Marie Pfannenstein Funeral

Thursday, April 4, 2024 | 11:00 AM

Marie Feien Pfannenstein, age 86, of Edina, passed away from cancer on February 3, 2024 surrounded by her loving family. Marie grew up in St. Cloud, MN and attended Cathedral High School. After graduation, Marie attended St. Alexius (Mary College) in Bismark, ND to study nursing. As a registered nurse, she returned to St. Cloud to work in the psychiatric unit at the Veteran’s Administration. Marie married Ron Pfannenstein and moved to Minneapolis to begin Ron’s career at Honeywell. This would be the first of many moves made for Ron’s career. They enjoyed a two-year stint in Washington, DC in the late 1960’s.

The couple were blessed with three children. Marie supported her children’s many extracurricular activities and could often be seen at the ice arena during skating lessons or hockey games. She loved celebrating holidays and trying new recipes. Marie was a woman of strong faith who was active in the community. She served as a Sunday School Coordinator at Our Lady of Grace and was a member of the St. Francis Guild.

When Marie and Ron’s children were older, she returned to her career as a nurse and became the In-Service Director at Edina Care Center. She retired from that position in 1985 to move to Brussels, Belgium for over four years. She loved to travel and had a thirst for knowledge. Marie and Ron later moved to Long Island, NY and then Chicago, IL before returning to settle in Edina.

Marie is survived by her loving husband of 61 years, Ron; children, Laura (Ralf) Lorenzen, Matt Pfannenstein, Mike (Molly) Pfannenstein; grandchildren, Katherine and John Lorenzen, Kyle, Ben and Jake Pfannenstein; many relatives and friends.  Preceded in death by parents, Mathias and Marie Anna Feien; and an infant sister.  She was extremely proud of her children and grandchildren. Above all she was a loving and devoted wife, mother and Nana, and will be missed. 

Funeral service is Thursday, April 4th at Our Lady of Grace Church at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be one hour prior and there will be a luncheon immediately following. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Sister Jean’s Cookie Cart, 1119 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis, 55411.

Jim Meares Funeral

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | 10:30 AM

James "Jim" Thomas Meares, 82, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2024, at Benedictine Living in Shakopee, MN. He was born on February 6, 1942, in Chicago, to James and Ethel Meares. Jim grew up in the Village of Evergreen Park, attending St. Bernadette Catholic School and was later part of the first graduating class of Brother Rice High School in Chicago. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1967. Afterwards, he served in the United States Army from September 1967 to September 1969 as the Chaplain's Assistant at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Jim married Geraldine (Gerry) Wagner on November 29, 1969, in Chicago. They had four children together, Jamie, Maggie, Trina and Mike.

Jim was a proud longtime resident of Eureka, IL, where he served as Alderman of Ward IV for 26 years and was a founding member of St. Luke's Catholic Church. He worked at Caterpillar for over 30 years where he enjoyed working with people all over the world. Jim loved spending time with his family, golfing and camping. He enjoyed traveling in retirement with his wife Gerry. Jim always had the ability to make people laugh with his dry and witty sense of humor.

Jim is survived by his wife Gerry; children Jamie (Mike) Pohl, Maggie (Juan) Delgado, Trina (Joby) Brown, Mike (Katie) Meares; sisters Mary Kay (the late Richard) Ring, Ann (Ed) Conroy, brothers-in-law Clare ( the late Kathy) Wagner, Russ (the late Mary) Wagner, Dave (Sandy) Wagner, Jim (Michele) Wagner, and sister-in-law Lorrie Roddy, his nine grandchildren; Alex, Gretchen, Ethan, Audrey, Caitlin, Sebastian, Avery, Benjamin and Eli, as well as many nieces and nephews. Jim was preceded in death by his father James, mother Ethel (nee Quinlan), stepfather Arthur Stortz, parent in laws Clarence and Teresa, brother-in-law Richard Ring and sisters-in-law Kathy and Mary Wagner.

Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at Our Lady of Grace in Edina, MN at 10:30 AM. Visitation will be one hour prior and there will be a luncheon to follow.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the National Library Service for the Blind.

Father Bob Schwartz Funeral

Friday, February 23, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Click here to view a livestream of the Funeral.
Click here to view a livestream of the Vigil Liturgy of the Hours.

