Lois Wenzel

Lois LaVonne Wenzel was born October 2, 1926 to Fred and Laura (Steffen) Kuechenmeister in Edison Township, South Dakota. Lois was the second of 12 children and a second mom to many of her siblings. She grew up on a farm and had all of the related responsibilities, both outside chores and inside housework in a home with no indoor plumbing. She was a self-described tomboy who was able to hold her own in a family with nine boys. Living in a rural area far from her school and with such a large family, Lois had little time for normal childhood activities. She loved to read when she had books around and picked up the clarinet pretty quickly when given the opportunity at school. Lois began her life in Garretson, South Dakota, and at a young age her family relocated to Rock County, Minnesota. She attended various rural school houses for her education. She earned money as a live-in domestic helper at the age of 14. On March 1, 1945, Lois was united in marriage to Alvin Wenzel at St. John Lutheran Church in the parsonage office in Luverne, Minnesota. She was baptized and confirmed on March 29, 1945 at Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick, Minnesota. Lois was a housewife and keeper of the books for the family business from 1946 into the late 1960’s. She was employed at SuperValu in Luverne as a checkout during the 1960’s. In 1969, she became employed at the Estensen Insurance office in Luverne for a couple years before moving to Hastings, Minnesota where she would remain for the remainder of her life. She handled apartment maintenance at Westview Apartments in Hastings and from 1974 to 1988 worked at Hastings Savings, Loan and Northwestern Bank. She retired in 1988. On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, Lois passed away at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the age of 97 years, 10 months, and 5 days.

Lois was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hastings. She had previously been involved with the St. John Lutheran Church Circle in Luverne before moving to Hastings. Lois loved to dance and met her husband at one of the weekly dances in the Hardwick, Minnesota dance hall. She and Alvin continued to dance throughout their lives, joining the Polka Klub of America in the early 1980’s and serving as national king and queen from 1986 to 1987. She reveled in crosswords and logic puzzles of any kind and shared her love of jigsaw puzzles with all her family. Card games were another special interest throughout her 97 years. She especially looked forward to her regular games of 500 while residing in her senior apartments in Hastings. She will be remembered for her super management skills and problem solving. She had an ability to connect with people and take people at face value. She was known to say, “We all have an expiration date.”

Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, JoAnn (David) Meyers of Narrowsburg, New York; six grandchildren, Lisa (Jeff) Szumilas, Joel Meyers, Rachel Meyers, Rebecca (Rory) Nelson, Sara (Andrew) Riley, and Karl Wenzel; three great-grandchildren, Timothy Oreskovich, Lucas Oreskovich, and Adrienne Riley; and siblings, Marvin Kuechenmeister of Atoka, Oklahoma, Robert (June) Kuechenmeister of Bellingham, Minnesota, Dale (Judy) Kuechenmeister of Poteau, Oklahoma, Glenn (Virginia) Kuechenmeister of Ortonville, Minnesota, Arlen (Char) Kuechenmeister of Bemidji, Minnesota, and Jeff Kuechenmeister of Arlington, Washington. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Laura Kuechenmeister; husband, Alvin Wenzel; son, Loren Wenzel; daughter, Carol Krugerud; grandson, Adam Krugerud; sisters, Darlene Dohlmann, and Shirley Thompson; brothers, Orville and Fred Kuechenmeister; infant brother, Lloyd Kuechenmeister; five brothers-in-law; and seven sisters-in-law.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.