylord in Inver Grove Heights. In May, Weinblatt died at age 78.

“It’s just part of the process,” she said of retirement from the law firm. “You get to a certain point in your career, and there’s some other things that you want to do.”

Gaylord said she is proud that Dakota County in 2022 will have the lowest county tax per capita in Minnesota for the seventh straight year, and that its tax rate will also be the lowest among the state’s counties.

“As the board chair for 2022, I’m committed to continuing to do what we as a county do so well and doing it in a fiscally responsible way that benefits our constituents and our taxpayers,” Gaylord said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Gaylord highlighted Dakota County priorities for 2022. They include:

• Supporting economic relief for taxpayers by securing substantial federal and state dollars.
• Completing transportation upgrades, pedestrian safety improvements and pavement maintenance.
• Working on a proposed new county library in South St. Paul.
• Restoring full hours of operation at most library locations and eliminating late fees for youth materials.
• Continuing to address mental health issues by adding staff to respond to crisis situations.
• Making park and greenway improvements, including reintroducing bison to Spring Lake Park Reserve and beginning construction on the final gap in the 27-mile Mississippi River Greenway.

Gaylord said Wednesday that when her board term ends she plans to travel with her husband, Dennis Hosford, and spend more time with their two young grandsons.

Firefighters in Inver Grove Heights on Monday rescued a cross-country skier who had fallen through the ice on the Mississippi River.

The man was apparently cross-country skiing on the river with his dog Monday afternoon when he plunged into the icy water, according to a post on the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department’s Facebook page. A passerby heard the man yelling for help and called 911.

A firefighter in a special ice rescue suit went into the river to retrieve the man, who was conscious when he was pulled from the water, the post said.

Firefighters helped the man to an ambulance and carried his dog off the ice.

Local authorities have recently warned about the dangers of ice on rivers and streams, whose currents can make conditions extremely unpredictable.

A 24-year-old Inver Grove Heights man was killed early Sunday in a rollover car crash in Eagan, officials said.

The crash occurred at 2:43 a.m. Sunday on southbound Highway 77 north of Cliff Road in Eagan.

According to the state patrol, the driver of a 2004 Ford Expedition veered into the right ditch and drove about 300 feet before it hit a sign post and rolled. No other vehicles were involved.

Authorities said information about the driver will be released at noon on Wednesday.

Authorities on Wednesday identified the driver killed in an early-morning rollover crash Sunday in Eagan as Luis Adrian Morales Garcia, 25, of Inver Grove Heights.

The crash occurred at 2:43 a.m. on southbound state Highway 77 north of Cliff Road. Garcia, who was driving a 2004 Ford Expedition, veered into the right ditch and drove about 300 feet before hitting a sign post and rolling the SUV, according to Minnesota State Patrol said. Garcia died at the scene.

No other vehicles were involved.

The Twitter account Southeast Metro Fire News reported the incident shortly after the first call was made to authorities and also took a screengrab of a Minnesota Department of Transportation camera that shows the man walking down the steel arch.

One of Howard Gustafson’s earliest memories is standing at a parade, waving an American flag and calling out, “Down with the Kaiser!” It was World War I. One of his last memories was planning his 107th birthday.

In between those memories spanning a century was a lot of living — from plowing farm fields with horses as a young man to learning how to take selfies at his 100th birthday party. A member of the Greatest Generation, he survived the Great Depression and served in World War II. Almost to the end, he kept dancing.

Gustafson died in his sleep at his apartment in assisted living in Inver Grove Heights on May 5 — just 43 days before yet another birthday. He was 106.

Susan Harold, one of Gustafson’s two daughters, thinks she knows why their dad lived so long.

“He had such a zest for life,” she says.

Gustafson was born at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul on June 17, 1915. He was born during World War I — although the United States would not join the war until later. Woodrow Wilson was president, American women were fighting for their right to vote and the movies were still silent. Sirloin steak cost 18 cents a pound, a newspaper was a penny and an average house was priced at about $3,200, according to federal records.

His mother was a Norwegian immigrant; his father, a postal clerk, was Swedish by heritage. The couple’s sons, Howard and his younger brother, Oscar, were both healthy and athletic, with Oscar excelling at tennis and Howard enjoying swimming, fishing and golf. Growing up on the south end of Highland Park, Gustafson got a job at a bakery when he was 13, earning 35 cents per hour after school and on weekends.

After graduating from Central High School  in 1932 — back in an era when boys wore suits and ties to school — Gustafson attended Macalester College, where he graduated cum laude in 1936 with a degree in biology.

He mixed his studies with hard labor, helping out on a relative’s farm in North Branch in the summers.

“All work by hand, and they used horses,” said Vern Anderson, a son-in-law, in a message to the Pioneer Press. “Tough due to the Depression and great drought of the ’30s.”

Gustafson was 26 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the United States declared war. Because of his biology background, Gustafson served as a medical lab technician during World War II, stationed in South Wales.

