Mildred "Millie" Toenyan

Mildred M. “Millie” Toenyan, age 90 of St. Rosa, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on Sunday, August 18, 2024 at Cura of Melrose Care Center in Melrose, Minnesota.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 27 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose with Rev. Mitchell Bechtold officiating. Inurnment will be in the parish cemetery. The Mass will be live-streamed and can be found on St. Mary’s website: www.oneinfaith.org and clicking the link, St. Mary’s Live Stream Masses on YouTube. 

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose and from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Parish prayers will be at 5 p.m. Monday evening. 

Mildred Marcella Toenyan was born September 6, 1933 in St. Rosa, Minnesota to Robert and Rose (Weber) Toenyan. She attended St. Rosa Public School and later her family moved to Blackduck, Minnesota. Millie began working at the bakery in Blackduck as well as the telephone company as a switchboard operator. After several years in Blackduck, Millie moved to Crookston, Minnesota and joined the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph while completing her GED. At the age of 50 years, she moved to St. Joseph, Minnesota and attended the College of St. Benedict receiving a B.A. degree. She once again furthered her education by moving to Moorhead and earning her master’s degree at the University of Minnesota Moorhead. 

Millie was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose. She enjoyed fixing jigsaw puzzles and socializing with people. She had an outgoing personality and could strike up a conversation with anyone. 

Survivors include her sisters, Clara Toenyan of Albany and Barbara (Kurt) Pietrzak of Maricopa, Arizona; sister-in-law, Loretta Toenyan of Comanche, Iowa; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Millie was preceded in death by her parents; brothers and sister, Richard Toenyan and his wife, Lucilla, Clarence Toenyan, and Sister Rose Mary Toenyan.