Denise Marie (Smed) Kadrlik, a lifelong resident of Prior Lake, died peacefully with family by her side on April 24, 2021 at the age of 66. Services will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2021 with visitation from 9:30-11:00 AM followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM all at St. Michael Catholic Church, Prior Lake. Family or friends who cannot attend in person are invited to stream the service at the following link: St. Michael’s Youtube .
Growing up on a two-acre site just outside of Prior Lake allowed her to enjoy riding horses. She and her sisters entered many county fairs and horse shows. Just riding the horses down the gravel road, gave her hours of enjoyment. She was always very helpful, especially driving her father to various appointments after he lost his eye sight. She enjoyed calling Prior Lake home and was a proud 1972 graduate.
After completing her courses at Dakota County Vo-Tech, she landed a job with Sandoz Nutrition (now Novartis/Nestle). She worked herself up through the ranks and after having a successful career, she retired after 29 years of service. She then worked part-time at MFK and associates for a few years as an administrative assistant.
On Halloween night in 1981 at the B&D Bar, wearing a red plaid shirt and a hat with deer antlers, Roger introduced himself to Denise–with little fanfare but a determination to later meet up with her. After a week of deer hunting and back in town, he called her and on the third try he finally was able to reach her by someone saying “oh you want to talk to mom?” Not knowing the whole story, he finally understood that if you want Denise, there’s a few more kids that come with her. This was all a true blessing for Roger as he and Denise were married on October 8, 1982. Soon they added a fourth child to their family and the rest is history. They renewed their vows on October 8, 1987 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Prior Lake. Denise had two miscarriages, that defined her life, as she saw first-hand how precious life is and how important family is.
As the kids were growing-up they did many trips to Roger’s parents’ cabin in Mankato and up north to their own cabin. One memorable road trip was driving around Lake Superior. Much of their free time was spent following the kids around to their various sports activities. In 1983 they built their new house which they lived in for 35 years. They then sold the house and moved into a townhome with the thought of spending more of their time at their cabin on Lake Andrus in Outing, MN. The future plans of moving to the cabin, never transpired as Denise’s health declined, but the time spent there and the cherished memories will never be forgotten. Denise loved the time spent in the water whether it was swimming or just floating in the water for hours on end.
She loved hosting dinners, parties and any kind of get together. Denise was a proud patriot and member of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon group, which supported veteran’s and their families. She was known as the Crazy Grandma as there was very little discipline or rules once she was in charge of the grandchildren, for which the grandchildren loved her dearly.
Denise is survived by husband, Roger Kadrlik; children, Rich (Michelle) Kadrlik, Bob (Amanda) Kadrlik, Pat (Nicole) Kadrlik, Becky (Cory) Neumann; grandchildren, Reed, Jesse, Ella, Makenna, Madison; siblings, Mark (Pam) Smed, Renee Berens, Rhonda Smed; goddaughters, Angela Whited, Katie Kadrlik; other relatives and friends.
She is preceded in death by parents, Richard and Ruth Smed; brother-in-law, Rick Berens.
Ballard Sunder Funeral & Cremation proudly serves Denise’s family. www.BallardSunderFuneral.com