Back home after the war, Gustafson followed his father’s example and got a job with the U.S. Postal Service in 1946. The postal clerk met his wife, Norma, at a dance class; they wed in 1951. The couple bought a house in South St. Paul in 1954, where they raised their two daughters, Jan and Susan. His daughter, Jan Anderson, remembers how their dad flooded the backyard in the winter so his daughters could ice skate; sometimes, he joined the kids in sledding down the hill in their yard.

After Norma died in 2004, Gustafson adapted to carry on without his wife of 53 years.

“I’ve had to become more social,” he told the Pioneer Press in 2015 at his 100th birthday party. “I’ll talk to anybody.”

Turning 100: Read the Pioneer Press coverage from Howard Gustafson’s 100th birthday party in 2015.

Having retired in 1974, Gustafson kept busy, not only mowing his own lawn and cleaning his own house, but also helping neighbors clear their snow and volunteering at his church. His step was always filled with pep.

“He was known as the dancing usher,” says Anderson.

He was often asked about his secret to such successful aging.

He often gave this answer:

“Oatmeal,” Anderson recalls with a laugh.

His version of finally slowing down was not typical.

“He bought a self-propelled lawn mower after he turned 100,”  Anderson says. “It was his gift to himself.”

Until then, Gustafson had used a push mower.

When he moved to assisted living at age 102, he did so independently.

“He drove himself there,” Harold says.

(The car stayed parked after that, and he eventually gave it to a grandchild.)

Gustafson didn’t enjoy the isolation that came with the pandemic — the second one he lived through, although he did not recall the first — so he was excited for his upcoming June birthday party.

How could such a long life seem cut short?

Maybe it’s because his zest for it never aged.

Gustafson will be buried next to his wife, in a service with full military honors, at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Friday.

Besides his daughters and two son-in-laws, he is survived by four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

To honor Gustafson’s love of gardening and dancing, his family suggests donations in his name to Como Friends, a nonprofit that supports Como Park Zoo and Conservatory (Comofriends.org), or to Keane Sense of Rhythm, a nonprofit tap dance studio in St. Paul (Tapcompany.org).

One of Peter Silva Sr.’s earliest memories is of a telegram.

It was 1945; his oldest brother, U.S. Army Private First Class George Silva, was stationed in Burma.

“When Western Union showed up in those days, you knew what it meant,” Silva remembers. “So when Western Union came to the door, my mom just collapsed and started screaming. I was 5 years old and I was clinging to her and crying too, even though I had no idea why my mom was crying.

“Yes, I remember that,” says Silva, now 82, of the notice arriving of his brother’s death. “I remember that.”

This Memorial Day weekend, about 100 of his family members remembered with him at the 75th Annual Silva Family Memorial Day Picnic, which also included prayers at the graveside of the fallen soldier and his parents.

It’s become both a celebration of family and a tribute to service.

“How cool is this? 75 years!” said Peter Silva Jr. to those gathered at South Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights. “And all because of Uncle George Silva.”

JOINING THE FIGHT

George’s parents, Martin and Gregoria Silva, were seeking the American dream when they came to St. Paul from west-central Mexico. For a time, the growing family lived in a boxcar in Swede Hollow, a makeshift neighborhood of immigrants on the city’s East Side. George — the oldest of the couple’s seven surviving children — was born in 1924, the same year as President Jimmy Carter. Calvin Coolidge was president, F. Scott Fitzgerald was writing “The Great Gatsby” and a gallon of gas cost 11 cents.

George attended Lincoln Elementary in Swede Hollow, later worked at a meatpacking plant in South St. Paul and was known to enjoy jazz music, but the war interrupted his youth. After the United States joined World War II, Silva joined the fight and was on Burma Road — in what is now Myanmar — on Feb. 14, 1945, when tragedy struck.

“He was part of a hospital crew,” says Peter Sr. “They were moving camp that day, from one camp to another.”

“He traded seats with somebody,” says Ruth Silva, wife of Peter Sr.

“He was shot by a sniper,” Peter Sr. says. “He was killed the day before his 21st birthday.”

That Memorial Day, still in shock and deep in grief, the family gathered informally. The world was still at war, although victory had been declared in Europe.

“My mom and dad and sisters and brother and me, it was just us,” Peter Sr. says. “So we went to a park.”

Due to war-related delays, the family would not have a cemetery to gather at until 1948, when George’s body was returned and laid to rest in Minnesota.

As time went on, George’s siblings — Alberta, Antoinette, Lucy, Mary, Michael and Peter — grew up and began having families of their own, but no one every forgot George and his sacrifice.

“Every year, the picnic got a little bigger,” Peter Sr. says.

‘SO MANY PEOPLE’

On Sunday, Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights was dotted with small groups of mourners for Memorial Day weekend. Three people sat on a blanket in front of one gravestone; a larger group posed for a photo in front of another.

And then there were the Silvas.

