Memorials › Lenus Eugene “Len” Woelfel

Lenus Eugene “Len” Woelfel

12 Oct 1932 – 13 Sep 2023

Birth12 Oct 1932
Death13 Sep 2023
CemeteryFort Snelling National Cemetery
Minneapolis , Hennepin County , Minnesota , USA
Added by49291911 on 04 Oct 2023
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/259836804

Gravesite details

INTERMENT: October 3, 2023

Bio

Mother Maiden Name Kahnke Lenus Eugene Woelfel, age 90, died peacefully on September 13, 2023. Born October 12, 1932. Lenus was raised on a farm near Franklin Minnesota. He met Marlene from nearby Bird Island and they married in 1954. They were blessed with five boys. Len was a skilled machinist and a PT school bus driver. He was known for his sense of humor, craftsmanship, tool collection and bountiful vegetable gardens. He loved the outdoors, spending weekends at the lake and winters in Texas. Len was a long-time member of American Legion Post 493 and frequent blood donor. Lenus was born during the Great Depression, the fourth of nine children. His family experienced frequent shortages of money, food and materials. Most of his clothes were hand-me-downs. He walked 1.5 miles to a country school in which students in grades one through eight were taught. He graduated from high school in Morton, Minnesota. He was strong and athletic but turned down participation in team sports because he was needed on the farm. The farmhouse did not have electricity in the 1940s. A large potbelly stove heated the house with wood. In winter he slept upstairs with brothers and sometimes woke up with the bedside water iced over. When the soles of Lenus' shoes developed holes from wear his parents inserted cardboard in-soles to extend their useful life. During and after high school, Lenus earned money as a farmhand, earning between 35 cents and one dollar an hour. He joined the Boy Scouts and learned camping skills. Len also fished for catfish in the Minnesota River and did some duck hunting. Around 1948, his family received an inheritance large enough to build a new house and barn - both with indoor electricity! In the early 1950s Len enlisted in the US Navy with a friend. After completing basic training he was honorably discharged due to a skin condition. He moved to Minneapolis, following his soon-to-be wife, Marlene. He worked at several jobs before enrolling in Dunwoody Institute to learn machine trades. After their 1954 marriage, they rented a one bedroom apartment just south of downtown. Both Jerry and Tom were born before they moved to a small house in Bloomington. After Alan and Ken were born, they moved to a larger house to accommodate his growing family. With Bill's birth, they now had five boys under ten years old. Len decided to take on a second job as a school bus driver. He worked the second shift at the machine shop, four to midnight. Len got up by 6 am to bus kids to school, napped at home, then bussed kids back home before returning to work at the shop. He worked these long hours for more than ten years. Summers were great family times spent camping, fishing and gardening. Later, Len bought land on Clear Lake near Watkins, Minnesota. He built a rustic cabin and garage and caught lots of fish. His boys had lots of fun during summers at the lake. For several summers he shared campsites with brother Paul's family including cousins Ron and Donna. Big pots of chili, spaghetti and cases of beer (for adults) kept everyone satisfied. Lenus retired at age 62 after 34 years of service to Continental Machines in Savage Minnesota. After several winter bus trips with brother Paul and his wife Jeanet, Lenus and Marlene decided to buy a spot at a Texas mobile home park. He enjoyed winters there for 21 years, including several after Marlene passed away in 2014. He was active on the Home Owner's Association Board, using his craftsmanship and common sense to maintain and improve "Winter Garden Park". The "Golden Years" of retirement got less golden as Lenus aged. His aches and pains and heart condition gradually restricted his ability to take long walks or do the yard work he enjoyed for most of his life. His mind remained fairly sharp until the last year or two of his life. Lenus was an energetic, hard-working, self-reliant family man. He passed on lessons to his boys around honesty and frugality. He loved finding bargains at garage sales. He and Marlene made many varieties of crafts in retirement. And one of his favorite sayings was "Life is too short to be serious all the time." Survived by sons Jerry (Becky), Alan, Ken (Ann Marie), Bill and daughter-in-law Pam Woelfel, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by wife Marlene (nee Beckler), son Tom, parents Charles and Theresa, siblings Joseph, Irene, Paul, James, Victor, Charles, Rachel and David. Many thanks to his caregivers at Hayden Grove, Good Samaritan Ambassador Nursing Home and Park Nicollet Hospice Care. May He rest in peace! Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Washburn-McReavy Chapel 612-377-2203 washburn-mcreavy.com

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