Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a private service was held for 86-year-old Delores Lavon (Stiehl) Sternhagen who passed away on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

She was born to Fred and Elsie (Schmidt) Stiehl on December 29, 1933 in Alden Township and was baptized and confirmed at Pickerel Lake Concordia Church. Beginning her education in rural school district #56, Delores graduated from Alden High School in 1951. During that time, she participated in many youth groups and sang alto in various music groups and choirs. Delores had a deep fondness and appreciation for all types of music. She was a member of 4-H for 9 years and that led her to a love of the county fair, and horses, for the rest of her life.

After Delores graduated, she spent time working at Interstate Power and later on she did the bookkeeping for her husband’s Texaco and Mobil service stations. On May 31, 1958, Delores married Raymond Sternhagen at St. Theodore’s Church. To their union, they had 4 children. The family lived in Albert Lea for 12 years before moving to their acreage where Delores continued to live after Ray’s passing in 2009. The couple also had a cabin on Beaver Lake that they spent many years staying at.

Delores loved country living and was very involved with maintaining and managing their property. Over the years, Delores had many interests and hobbies and she appreciated the challenges and time spent on each one. Gardening was one of those things, and she maintained varieties of flower, vegetable and rock gardens. Being the youngest of her siblings, Delores took great care to keep excellent records of her families’ history and put together a scrapbook heritage album.

Delores is survived by her son, Todd (Julie) Sternhagen of Albert Lea, MN; daughter, Tari (Louis) Barnes, of Mantorville, MN; grandchildren, Derek (Anne) Sternhagen, Samantha (Trever) Register, Harrison Barnes, Hayden Barnes and Desiree Sternhagen; great-grandchildren, Drake, Ashton, Raegan, Taysha, Kalia, and Keegan; sisters-in-law, Evelyn Soukup, Ione Karolevitz and Marjorie Sternhagen; brother-in-law Don (Jan) Sternhagen and many other loving extended family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray; parents, Fred and Elsie; sons Troy and Timm; brothers Harvey (Emma), Russell, Marvin (Lois), Kenneth (Lucille), Veryl (Maureen) and Elmer; sisters, Vera (Waldo) Luedtke, Lorraine (Albert) Wichmann, Lois (Bernard) Hemmingsen and Phyllis (Donald) Stephensen and well as several nieces and nephews.

Delores and her famous potato dumplings will be forever missed.