Obituaries are courtesy of Mueller-Bies Funeral Homes, located at 2130 N Dale St., Roseville.
Richard J. Ketchel (1950-2025)
Richard Joseph “Rick” Ketchel of St. Paul, Minn. passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. He was 75.
Ketchel was born in St. Paul on Oct. 2, 1950, the sixth of Elmer and Marie “Rose” Ketchel’s seven children. He attended St. Bernard’s School before transferring and graduating from Washington High School in St. Paul. He then attended Dakota County Technical College which led to a very fulfilling career with Johnson Screens in New Brighton as a tooling operator until his retirement in 2020.
Ketchel enjoyed many outdoor activities, including fishing with his son Jeffrey at their Lake Lizzie cabin, deer hunting, competitive skeet shooting and fall hayrides. He and his siblings also participated in Minnesota’s Adopt-a-Highway cleanup every summer.
Ketchel was preceded in death by his wife Carolyn, his parents, his father and mother-in-law Anton and Dotty Schmidt, his brothers Roy and Gregory, Roy’s wife Wilma, his sisters Jeannette Krueger and Carol Milton, Carol’s husband Jim, nephews James Milton II and Douglas Schmidt and niece Lauren Schulte.
He is survived by his son Jeff, his brothers James (Karen) and Gary (Nancy) and a large extended family of nephews, nieces, cousins and brothers and sisters-in-law.
A celebration of life will be planned in the near future when the weather gets warmer.
Leonard W. Burket (1942-2025)
Leonard W. “Len” Burket of St. Paul, Minn. passed away on Tuesday. He was 83.
Burket was preceded in death by his parents Len and Caroline, his brother-in-law Lou Frogner and his niece Bonnie Bullis.
He is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Mary, his sister, Carol Frogner and many nieces, nephews and other family and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 22 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church of St. Paul, 1095 Desoto St., St. Paul with visitation from 10-11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Blood Cancer United (Leukemia) or the American Heart Association.
Duane Robert Simpson (1961-2025)
Duane Simpson of Maplewood, Minn. passed away peacefully with his loved ones by his side on Monday. He was 64.
A member of the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Simpson was born in Cloquet, Minn. to Arthur and Dorothy Simpson on March 29, 1961. He graduated from Cromwell High School and attended St. Scholastica University before moving to Minneapolis. He built successful careers in the dry-cleaning business and with SC Johnson and EcoLab.
Simpson was a proud husband and father, a fisherman, hunter, motorcycle enthusiast and a well-traveled man. He is described as charming, witty, hardworking and reliable.
Simpson was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Arthur Simpson Jr.
He is survived by his wife of 36 years Angela Simpson, sons Tyler, Brandon and Dillon Simpson, siblings Paula Kay Kreger, Pamela Winter and Devon (Connie) Simpson and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and family that will greatly miss him.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20 at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home-Roseville. Visitation will be from 10-11 a.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1800 Edgerton St, St. Paul.
