Madeline Hoheisel

Madeline Hoheisel, age 83, of Pierz, passed away peacefully Monday July 22nd, 2024 at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Sauk Rapids.  Mom learned she had cancer on July 4th and prayed faithfully throughout her final days.  She asked God if her work was done on Earth and the answer she received was “Yes”.

A private family Prayer Service and Inurnment will take place at a later date at Saint Rita’s Catholic Cemetery in Hillman.

Mom was born April 23rd, 1941, in Lead, SD to Grandpa Edwin Cremers and Grandma Helen Bratt Cremers.  The family moved from Lead in 1941 and settled on the Cremers family farm northwest of Pierz, and then moved to the City of Pierz in 1963.  Mom graduated in 1959 from Father Pierz Memorial High School.  After graduation, she worked at the Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Pierz, where she caught the eye of a merchant from Buckman, Rueben Hoheisel.  Or maybe he caught her eye, the truth will never be known…

Mom and Dad wed on July 20th, 1970, at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pierz.  They settled in Buckman where Mom and Dad took over Grandpa and Grandma’s Hoheisel Hardware store.  They operated that business until an explosion in 1981 badly injured Dad.  Dad recovered with countless hours of care from Mom and hospital staff, and the loving support of family, friends and neighbors.  In 1983 they purchased the Hardware Hank store in Onamia, which they operated until their retirement in 2000.  After the sale of the store, Mom worked at Noble Wear in Onamia well into her 70s, where her sewing skills shined.  Mom’s skill at math and bank experience were invaluable to operating the accounts of the businesses and family, and tutoring her sons.  She made innumerable friends and acquaintances in her many years in business.

Mom was a dedicated parishioner and servant to Saint Joseph’s in Pierz, Saint Michael’s in Buckman, Holy Cross in Onamia and Saint Rita’s in Hillman.

Those details are only a small portion of who Mom is.  She is everything to her husband, sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren and step-grandchildren.  She is the fabric and the glue, the brick and the mortar, the foundation and the house for her family.  Mom’s happiness came in service to others.  She worked tireless hours in the family businesses by day, and equally tireless hours raising a family by dawn, dusk and night.  Mom’s love language to all was her cooking and baking – there wasn’t a dish or dessert she was afraid to make, or one that she failed to perfect.   All Moms know there isn’t an “Open” and “Closed” sign on Motherhood, and Mom embraced this with every thread of her being, every beat of her heart and every breath til her last.

Mom enjoyed cooking, baking and canning but also card and board games, word puzzles, fishing, traveling, sewing, seeing her family play sports and watching her Minnesota Timberwolves, Lynx and Twins.  In her younger years she was a terrific bowler and had the mantle full of trophies to prove it.  Most of all she enjoyed visits from her family and every chance to spoil her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents and in-laws, brother James Warrick and his wife Theresa, sister Helen Schmidtbauer and her husband Larry.  She is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Rueben, sons Kevin (Jan) of Hiawatha, IA, Timothy of Sioux Falls, SD, Christopher (Amy) of New Prague, and Patrick (Sara) of Minneapolis, grandchildren Nolan and Kate Hoheisel, step-grandchildren Noah and Savanna Block, sister Patricia Kapsner and husband Daniel of Mankato, sister-in-law Doreen Stenner and husband Richard of Fort Collins, CO, and many special cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude for the compassionate care Mom received at Good Shepherd and CentraCare Hospital in Saint Cloud, in particular to the countless hours of kindness shown by Dr. Jack Lyons, the “5th Hoheisel Boy”.

I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.  John 17:4