Angela Froehlingsdorf (Pekarna) Sand
Anton and Angela (Ruppert) Froehlingsdorf announced the birth of their daughter, Angela Wilhelmina on February 9, 1916 in St. Paul, MN. At the age of 5 months, her mother died and orphaned at age 3 ½, when her father died. These passing left, four of her siblings being sent to Jordan and the St. Joe area to live with relatives. As Angie was growing up, she lived with the John Ruppert, Nick Lambrecht and Tony Ruppert families.
Angie worked at Mudbaden, the Hamburger Home and Busch’s Store in Jordan. She lived above the Rud’s Drug Store. Ted Pekarna also had a room in the same building, while he worked at the Jordan Brewery. Angie than took a waitress job at Schunneman’s in St. Paul. She took that job until she married Ted on June 3, 1939 at St. John the Baptist Church and they lived in Jordan. Ted and Angie had 3 children, Tom, Kathy and Steve.
They purchased the Jordan Hotel in 1942 and Angie managed the restaurant and Ted the bar. They moved from their home in lower town to one of the apartments in the hotel, until 1951, when they moved to the top of Jordan Hill. They managed the hotel until 1962, when it was sold. Ted then went back to the meat market to work with his brother Joe and Angie held a variety of jobs outside the home.
Ted died in 1964, leaving Angie a widow at age 47, the year they would have celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. She then went to work at Pekarna Meat Market. Two weddings occurred the year Ted died, son Tom and daughter Kathy, and Steve started college and then joined the Army. She was suddenly alone at the dinner table. Angie then became the housekeeper for Dr. Paul Stahler and family.
Angie met and married Herb Sand on October 19, 1972 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. They retired and she pursed her interests in crafts, making quilts, dolls and embroidering. She loved her vegetable and flower gardens, feeding the birds, yelling at the squirrels and cooking nonstop. Angie loved to get the family together for the holidays. She treasured her Saturday evening get together with her buddies at McDonalds following mass. Herb passed away in 1993.
In 2003, Angie became legally blind and very hard of hearing. She enjoyed books on tape and discussing them in detail with whomever would listen. Saying the rosary at least 3 times every morning, Angie loved attending Mass, and was devoted to the Sacred Heart and said a prayer each day, she memorized as a child.
Angie lived near her family until November of 2009, with the help of dear friends, Wilma Lambrecht, Terry Holzer and Dorothy Jelen. Moving into the Belle Plaine Lutheran Home, Angie transitioned with ease and loved her caregivers dearly. She still was even able to enjoy watching the birds out her window.
An active member of St. John Baptist Catholic Church, Jordan Council of Catholic Woman, Jordan Garden Club, St. John’s and Schule Haus quilters and in her younger years a den mother for the Cub Scouts. At the age of 70, Angie wrote the following note, “If I had to live life over, I’d learn to drive a car, play golf and play the piano and ‘the best part of my life was my three kids, who gave me not too much trouble.” Angie was a woman of strong faith, hope and love.
At the age of 95 and a resident of Jordan, Angie entered Gods arms, as her family prayed at 12 p.m. (noon) on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the Belle Plaine Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine, MN.
Forever loved, Angie will be deeply missed by son, Thomas (Mary) Pekarna of Custer, SD: his children , Amy (David) Walsh, Sara (Jeff) Bisso and Jeff Pekarna; daughter, Kathleen (George) Colling of Jordan; her children, Dr. Jon (Kate) Colling, Tom (Sue) Colling; son, Steven (Jeri Lodato) Pekarna of Houston, Texas, his children, Terri (Charles) Howley, Crystal Pekarna, Brad (Alyssa) Pekarna and their mother, Jeanie Pekarna; great-grandchildren, Mia Bisso, Alex, Will, Abbey and Haley Colling, Anne, Ted and Leo Colling, Sklyee and Brinley Pekarna, Chase and Cole Howley: sister, Josephine Wickum of Long Prairie: many other loving relatives and devoted friends. Angie is preceded in death by her husbands, Ted Pekarna and Herbert Sand; parents; siblings, Jerome Gray, Sister M. Angeline SSND, Margaret Wells, Othmar Froehlingsdorf, Francis Wells, and infant sister Marie.
Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday at 11 a.m., with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. all at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 210 North Broadway, Jordan, MN. Father Timothy Yanta will officiate. Angie will be laid to rest at the Calvary Cemetery in Jordan, MN.
The urn bearers for Angie will be her grandchildren.
Memorials are preferred and will be distributed in Angie’s memory by the family.
