On the late evening of Monday, January 9, 2017, at the Kingsway Assisted Living in Belle Plaine, MN, Yvonne Lois Aschenbrener passed away peacefully, at the age of 79. She was formerly of Shakopee, MN.
The visitations of Monday, January 16 from 4-7 pm and on Tuesday, January 17 from 9:30-10:30 am will be held at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation 833 South Marschall Road, Shakopee. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 am, at The Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne (St. Mark) 350 Atwood Street, Shakopee. Yvonne’s grandsons will act as pall bearers, Thomas Aschenbrener, Daniel Aschenbrener, Justin Parrott, Aaron Goedeke, Reilly Aschenbrener and Brad Fries (grandson in law). Yvonne will be laid to rest at the Shakopee Catholic Cemetery, next to her husband, Donald. Memorials are preferred and will be distributed in her memory by the family.
Gracing this world on June 1, 1937 in St. Paul, MN, Yvonne was born the fourth of five daughters to Thomas and Myrtle (Ludden) Cunningham. Growing up in St. Paul, her family enjoyed countless family picnics at Lake Phalen, which was their favorite place to spend time together. Yvonne attended grade school at St. Cashmere. Attending high school at St. Joseph Academy, she also worked at the local library. Yvonne was a proud graduate of the Class of 1955.
In high school, Yvonne started dating a close friend, Donald Michael Aschenbrener. Dating for several years, they exchanged wedding vows on December 27, 1958, at St. John’s Catholic Church in St. Paul, MN. Yvonne and Don immediately started a family. They were blessed with six children, Michael, Mark, Martin, Marcia, Matthew and Monica. They really thought the M thing was funny (except when they were upset and couldn’t get the right name out in a hurry). In 1960, Yvonne and Don moved the family to Shakopee, where they raised their children and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Yvonne had a lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. Around 1970, she started attending Hennepin Technical College earning a degree as a L.P.N (Licensed Practicing Nurse). Yvonne then furthered her degree at Normandale Community College as a R.N. (Register Nurse.) For decades, she could fulfil her dream of nursing in the Cardiac Care Unit and Emergency Room at St. Francis Hospital in Shakopee. Later in life, Yvonne and Don built a home in Trego, WI on South Twin Lake. Here, she continued working in Cardiac Care, now at Hayward Community Hospital. In Yvonne’s final years of nursing, she was worked for the hospital in the emergency room on call.
As Yvonne and Don’s children grew up, they enjoyed summers at the family cabin on Little Pelican Lake in Nisswa, MN. In later years, the two of them traveled all over the world, Switzerland, China, England and Germany, with their favorite destination being Spain. Yvonne spent her free time knitting, crocheting and playing cards with great friends. She found her greatest enjoyment reading a good book and creating unique quilts. She loved her grandchildren, but adored her great-grandchildren.
The greatest gift Yvonne cherished the most was the love she shared with her husband, Don. This deep love between them truly shined through, when he passed on March 15, 2013. Yvonne’s world changed forever with her husband no longer at her side. Yvonne decided to move to Kingsway Assisted Living in Belle Plaine, MN, so she could be around people. Yvonne relished her time playing cards, visiting with the other residents and being involved in the Kingsway Knitting Club.
Left to honor Yvonne’s life are her children, Mike (Mary) Aschenbrener, Mark Aschenbrener, Martin (Darcy) Aschenbrener, Marcia (Dave) Parrott, Matthew (Crystal) Aschenbrener, Monica (Ray) Goedeke; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; sister, Rita Radke; many relatives and friends.
Preceded in death is Yvonne’s husband, Donald; parents and sisters, Joan Donahue, Eilleen Huber and Maureen Beltz.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home and Cremation, Shakopee Chapel, proudly served and cared for the Aschenbrener family. www.ballardsunderfuneral.com
