Verna Gruenhagen

Verna Ann Gruenhagen

(December 19, 1933 - February 23, 2025)



Verna A. Gruenhagen, 91, of Dassel & formerly of North Mankato, passed into her next life peacefully at Quiet Oaks Hospice House of St. Augusta. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, April 12 @ 11:00 am, visitation 1 hour prior to service, at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel with the Rev. Jeanne Olson officiating. In lieu of flowers, please give to donor's choice. A private interment will occur at a later date at Glenwood Cemetery in Mankato because one of Verna's wishes, upon meeting Jesus, was to have her earthly body bequeathed to the University of Minnesota for medical research.

Verna Ann Bentz, daughter of Paul and Lydia (Biermann) Bentz, was born December 19, 1933 in New Ulm. Verna grew up in Moltke Township and was baptized, confirmed, and married to Robert A. Gruenhagen at St. Peter's Lutheran Church of Moltke Township--5 miles north of Gibbon.



Verna attended St. Peter's School of the church through the 8th grade and then attended Gibbon High School and graduated valedictorian in 1951. After high school, Verna graduated from Hamline University's School of Nursing in 1955 and became licensed as a Registered Nurse.

On June 15, 1957, Verna was united in marriage to Robert Gruenhagen at St.

Peter's Lutheran Church. They eventually settled down in 1969 in North Mankato and raised their two sons, Bruce and Todd. While living in North Mankato they attended Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Mankato. As a registered nurse she spent most of career working at Immanuel/St. Joseph's hospital, first as an operating room nurse and then in the Ambulatory Day Surgery unit. She loved her calling and numerous times stated, "working years are the best part of life". She retired in 1997, which was cut short, when Robert passed away suddenly.

She returned to work for a while until she married Fredrick C. Stark on August 11, 2001 at Augustana Lutheran Church in Gibbon. Fred wanted to live on a lake, Verna did not desire to live in the "sticks", so they compromised and moved to a home on Lake Washington, just west of Dassel.

Verna's family was grateful when Verna "found" Richard (Dick) Olson--who had moved in 2021 from Louisiana to Dassel to be closer to his family-at a seniors group in Dassel. Verna and Dick would get into their vehicle and travel like the wind. They travelled locally to visit family and friends and then nationally to Louisiana, New Hampshire, Maine, Tennessee and Colorado to do the same.

Verna made it known to her family how blessed she was to have three different men throughout her life who loved her like Christ loved the church and whom she could share her faith and family with.

Her first two husbands, Robert and Fred, preceded Verna to eternal life along with her two sisters, Ruth "Pinky" Wandrie and Elva Dreier; sister-in-law Kathleen Olson; brother-in-law, Richard Gruenhagen.

Survived by sons, Bruce (Yosenta Jackson) and Todd (Linda) Gruenhagen; 5 grandchildren, Sally, Holly, Stephan, Julianne, Jayne; 5 great grandchildren; her Special Partner for the last 3 and a half years, Dick Olson; sister-in-law, Phyllis (Schreiner) Gruenhagen.