Memorials
Introduction
This section is dedicated to all the deceased classmates and offers some information about each person in what the Memorial Committee has called a "snippet." The Commitee uses various sources to compile a snippet. Some information has come directly from friends, family, classmates, partners, and spouses. Other sources include Ancestry.com, Twin Cities and other local newspaper obituaries, many online resources including the SLP Class of '69 Facebook page. The committee wishes to thank Alan Perlman for managing and maintaining that Facebook page, which announces whenever we've lost a classmate.
As of September 2024, 128 classmates have passed away, representing about 16.5% of the class.
Disclaimer: Every attempt has been made to verify or link multiple data sets to confirm that the data for each classmate is correct. However, if anything found to be incorrect, we apologize. Or feel free to contact Lesley Blicker with changes needed at: lablick@comcast.net.
WANT TO VIEW JUST A LIST OF THE NAMES OF THE DECEASED CLASSMATES?
Then please visit the In Memorium page.
It's our privilege to serve as the Class of '69 Memorial Committee:
- Caryn Goldberg, Chair
- Harvey Zuckman
- Lesley Blicker
The Memorials begin at the bottom of this page. They contain the most information found or learned about each classmate. However, you can view an abbreviated version of the memorials by clicking on the PDF file below. You can even download it or print it out for later viewing.
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Don't See Your Loved One's Memorial?
Please do NOT create a new memorial. Instead, please email whatever you would like it to say to: Lesley Blicker at lablick@comcast.net. Two to three paragraphs is ideal, but it can be longer, if desired. Please include the link to your loved one's obituary. And if you wish to include a recent photo of your loved one, then send just one photo. We wish we could post more, but the software won't allow it. We do have all classmates' senior yearbook photos, so no need to send that.
Have Additional Info to Add?
Use the Tribute Function. Find the person and then add a tribute using the red text box link below the person's memorial.
Using the Sort Function
Memorials will appear in alphabetical order by last name at time of graduation. However, you can search any name in the search bar below, or sort by any of the options listed in the pull down menu.
Don Anton
1950-12-08 2019-11-08
Donald K. Anton passed away at his residence in mid-November 2019 at the age of 68.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Joanne; father, Ralph; and sister Deborah. He is survived by his son, Nathan Anton; sister, Dawn; and brother, Darryl. Don was interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Full obituary: http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000335365/
Bruce Barton
1951-07-24 1985-01-21
Bruce died in 1985 at the age of 33. Tragically, he perished in the infamous 1985 Galaxy Flight 203 en route to Reno, Nevada. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in Reno. Most of the victims of the crash were from Minnesota. They'd flown to Nevada for Super Bowl weekend.
A courageous optimist, Bruce overcame speech difficulties to become a real estate professional. He played woodwinds in the SLP Senior High Orchestra. Bruce lived in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood in Minnetonka. He was a former officer of Barton Realty and became the manager of the northwest suburban office of Merrill Lynch Realty Burnet, Inc.
Read more about Galaxy Airl...
Judy Bernstein
1951-01-18 1988-12-21
Judy died in 1988 at the age of 37, tragically in the 1988 bombing of Lockerbie Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland.
Judy was a truly remarkable person and a once-in-a lifetime friend. Brilliant, driven, beautiful and kind, she was someone you could both count on and admire. Judy packed more into her stunningly short years than most people ever do. She lived and worked around the world, forming close friendships wherever she went. She became an art historian and consultant.
Judy married Gary Atkinson in May 1988. They lived and worked in South Kensington, London. They were returning to the United States to visit relatives in Connecticut and Washington, when sadly,...
Lyle Brand
1951-05-09 1997-06-06Classmates recall admiring Lyle because he seemed to make the most of his abilities and always had a positive attitude. Sadly, he passed away at age 46.
View Memorial and Tributes
Steve Bratt
1951-04-26 1974-12-13
Steve died December 13, 1974 at the age of 23.
No other information was found.
Jeannie Clark (Brothen)
1951-04-09 1993-02-25
Jeannie died in 1993 at the age of 41 from breast cancer.
Jeannie was artistic, intelligent, curious, and an ardent protector of the earth. Her son Nathan, family and friends treasure Jeannie’s memory. Jeannie is buried in Dawn Valley Memorial Park in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Phil Bukstein
1951-11-11 2023-12-09
Phil died in 2023 at the age of 72.
He is survived by his wife, Sherry, two children, Jill (Jason) Phllips and David (Ashley) Bukstein and 4 siblings. His late father, Sol Bukstein (“the singing grocer”, as he was known), owned Sol’s Superette in St. Louis Park for many years. Phil had a great sense of humor, and was well liked by everyone who had the pleasure to know him.
Full Obituary: https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000475268/?fullname=phillip-bukstein
James Buresh
1951-09-11 2001-01-17
Jim died at the age of 49 in 2001.
He was a shy, compassionate soul, wanting the best for everyone he knew. He loved fishing, taking long drives, and being by the ocean. He will be remembered as a loving and caring husband and stepfather. Jim worked for Target most of his career where he was a hard worker and great team player. He loved life and being able to do the things he loved.
Bonnie Mjelde (Burstein)
1951-10-12 2010-07-17
Bonnie Sue (Burstein) Mjelde, of St. Louis Park sadly passed away in 2010 of breast cancer at the age of 58.
