FLOYD WILKENING

FLOYD ARTHUR WILKENING Floyd Arthur Wilkening, 97, of St. James died on February 23, 2025, at Oaklawn Care and Rehabilitation Center in Mankato. His Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at First Lutheran Church in St. James at 11 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. A luncheon will be served following the service. Internment at Mt. Hope Cemetery will be at a later date. Floyd was born on March 23, 1927, to Emil and Edna (Froehling) Wilkening in St. James Township, Watonwan County, on the family farm. He attended a one-room school house through the 8th grade and graduated from St. James High School in 1945. He played the violin when he was younger, but his love of sports became his passion when he started high school. By the time he graduated, Floyd had earned 11 athletic letters as a proud Saint in baseball, basketball, football and track. Floyd was honored and admitted to the St. James High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. When he turned 18, Floyd was drafted into the U.S. Navy and served in WWII. Upon returning from the service, he attended South Dakota State University and graduated with a Pharmacy degree in 1950. Floyd's first job took him to Marshall where he worked as a pharmacist and played baseball for the town team in Hendricks. A couple of years later, Floyd began a 25+ year career at Sward Kemp Drug, working for lifelong friend, Bert Swenson. On August 2, 1959, Floyd married Grace Olseth and together they raised four children, Lisa, Alan, Amy, and Susan. In addition to being a pharmacist, Floyd worked on the farm with his father, Emil, and son, Alan. They raised cattle and crop farmed for many years. In 1980, Floyd and Grace fulfilled a dream to move where it was warmer and they settled in West Plains, Mo., where he continued to work as a pharmacist and farmer. They had many wonderful years together until Grace passed away of cancer in 2005. Floyd attended his 60th St. James class reunion in the fall of 2005 and became reacquainted with his high school sweetheart, Ardelle (Smith) Panzer. Their relationship grew and they found love again after losing their spouses. They were married in September of 2006 at First Lutheran Church in St. James. For several years they split their time living between St. James and West Plains, enjoying traveling and spending time with family and friends. Floyd rekindled a sport passion for golf at the age of 65 and played hundreds of rounds over 30 years. He and Ardelle enjoyed playing together, too. Floyd played his last round of golf at the age of 94 at the St. James Golf Course. Floyd hung up his pharmacy smock at the age of 87 in Missouri, when he and Ardelle moved full time to St. James. In recent years, Floyd enjoyed meeting the guys at Home Town Café for coffee and playing three penny poker. Ardelle and Floyd kept active attending concerts and plays, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, and participating in activities at First Lutheran Church. They loved spending time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends. Floyd is survived by his wife, Ardelle Panzer, children, Lisa (Stefano) Lozito of Boerne, Texas, Alan of St. James, Amy (Tom) Pederson of San Antonio, Texas, and Susie (Mark) Weibel of Deephaven; grandchildren, Jack Pederson of Bloomington, Jenna Pederson of San Antonio, Sarah Weibel of Minneapolis, and Ben Weibel of Chicago, Ill.; step-grandchildren, Jennifer (Jamie) Connor of St. Peter and Jason Stuehrenberg of Mankato; step-great-grandchildren Hadley Stuehrenberg, Connor Bjorling, and Drew Connor. Floyd was preceded in death by his parents; and first wife, Grace.