Monna Lentner, 87, Bismarck, passed away on November 15, 2021, at the Garrison North Dakota Nursing Home. A memorial service will be held November 23, 2021, with visitation at 10 a.m. and Mass at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Milaca, Minnesota. Burial at St. Elizabeth’s in Brennyville to follow.
Monna was born on May 16, 1934, in Little Falls, Minnesota to Lynn and Agnes Crowe. She attended school near Ramey, Minnesota, where her parents owned and operated a store. Monna loved to share stories about her childhood-she told stories about hiding under the counter in the store to listen to the adults and about hunting with her brothers and cousins. After graduating from Foley High School, she went on to attend college at Saint Cloud State where she received her teaching certificate.
Monna was married twice and had 8 children. She raised the kids on her own after the death of her first husband and a divorce from her second husband. She worked as a teacher and did odd jobs like cake baking and upholstering furniture to support them. She was resilient and taught her children to be the same.
She taught school in Milaca for decades and loved to teach science and art. Throughout her life, Monna’s passion for art of any kind inspired those around her. Running out of paper was never a problem as everything from the floor of her garage to the walls of her basement made great canvases for her.
She was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic church helping with bible studies, prayer groups and teaching religion classes. She spent many hours and miles in the car with her friends driving around Mille Lacs Lake and stopping for ice cream. When she was home, her love of art and gardening occupied her time.
Her pride and joy were her 8 children, their spouses and their children and grandchildren. Her wish was to have everyone accept Jesus into their hearts. She loved seeing her family anytime, and the highlight of her year was having them together at her house for Easter. She told them to “bring their kites” and she enjoyed the afternoons watching grandchildren run up and down her street trying to catch a usually non-existent breeze.
Monna was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the summer of 2017 and relocated to Bismarck, North Dakota, later that year. She resided at Maple View Memory Care center until the summer of 2021, when she was moved to the nursing home in Garrison, North Dakota, to receive skilled nursing care for her worsening health conditions.
Monna is survived by her brother Roger (Mary) Crowe, Springfield, MN; her 8 children, Neal Roessler of Maple Grove, MN, Bill Roessler (Marlene) of Ham Lake, MN, Nyla Akre of St. Cloud, MN, Brenda DuFresne (Roger) of East Bethel, MN, Ron Roessler (Melanie) of Cold Spring, MN, Kent Roessler (Muriel) of Anoka, MN, Johnell Lentner of St. Cloud, MN, Ann Schaibley (David) of Bismarck, ND; grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Monna was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Patrick Crowe, her granddaughter Jessica Valenzuela and many cousins.
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