Bonnie was well known as the "T-Shirt Lady" at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. She is survived by husband Jim; son Greg (Allison) Henry; grand daughter Reagan; mother, Shirley Burstein; brother Marc (Linda) Burstein; sister Betsy (Steve) Sitkoff. Special aunt to Chera, Mollie, Abbie and Lewis and a beloved friend to many.
Bonnie’s closest friends and classmates describe Bonnie as a good friend, fun-loving, easy-going, empathetic, a great listener, generous, forgiving, and unassuming. More adjectives describing Bonnie include spiritual, unique, and non-...
Ronald Carlson
1951-07-03 2016-11-19
Ronald passed away in 2016 at the age of 65.
Ron loved to be “up north,” taking road trips, and going deer hunting. He was generous with his time and skills and was always willing to help others at a moment’s notice. Ron gave the gift of life via organ and tissue donation.
Full obituary: https://obituaries.startribune.com/obituary/ronald-j-carlson-1090244382
Robert Cegla
1951-03-11 2017-06-06
Robert died in 2017 at the age of 66.
In 1987, Bob realized his life-long dream and opened up shop at Liberty Display Group. Along with his trusted partners, Bob put his blood, sweat, and tears into the company. His quirky sense of humor and sincere smile will be greatly missed.
Comments from some classmates:
>Bob was truly a good man, a loving father and husband, and loyal friend to many. You will be sorely missed, but certainly not forgotten dear friend. Bob was married to Judy Larson, who was my classmate from the Class of 1970 and they have been happily married for over 40 years. R.I.P.
>Bob was a great guy. We were in...
Jon Chambers
1951-05-09 2006-06-08
Jon died in 2006 at the age of 56. He lived in Two Harbors, Minnesota. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Paula, of Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Full obituary: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/obituaries/john-c-chambers
Doug Chatfield
1951-04-15 1969-09-25In high school, Doug bought an old motorcycle and turned it into a fine motorcycle! Doug was on his motorcycle the day he passed away at age 18.
View Memorial and Tributes
Lois Vander Vlies (Citrowski)
1951-08-11 2019-10-01
Lois Citrowske Vander Vlies passed away in 2019 at the age of 68.
She is survived by her husband, Craig, two daughters (Nikki and Christine), 4 grandchildren, 2 sisters (Virginia and Janet) and many other relatives.
She married Craig Vander Vlies, and together they had two beautiful daughters. Lois will be remembered as living her life to the fullest, devoting her time to friends and family, her precious grandchildren, and her volunteer work at New 2 You Shoppe.
FULL OBITUARY: https://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/grandrapids/obituary.aspx?n=lois-vander-vlies&pid=194052938&fhid=4926
Klint Consoliver
1951-07-02 1981-04-14
Klint died in 1981 sadly at the age of 29.
A classmate remembers Klint as being kind and helpful with math and chemistry in high school. He was funny, sweet, and not afraid to show it.
When Klint died so young, it was a sad day for those of us who knew him.
James Corniea
1951-04-27 1988-07-18
James died sadly in 1988 at the age of 37.
A classmate remembers going to Jim’s house where they had a few beers and listened to Neil Diamond together. Their favorite song was “Red Red Wine.” Jim’s mom Ellie would tell them stories of Deadwood, South Dakota, where she grew up. Jim had his mom’s sense of humor. He died too young.
Daniel Cruikshank
1951-07-12 2021-06-11
Daniel passed away suddenly in 2021 in Sedona, Arizona at the age of 69.
His wife of over 40 years predeceased him in 2020. Daniel achieved 43 years of sobriety. He is survived by his sons, Dennis (Traci) and Matthew, and by his two grandchildren, Kaelyn and Drew, along with many other family members. Prior to his death, he completed his most revered project: he published his complete memoir as the stories told in The Franklin Trail and The Blue Highway. “Writer, wreader, wrebel, weirdo and retired from IBM."
What one classmate wrote: I have the first edition of the Franklin Trail, signed by Dan. After I read this book we would discuss it. It was a great book.<...
Kevin Cullen
1951-06-22 1991-02-24
Died in 1991 at the age of 39.
Kevin loved the speed of motorcycles since he was 15 years old. He had a passion for art and nice cars. He loved helping people, especially his mother, after his father died. Peace to you, my friend.
David Deming
2024-01-02
David Deming passed away peacefully in 2024 at the age of 72 after a long battle with dementia and various nerve issues.
David was an accomplished multi-sport athlete, an All-State football player who played for Iowa State in college. He was recently inducted into the St. Louis Park High School Athletic Hall of Fame. His love for sports led him to be an exceptional coach and teacher to many, including his daughters. Most of all, David was an incredibly proud father and grandfather.
A classmate writes: "David is considered as one of the finest athletes to ever graduate from St. Louis Park High School. A three-sport, multi year Letter Award winner, David had a nat...
Gary Diamond
1951-07-16 2024-04-09
Gary passed away in 2024 at the age of 72, from complications with esophageal cancer.
He was affectionately known as “Central Gary Diamond” or "Little Gary Diamond." He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Susan; son, Jesse (Caitie); grandchildren, Jackson, Adilee, and Noah; brothers, Bruce (Bonnie), Jeff (Diane), and Buddy; and many extended family and dear friends.
After attending college at the U of M-Duluth, Gary was a long-time music industry executive in Minneapolis and Los Angeles, and was passionate about music, sports, politics, and world affairs. Susan and Gary loved to travel, including many memorable trips to Mexico, the Bahamas, NYC, and Paris.