Father Bob Schwartz, retired priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was returned to the Lord on February 18, 2024, the 57th anniversary of his ordination. He is survived by his siblings, Bill (Jeannie), Howard (Margaret), Ron (Dorothy) and Carol, and many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents Aaron and Margaret, his brother Lenny, and his beloved dogs Shadrach, Nala and Amos.

Memorial Mass for Father Bob in Ghana - Click Here

Father Bob was ordained February 18, 1967, and his life of ministry was extensive. Over 23 years, he served as pastor of both St. John Neumann in Eagan and Our Lady of Grace in Edina. He studied in Rome at Gregorian University, authored the awarding winning book, Servant Leaders of the People of God, and he received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology. He also served on the Archdiocesan Chancery Staff for nine years, was the President of the National Organization for Continuing Education for Roman Catholic Clergy (NORERCC) for two years, served as a Police Chaplain, and taught at the Saint Paul Seminary. In retirement, Father Bob generously served many parishes, his retirement community, Carondelet Village, and gave of his time to Catholic Charities. He was instrumental in establishing Our Lady of Grace Senior High School in Ghana. His passion was serving the poor and developing opportunities for families to access Catholic Education.

Many thanks to Carondelet Village, Symphony Care, Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sisters,  his priest support group, friends, family and drivers and all those who cared for Father Bob after his spinal cord injury that resulted in his paraplegia. Father Bob’s circle of care allowed him to continue to live a full and meaningful life in service to others.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Our Lady of Grace Memorial Fund, or to the Ghana Ministry - RISE & SHINE Fund.

Trish Blessing Funeral

Monday, February 5, 2024 | 10:30 AM

Patricia Mae (Fadell) Blessing was born on November 22, 1931. Trish (92) passed away peacefully at home in Edina, MN surrounded by loved ones on January 28, 2024. Trish was preceded in death by the love of her life, Thomas Blessing; her parents, Mike and Susie Fadell; siblings, Michael, Richard and Mary Lou Hines; son, Michael; daughter, Mary Bangs; and sons-in-law, Bill Wissman and Mike Bangs. Trish will be deeply missed by her sisters, Kathleen Benson and Linda Stubbs; brother-in-law, Tom Hines; sister-in-law, Sandra (Sevard) Wagenius; children, Thomas (Susan), Suzanne Wissman, Stephen (Gretchen), Terrence (Isabel), Katherine (Andreas), Linda (Casey) Strachan, and Ann (Rob) Andersen; 28 grandchildren and 30 great-grand-children.

Trish lived a life dedicated to her faith, family and many friends. Her life's work was the sacred vocation of motherhood and marriage. A lifetime resident of the Twin Cities, she was married to her high school sweetheart, Tom, for 70 years. Together they raised 9 children in South Minneapolis and Edina. Trish, a devout Catholic her entire life, was active in the League of Catholic Women along with many other church activities throughout the years, regularly received the sacraments, and prayed the Rosary daily. In addition, Trish was a lifelong Twins fan (hated the Yankees), an outstanding bridge player (or any card game!) and loved her standing poker game with family for 40 years. She never missed a birthday or event of her grandchildren or friends and attended every activity when possible! Trish lived a full and diverse life, active in politics, MN League of Women Voters, social work, an avid reader and loved to travel.

Trish's life will be celebrated on Monday, February 5 at Our Lady Of Grace Church, 5071 Eden Avenue, Edina, MN. All are welcome to join the family in praying the Rosary for Trish at 9:15 AM, followed by a Visitation at 9:30 AM. The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 AM, followed by luncheon at the Church. Interment will occur after the luncheon at Dawn Valley Cemetery, 9940 Bush Lake Road, Bloomington, MN.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Risen Christ Catholic School, Minneapolis.

Bennett Kotok Funeral

Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 11:30 AM

It is with deep sadness we share the brightest of light, Bennett Kotok, passed away from natural causes on January 21, 2024, at just 19 years old. He is survived by his loving family, parents Larry and Susan, brothers Jack, Simon, dog George and Maddie Sura, his girlfriend of several years.

Bennett is survived by a loving extended family including grandmothers, Jane Gillen and Retta Kotok and amazing aunts and uncles that he adored including Kathy and Corey Melville, Steve and Kristal Gillen, Dave and Tamra Gillen, Jay and Marie Lackmann, Lori and Tom Anderson and Janice and Bob Krauth. Loving cousins include Michael and McKenna Melville, Curran, Garrett (Kassidy), Gavin, Jordan (Joe) Gillen, Brooke and Nick Gillen and Samantha, Amanda and Joseph Lackmann.

