Bernadine Van Heel

Bernadine G. "Bernie/Dena" Van Heel, age 89 of Sauk Centre, died peacefully surrounded by her family on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the CentraCare Health Nursing Home in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, January 26 at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Jeremy Theis officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre. Parish prayers will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday evening at the funeral home.

Bernadine Gertrude Ahrens was born February 14, 1925 in Kandota Township, Todd County, Minnesota to Henry and Gertrude (Proell) Ahrens. On January 29, 1946 she married Lawrence Van Heel at St. Michael's Catholic Church in West St. Paul, Minnesota. After their marriage, the couple lived in St. Paul before moving to Minneapolis where they resided for 25 years. They retired in 1980 and moved to Sauk Centre.

Bernadine enjoyed needlework, embroidery, and painting. She enjoyed going to garage sales; picking up and cleaning and dressing mistreated dolls. She also had a Popeye and Jughead doll collection. Bernadine could fix and paint anything. Her grandchildren knew if they had something broken she could fix it. Bernadine loved birds and wildlife. She always had a dog in the house and would take care of many stray animals. She adopted a wolf that was placed in Yellowstone. She was a citizen of Boys Town, Nebraska; never lived there but supported it.

She was a member of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Sauk Centre.

Survivors include her children, Robert (Judy) Van Heel of Avon, Ruth (Dale) Lyon of Melrose, Doris (Glenn) Lawrence of South St. Paul, and Joan (Lloyd) Lyon of Rice; 11 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren; brother, Paul (Erma) Ahrens of Osakis; brother-in-law, Carl Ecklund of Sauk Centre; and sisters-in-law, Fern Ahrens of Sauk Centre and Eileen Van Heel of Little Canada.

Bernadine was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Gertrude Ahrens; husband, Lawrence Van Heel on July 22, 1991; grandson, Doug Lyon; granddaughter, Linda Lyon; great-grandson, Andrew Lawrence; sisters, Elizabeth Pangburn, Mary Ecklund, Anna Catherine Engle, and Agnes Sieben; brothers, Michael, Lawrence, John, Herman, and Anthony Ahrens.

Serving as casket bearers will be her grandsons and great-grandsons, Stephen Van Heel, Jason Lawrence, Adam Lawrence, Alex Van Heel, Brayden Van Heel, and Jack Lawrence. Cross bearer will be Clarice Lyon and scripture bearer will be Carter Lyon.