Kathrene P. Benter

With faith as her guide and a prayerful heart, Kathy Benter lived life fully with the love of family and good friends. Kathy was an independent woman who lived with a grace all her own, and with mindful intuition, she perceived the outcome of things to come to be in God's infinite plan. A devoted and dedicated mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, Kathy will be long remembered and forever missed.Kathy's story began during a time of great change in the U.S. The onset of World War II defined the entire decade of the 1940s just as many were recovering from the lasting effects of the Great Depression. Jazz was all the rage and movie theaters boomed, yet even the most simple things were greatly appreciated. Nestled in the rural farming community of Pleasant Valley Township of Winona County, hard working farmers Rudolph and Arletta (Linander) Noeska had much to be thankful for on February 15, 1940 when they welcomed the birth of their little girl, Kathrene into their arms.Born and raised on her family's third generation farm, Kathrene grew up alongside her siblings, Rita, John, Gene, and Gerald. Life growing up on their rural farm offered days of adventure and fun walking the hillsides and riding bikes. She had her share of chores, and never seemed to mind bringing the cows in from the pasture or helping her father and brother milk the cows. From an early age Kathy learned to drive the farm tractor, and before long knew well the ins and outs of driving a manual transmission. In later years, she tried her best to teach her own daughters how to drive a straight stick, but with little luck.Kathy attended the Pleasant Valley Country School and went on to graduate from Winona High School. During the summer after high school, she spent her days of that long, hot summer working at a local dry cleaners. By the summer's end, she spent her earnings on brand new drapes for her parent's home. But that was just like the heart of Kathy; when she saw a need, she worked hard to achieve the end result. Throughout her life, Kathy used her independent nature and hard work ethic for her family's benefit in many ways.With a drive to better herself, Kathy went on to further her education and attended secretarial school. She soon landed a job working as a secretary for Madison Silos, and later worked for the Winona County Department of Human Services as support staff. Extremely organized and great with numbers and budgets, she eventually went into working in the financial field there where she remained for many years.During this time, Kathy was blessed with the births of three wonderful daughters to love. In fact, Kathy counted the births of her beloved girls as the best days of her life. Melanie, Kimberly and Wendy filled her heart with a joy her heart had never before known. In all ways, her children came first in both her personal and professional life. Times were often hard for Kathy raising and supporting her children. Even though they didn't have much, Kathy always provided for her daughters with endless amounts of love, security, and stability. She was the backbone of her family, and was also a good do-it-yourself carpenter. If there's a will, there's way, and Kathy made sure of it. She even helped her kids with fishing poles, but addition to hooks, they sometimes used magnets. One of their "fishing" excursions landed them with a bike from the river!Along with working and taking care of her family, Kathy enjoyed the friendships of many. Outgoing and with a positive, always happy demeanor, Kathy was a joy to be around. She was a member of the Pleasant Valley Social Club for many years and enjoyed visiting and playing "500" cards with them. She also played "500" with friends sharing dinner, cards, and good times in their homes. Great times were also shared square dancing and line dancing. As an alumni of the Pleasant Valley County School, Kathy offered her time and talents working on the five and 20 year school reunions which she enjoyed.Some of Kathy's favorite television shows included, The Waltons, especially John Boy. Reading was one of Kathy's favorite pastimes. She loved westerns, which included her favorite movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. When it came to music, she liked Charlie Rich's rendition of, On the Wings of a Dove. Her feline companions were a part of Kathy's heart and life, too. Morgan was always at Kathy's side as her "little caretaker cat", along with Koko, her Siamese. Kathy enjoyed spending a relaxing afternoon watching her favorite team, the Minnesota Twins play, or reading. More than anything, a perfect day for Kathy was watching her grandsons, Kaleb and Owen play baseball and soccer, and having her granddaughters, Kaitlyn and Miranda come for a visit. Owen was especially fond of trains, and Kathy loved playing trains with him. She'd get right down on the floor alongside him, setting up trains all around the house.Kathy loved traveling out west enjoying the beautiful scenery while visiting family and friends. One of her first trips was to New Mexico with her girls when they brought Melanie to the Air Force training camp. On the return trip home they flew, which was Kathy's first flight. She visited Colorado Springs, Colorado with Wendy, and drove to Washington State with her sister, Rita for Rita's son's graduation. She also went to Sun Prairie to see her daughter, and took a train to Grand Forks, but on her second trip there chose to drive as she preferred the freedom and independence. She later traveled to California to visit Melanie after she settled there.When Kathy received her terminal diagnosis at the Mayo Clinic with her sister, Rita at her side, she first responded with tears. Unlike Kathy, however, she simply stated with much conviction, " I'm just gonna live one day at a time and enjoy what's left" . . . and she did. When asked how she was doing, Kathy's response was always, "I'm fine". In fact, she worried more about how others were doing, often comforting them even through the most trying times of her illness. Kathy believed in the power of prayer and never ceased in the passion of her faithfulness. When her eight year old grandson, Owen reminded everyone that the doctor said his grandma wouldn't make it until summer and she was still here, they knew she pressed on for them.Those in Kathy's life were ever thankful for having been touched by such a remarkable woman in their lives. Kathy exemplified the fruits of the spirit, and in ways all her own. Like the yellow rose she was so very fond of, Kathy added a touch of sunshine and warmth to all she met. She lifted spirits, and was a joy and delight filled with unending optimism. Kathy loved completely, lived fully, and believed with faith in God and family, both are forever on your side.Kathrene (Kathy) P. Benter of Winona passed away at her home on Thanksgiving day, November 27, 2014. She is survived by her daughters: Melanie Benter, Inver Grove Heights, MN, Kimberly (Wm) Sheldon, Sun Prairie, WI, and Wendy (Scott) Brommerich, Winona, MN; grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Miranda Sheldon; Kaleb and Owen Brommerich; brother, Gerald Noeska; sister, Rita (Larry) Wieczorek; sister-in-law, Judith Noeska; several dear nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, John and Gene.A gathering to celebrate Kathy's life will be at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at the Hoff Celebration of Life Center-Goodview/Winona with Hospice Chaplain Tom Shoen presiding. A reception will follow. Friends may call one hour before services. Please share a favorite memory and photo of Kathy, sign her online guestbook and view her video tribute at www.hofffuneral.com.
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/545067