Darlene Hennes, passed away peacefully at St. Francis Regional Medical Center, with family by her side at the age of 83 of liver cancer on Friday, October 16th, 2020. Darlene was a devoted wife, mother, grandma, and great grandma. She was a longtime resident of Shakopee, MN.
Family and friends are invited to a time of gathering on Thursday, October 22, from 4-6 pm, at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation, 833 South Marschall Road, Shakopee. Masks are required and social distancing will be maintained. A private family Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday, October 23, at 11 am, at the Church of St Mark (The Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne). Guests can join by visiting the following YouTube link https://youtu.be/7VGn-cNNYPs . A private family burial will be held at Shakopee Catholic Cemetery.
On February 5, 1937, Darlene Agnes was born to parents Alfred and Hildegard (Busch) Von Bank. She was the seventh of eight children to be born and raised on the family farm near St. Joe (in rural Jordan). Growing up, Darlene developed a strong work ethic which she then passed on to her five children along with her deep sense of faith & family. For several years, she worked at a restaurant in Bloomington and one year even represented them in the Miss Bloomington Pageant.
While attending mass at St. Joe’s Catholic Church, Darlene would often cross paths with fellow parishioner Dan (Donny) Hennes in their younger years. While in the Korean War, he often thought about Darlene and after he returned, Dan had the courage to ask her out. They hit it off and the rest is history! On May 25, 1957 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Darlene and Dan were united in marriage. They were blessed with 63 years together and settled in Shakopee to raise their five children.
Together, the family enjoyed spending time at their lake home in Eden Valley, MN —fishing, water skiing, having fun, and making lake life memories for over 52 years. After they retired, they spent many winters in Alamo, TX. She also focused time volunteering with charity groups, especially Meals on Wheels.
When the children were older, Darlene began to work outside the home. For several years she worked at O’Keefe Dry Cleaners and later Super Valu in Shakopee, in the bakery. In her free time, Darlene enjoyed gardening, canning, working in the yard, playing cards, and stopping at every garage sale in her path. In later years, Darlene’s life was further enriched with a growing family. She loved being a grandma and great grandma.
Darlene was a compassionate woman who was always there to lend a helping hand. Her twinkling eyes, beautiful warm smile, and wide-open arms will be missed by many. She is forever loved by her husband Dan; children, Deb (Steve) Wermerskirchen, Pam (Mike) Pumper, Rick (Janni) Hennes, Ken Hennes (Fiancé Brenda Johnson), Beth (Einar) Odland; 12 grandchildren, Troy (Nora) Wermerskirchen, Tonya (Jason) Palo, Tara (Jason) Schmidt, Jennifer (Kyle) Maas, Jeff (Bri) Pumper, Kelly Hennes, Kristin (Max) Hennes-Timm, Dan Hennes, Cassie Hennes, Cory (Amber) Odland, Casey (Brittni) Odland; 15 great-grandchildren and another on the way in January; siblings, Alice O’Keefe, Andrina O’Keefe, Jeron (Sandee) Von Bank; sister-in-law, Mary Ann Von Bank; other relatives and friends.
Darlene is greeted in Heaven by her grandson, Jeremy Pumper; parents, Alfred and Hildegard Von Bank; siblings, Leonette (Wayne) Sutton, Valerie (Elmer) Geis, Lorraine Belcher, Alan Von Bank; brothers-in-law, Gene O’Keefe and John O’Keefe.
