To The Crookston Times readers,

It is with regret that CherryRoad Media announces the closing of The Crookston Times

Our company is dedicated to the preservation of community journalism. Since the purchase of our 1st paper in late-2020 to today, we have prided ourselves on our ability to fight the difficult battle that newspapers face in today’s digital society. Unfortunately, that battle cannot always be won.

The Crookston Times has struggled in recent years to find its footing in this community. Since purchasing The Crookston Times, CherryRoad Media has been unable to avoid financial losses every month. The paper was losing money when we bought it, and it continued to do so. We must now come to terms with the fact that we do not have a path forward to sustainability.

And we thank those who have supported us.

Janice M. Bakken

 Janice Medona Bakken, 84, died peacefully at home on Sunday, June 5, 2022 surrounded by her family who loved her so much.
 She was born on May 22, 1938 to Theodore and Eva (Blackstad) Knutson in Crookston.
 Jan was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church.
 In 1957, the day before Jan was to attend nurses training in Crookston, Donnie said to her, “Why don’t you stay home and we’ll get married!” She replied, “OK!” And their 62-year love story began.
 She was the first waitress at the Top Notch Steak House in Fertile and that is where she fell in love with Donnie. Jan was united in marriage to Donald Bakken on February 6, 1958.
 Jan drove gravel truck and was the bookkeeper for Bakken Trucking. She worked for Larry and Val Burslie in their home-based tax office for 10 years, and then worked four years at the Stuhaug & Smeby Tax Office.
 At the age of 50, she graduated from nursing school and worked as an Registered Nurse for 29 years in Minnesota and Arizona.
 Don and Jan lived most of their married lives in Fertile. The last 16 years were spent in Arizona. In 2021, after Donnie’s death, Jan moved to Maple Grove and lived with her son Brian and his wife, Vickie.
 In 1975 Jan accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and began to openly live out her faith by speaking in churches, holding faith-based teachings in her home and being instrumental in starting the Lutheran Teens Encounter Christ program. Jan touched many lives. She always continued to grow in her faith and remained an inspiration to her family and all who knew her.
 She is survived by her four children, Brian (Vickie) of Maple Grove, Renae (Brian) Lindberg of Crosslake, Heidi (Kurt) Larson of Mentor, and Brent (Sara) of Webster, Texas; 17 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
 She is preceded in death by her husband, Donnie; parents; three siblings, Kerwin, Duane and Aloma; and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.
 Memorial Service: 11 a.m. Thursday, June 30, 2022 at Concordia Lutheran Church, Fertile.
 Visitation: 5 – 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at Concordia Lutheran Church, Fertile.
 Inurnment: Concordia Lutheran Cemetery, Fertile.
 Please view our guestbook and share condolences online at www.fredriksonfh.com.
 Arrangements with Erikson-Vik-Ganje Funeral Home, Fertile.

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