“So many people,” said Rickie Axtell, 3, one of George’s great-great-nephews, as he looked around.

He was right: Near the exit, the cars lined up in two rows. From babies in the arms of their parents to the family elders, Ruth Silva, 83, and Peter Silva Sr., 82, seated in chairs, about 70 people gathered around one of the Silva family markers located within section 60. On a stone shared with his parents and one of their grandchildren, the soldier’s portion of the stone is inscribed simply:

George

1924-1945

Son

As the family placed roses and flags and other mementos around the grave, the sky began clearing after a morning of rain.

Here, even as the Silvas prayed for their departed family members — Peter Silva Sr. is the only sibling left of the seven — their thoughts were also focused on the nation’s grief.

“I know we’ve all been watching the news,” said Victoria Silva, one of George’s nieces, to her relatives. “And when you think of family, you think of all these children and these grandchildren … if you wouldn’t mind to say the ‘Hail, Mary’ for those families that are suffering down in Texas and Buffalo, New York, and on and on and on … we’ve got to do something.”

In this moment, what the Silvas could do was pray:

“Hail, Mary, full of grace …”

FOOD AND FAMILY

After the visit to the cemetery, the Silvas set up their annual picnic, which has been held for more than 30 years at South Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights (although they skipped 2020 due to the pandemic). One year, a long time ago, there was a snowstorm. Some years, there are tornado warnings. But often, there is sunshine. And food — lots of food — from enchiladas to rhubarb bars. This year, there were also custom T-shirts and banners, celebrating the 75th year of the gathering. And speeches, too, to a gathering of more than 100.

“Once you get a little older, you start to understand why we’re here,” Peter Silva Jr. said to the kids before the meal.. “It’s not just because of the fun picnic and the baseball diamond. This is all tradition, started with Uncle George … we hope that 25 years from now, we can say — you all can say — ‘This is the 100th year.’ ”

The official remarks closed with George’s great nephew, Anthony Silva Jr., introducing his son, Anthony Silva III., 14, to lead the group in a prayer before eating.

“It’s an honor,” said Anthony III.

And then he began:

“Our father …”

George Silva died young, but it’s clear his legacy continues to bring his family together.

A Dakota County jury on Wednesday convicted a Minneapolis man of first-degree and second-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting during a January drug deal in Inver Grove Heights.

Prosecutors had earlier charged Gabriel Alfonso Sanchez Cruz, 44, in the Jan. 31 killing of 38-year-old Bryant Jon Lutgens of Burnsville.

According to a criminal complaint, Lutgens was shot in the head by a drug buyer and left in a snowbank. The shooter then took off in the vehicle Lutgens had been driving. Sanchez Crus was arrested a few days later after he led Minneapolis police on a short chase before crashing Lutgens’ rented vehicle.

The jury in Sanchez Cruz’s trial deliberated about two hours before reaching a verdict. He is being held in the Dakota County Jail pending sentencing on July 12.

Those convicted of first-degree murder could face a life sentence without parole, while those convicted of second-degree murder face up to 40 years in prison.

A Minneapolis man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole for fatally shooting a Burnsville man in the head during a drug deal in Inver Grove Heights last year.

Gabriel Alfonso Sanchez Cruz, 44, will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 30 years for the killing of Bryant Jon Lutgens on Jan. 31, 2021. Lutgens was found dead in a snowbank the next day, his 39th birthday.

Last month, a Dakota County jury deliberated for about two hours before convicting Cruz of first-degree and second-degree murder. Those convicted of first-degree murder could face a life sentence without parole.

As part of the sentence, Dakota County District Judge Dania Edward ordered Cruz to pay restitution to Lutgens’ family for the funeral, headstone and burial expenses.

Three co-defendants await sentencings for their roles in the killing: Jason Richard Beck, 42, of Eden Prairie, Kyle Michael Reagan, 33, of Edina, and Ryan Edward Whitman, 39, of Richfield.

Reagan was at the scene when Cruz pulled the trigger and helped him take Lutgens’ belongings from his car and carry them into Cruz’s apartment, according to a criminal complaint charging Reagan with aiding an offender (accomplice after the fact).

A witness said that Cruz had set up a meeting to buy methamphetamine from Lutgens, according to a complaint against Cruz.

A second witness told investigators that around 11:45 p.m., Cruz returned to his apartment with Reagan. She described Cruz as acting “off” and said he was talking very fast. When she asked Cruz what was wrong, he said he shot Lutgens.

According to the second witness, Cruz said he pulled out a gun and was going to rob Lutgens, but the two struggled over Lutgens’ backpack. Lutgens fell backward into a snowbank. Cruz said he then walked up to the Lutgens, shot him in the head, took his belongings and left.

Cruz and Reagan got into Lutgens’ vehicle and “ditched it” a few blocks from Cruz’s apartment after taking several items from it.

An autopsy confirmed that Lutgens died of a single gunshot wound to the head.