Charlene “Char” Rae Lemcke, age 74 of New Ulm died peacefully with her family by her side at her home on Monday, May, 15, 2023.
Funeral service will take place at 11 am on Thursday, May 18, 2023, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in New Ulm. Pastor Timothy Smith and Rev. Dr. Leonard Hummel will officiate, and burial will follow in the Vesta Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 4-7 pm on Wednesday, May 17th at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home-South Chapel in New Ulm. The visitation will continue from 10-11 am on Thursday at Christ the King Lutheran Church in New Ulm.
To leave an online condolence for her family, or to sign the guestbook, go to: mvfh.org
Charlene is survived by her husband, Glenn “Pete” Lemcke of New Ulm; her daughters, Toni (Jamie) Hames of Courtland, Melissa (Brent) Opsahl of Modesto, California; her grandchildren, Caden, Ashton, and Mya Hames, and Brooks and Brielle Opsahl; her sisters, Patricia (Alan) Lang of Sleepy Eye, Renata (Dennis) Guetter of Wabasso, Roberta (Robert) Jenniges of Wabasso, Penny (Michael) Greenlee of Wabasso; her brother, Perry (Jody) Hansen of Wabasso; her sisters-in-law, Dawn Hansen of Big Lake, Fayette (Alvin) Benson of Lakeville, Betty Lemcke of Goodlettsville, Tennessee; her brothers-in-law, Dale (Murry) Lemcke of Lakeville, Russell (Shirley) Lemcke of Eagan, Richard (Cookie) Lemcke of Savage, Sid (Linda) Lemcke of Eagan, Harlan (Karen) Lemcke of Vesta; and many other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Marjorie (Benson) Hansen; her father-in-law, and mother-in-law, Fred Sr. and Florence (Kohls) Lemcke; her brother Curtis Hansen; her sister-in-law, Audrey Macht; and her brothers-in-law, James Lemcke, and Fred Lemcke Jr.
Charlene “Char” Rae Hansen was born on March 8, 1949, to Robert and Marjorie (Benson) Hansen in Tracy, Minnesota. Growing up in southwestern Minnesota, Char was a 1967 graduate from Milroy High School. She was united in marriage to Glenn “Pete” Lemcke on June 7, 1969, in Milroy; a union that blessed the couple with two daughters. Early in her life, Char worked at Kraft Foods in New Ulm, but after marriage, Char and the family travelled to where the Army called Glenn. During this time, Char began to excel in the art of crafting. She became an incredible home designer, and ran her own long arm quilting business. Char loved getting to work with her hands, and whatever she touched, turned to gold. She enjoyed getting to share her art with family and friends over the years quilting, crocheting, knitting, and sewing countless treasures for people to appreciate for years to come. Char knitted numerous prayer shawls for her church as well as caps and clothing for the NICU and area shelters in need. Besides being artistic, Char also had a tremendous talent in the kitchen baking, cooking, and providing for her family. As someone who always appreciated music, Char also enjoyed dancing and singing. To relax, she enjoyed tending to her beautiful flower gardens, or simply spending time enjoying summers at the lake fishing. She was a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in New Ulm as well as the Quilters Guild. What brought her the most joy in life was always her family. She loved every minute she got to spend with them, she especially loved getting to follow her grandchildren’s events and watching them grow. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. Blessed be her memory.