Erna Schlender

Erna Schlender, 90, of St. Joseph, passed away peacefully in the arms of her daughter Dagmar on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, at her home.

A Christian funeral service will be held 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, with Rev. Nathan Buch officiating. Friends may visit with the family beginning at noon at the funeral home. Private committal services will be held at a later date at Riverview Cemetery. Memorial donations in Erna's name may be made to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Benton Harbor. Those wishing to sign Erna's memory book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.

Erna was born July 2, 1935, in Alexandrie, Wolynia, Poland to Julius and Olga Kautz. In 1955, she married Guenter Klingenberg in Germany. In 1958, they immigrated to the United States, settling in Benton Harbor. Erna was employed for 20 years at Heath Company, retiring in 1990. After Guenter's unfortunate early death in 1968, she married Adolf Schlender in 1979, residing in St. Joseph. Adolf passed away in 2017.

Erna enjoyed baking and cooking and always had a generous spread for family meals and holidays. Her specialty was making torte and special strawberry-covered cheesecakes. She enjoyed tending to her vegetable and flower gardens – roses being her specialty. In her earlier days, she was a long-time member of St. Joe Kickers Club and St. Matthews Lutheran Church when it merged with Beautiful Savior. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Erna is survived by her daughters: Dagmar Klingenberg and Rosy (Dan) Faulkner, both of Benton Harbor; two grandchildren: Tiffany (Corey) Altheim of Whitmore Lake, Mich., and Adam Faulkner of Watervliet; her brother Adolf (Irmgard) Kautz and Erika (Juppel) Lehner, both of Germany; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and two husbands, she was preceded in death by her brother Oswald Kautz, her sister Elfriede Smolarzuck, nephew Uve Smolarzuk and several aunts and uncles.