Bennett is preceded in death by his grandfathers, Doug Gillen and Joe Kotok who played an important role in Bennett’s life with lessons of hard work, determination, faith and the importance of education.

Both loved the outdoors, and it was Bennett’s favorite place to be largely due to their influence. Friendships were vitally important to Bennett and lifelong friends Mark Rogalski and Sam Fulton were like family to him amongst many more, too numerous to count.

Bennett lived an accomplished life though cut too short. Bennett loved all competition and thrived playing sports of all kinds including intramural basketball, football, and baseball serving as the team captain. He was also the Class President of the Class of 2023. He was natural leader and thrived academically. He was Student Council President, Model UN Captain, Peer Ministry leader and many other activities at Saint Thomas Academy, his beloved high school. He loved being a Cadet and being part of the Brotherhood and legacy of the school.

Bennett was a pre-med major at Creighton University and though extremely challenging, he excelled in his first year. He wanted to pursue medicine to help people live a better life and that’s exactly who Bennett was. Bennett had a friend everywhere we went due to his engaging, genuine, manner. Bennett had a kindness about him, and he sought the good in everyone.

Bennett had high personal standards and he drove himself and others around him to continue to grow, evolve and challenge themselves to always be better. He was an inspiration to those who were close to him, especially his family.

Photo taken by Saint Thomas Academy staff the day after Bennett died with a post that a new angel has arrived.

Our Lady of Grace is where Bennett’s faith journey began as a lifelong parishioner and that carried over to STA where he was part of Campus Ministry there under the guidance of Father Mark Pavlak who was an important person in Bennett’s life. Faith was an integral part of his life and the foundation for his strong moral compass which was unwavering. He helped everyone around them to become a better version of themselves. Bennett brought joy to any room simply by just being in it, sharing his positive energy with those around him, especially his family and close friends whose hearts are broken today.

In lieu of flowers, family is requesting donations be made in his name to Saint Thomas Academy to provide financial assistance to more families who desire a Catholic education. cadets.com/giving

A prayer vigil will be held at Saint Thomas Academy on Friday, January 26 at 7:00 PM. Mass of Christian burial will be held at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church on Saturday, January 27 at 11:30 AM with visitation starting at 10:00 AM.

When you see a beautiful sunset or sunrise, think of the goodness Bennett brought to this world and share it with others, just as he did with us, even if it was for too short of time.

 
 

Mary Trainor Walsh Funeral

Friday, January 5, 2024 | 11:00 AM

Mary Trainor Walsh, of Eden Prairie, MN, passed away at home on December 28th, 2023 at the young age of 66.

Mary is survived by her husband of 43 years, Terry; children, Trainor, Bridget (Shawn), and Gordon (Lindsay); five grandchildren, Max, Hannah, Caroline, Bodie, and Theo; and sisters, Susan and Anne. Mary is predeceased by her parents, Owen and Joanne, who brought Mary up in Minnesota and Iowa.

Mary and Terry met at the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!), married, moved to Illinois and started their family. Their work, and later desire to be near her kids and grandkids, took them to Iowa, Michigan, back to Illinois, Colorado, Texas, and finally Minnesota. No matter where she lived Mary was a loving friend, a generous volunteer, and a dedicated mother, committed to providing the absolute best for her family.

Throughout her career, Mary was a loyal and trusted business colleague. Starting early in her professional life, she prepared personal taxes at numerous accounting firms, and later, advanced to more senior roles in wealth management at The Northern Trust. Retiring in 2015, Mary took every opportunity to reconnect with friends and family; many who cherished the chance to rekindle their friendships with Mary. Above all, she was fiercely devoted to her grandchildren, attending every game, recital, and event she possibly could. She was loved dearly and will be sorely missed.

All are welcome at the visitation to be held at 10 AM, followed by the funeral at 11 AM, on Friday, January 5th, at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Edina, MN. For those unable to attend the service in person, a link to the livestream will be available on Mary's obituary page in the near future.

If you'd like to make a donation instead of sending flowers, Mary's family asks that you give to Active Minds, the nation's leading nonprofit promoting mental health awareness for young adults. This felt like a natural choice as Mary loved young people and was moved to make the world better than she found it.