Renate Karin Sweeter

1945 - 2025

Renate Sweeter, age 80 of Foley, passed away April 21, 2025, at The Sanctuary in St. Cloud.  A celebration of life will be held from noon to 3 p.m., Friday, May 23, at St. John's Lutheran Church Parish Hall in Popple Creek, in rural Sauk Rapids.  Burial will take place in the church cemetery.  Service with dignity provided by the Foley Funeral Home.

Renate Karin Sweeter was born Jan. 2, 1945, in Ramstein, Germany, to Paul and Cecelia (Hyss) Grosser.  She grew up in Germany, lived in several surrounding countries and learned four languages as a teenager.  In 1964, she married Duane Sweeter in Germany, who was stationed at the Ramstein Air Force Base. After their marriage, the couple moved to a small farm near Gilman, where they raised their six children. In 1988, she moved to Foley, where she worked at the Foley Nursing Center for over 30 years. Renate enjoyed spending time with her kids and grandchildren, embroidery work, painting, and doing arts and crafts. She was an excellent gardener, enjoyed reading and watching game shows. She was also an avid Elvis fan.

She is survived by her children: Tom Sweeter of Foley; Heidi (Buddy) Holland of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; Lisa (Eric) Gustafson of Lester Prairie; Wesley (Mandy) Sweeter of Mount Juliet, Tennessee; Tanya (Mark) Sweeter of Foreston and Dana (Tony) Beebe of Bellevue, Washington; 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Ilsa; and brother, Dieter.