Dolores Pundsack

Dolores E. Pundsack, age 87 of Melrose and formerly of St. Rosa, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at the Pine Villa Care Center in Melrose, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 23 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in St. Rosa with Rev. Daniel Walz officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Wednesday at the church in St. Rosa.

Dolores Elizabeth Pundsack was born July 24, 1935 at St. Martin Township, Stearns County, Minnesota to Math and Veronica (Mayers) Blonigen. She grew up on the home farm in St. Martin and went to country school until the ninth grade. Dolores graduated June 1, 1955 from St. Francis High School in Little Falls. She was united in marriage to Donald Pundsack on May 16, 1956  in St. Martin. After their marriage, the couple farmed north of St. Rosa and then east of St. Rosa for a total of 20 years. After farming, the couple moved into town in 1972. Dolores worked at the parish house in St. Rosa as a housekeeper for the priest and cleaned church for 10 years. After Donald passed away in 1999, she moved to Oak Ridge Manor in Melrose and later to Pine Villa in Melrose.

She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose, St. Rosa Christian Mothers, and Catholic United Financial. Dolores was a religion teacher and enjoyed sewing quilts and card playing including solo, smear, and 500. She would bake lemon pie, apple strudel, and canned the best pickles ever. A Sunday meal would consist of chicken noodle soup and beer batter chicken or beef roast, nobody left hungry.

Survivors include her children, Debbie (Donnie) Hellermann, Danny (Nancy) Pundsack, Dorothy (Ross) Bade, Darrell (Cathy) Pundsack, Dwayne (Jolene) Pundsack, Delroy (Susan) Pundsack, and Denise (Benjamin) Holmquist; 17 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren with one on the way; sister, Tillie (Bernard) Bussmann; brother, Clarence (Annella) Blonigen; and sisters-in-law, Darlene Blonigen, Penny Blonigen, and Nettie Blonigen.

Dolores was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Pundsack on August 3, 1999; sister and brothers, Bernadine Arnzen-Jacobson, Raymond Blonigen, Silverius Blonigen, and Leander Blonigen.