Arlene Hobbiebrunken, 88, passed away April 6, 2023 at the St. John’s Nursing Home in Albert Lea, MN. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 PM on Monday, April 17 at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home and for one hour prior to service at the church on Tuesday. Funeral service will be held at 11 am Tuesday, April 18 at Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. Burial will be at Hillcrest Cemetery.

Arlene Hobbiebrunken

Arlene Ellen Gertrude Madson Hobbiebrunken was born in Albert Lea on February 14, 1935 to John and Harriet Madson. She was baptized on December 13, 1935 at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea and Confirmed at Hartland Lutheran Church on June 26, 1949. Arlene attended school in Freeborn. On December 30, 1951, she was united in marriage to Melvin Hobbiebrunken at the Hartland parsonage. The couple had three children. From 1955 to 1971, Arlene worked at Northpark, Southwest cafeteria, Streaters and Miami Margarine and helped out at the farm. She was very active with the Freeborn County Beef Association and was an adult leader of the Calico Cowbells. After moving to Dalhart, Texas in 1980 she was a member of Grace Lutheran church in Dalhart Texas and was employed at XIT feeders and worked for a farmer running a haystacker and later went to work at the New High School in Dalhart, Texas in the cafeteria as well as other schools over the years, and worked as a paraprofessional in the Dalhart ISD school district after that, when she finally retired in May of 1998. When they moved back to Minnesota in 2005 she was a member of Grace Lutheran church in Albert Lea where she served as the Sunday school superintendent. She was also a member of the Red Hat club. she enjoyed cooking for her family and friends and always enjoyed a full house and kitchen. Her baking and cooking was hard to beat like her lefsa, hotdishes, swedish tea ring, or her cookies. Her obsession with lutefisk was unmatched making sure she made almost every event she was serving compared with that birdwatching was a close second with her favorite being cardinals. She also enjoyed music like polka and her favorite of all was her George Strait.

Arlene is survived by her children Ramona Hobbiebrunken, Linda (Steve) Herdina and Michael (Monica) Hobbiebrunken; grandchildren, Bradley (Laura) Giebel, David (Elizabeth) Evans, Paul Giebel (and his significant other, Katharine Smith), Dawn Herdina, Phillip (Irma) Herdina, Kevin Hobbiebrunken, and Brian Hobbiebrunken; great grandchildren, Clay Herdina, Aaron (Kya) Giebel, Zach Herdina, Penelope Giebel, Garrett Giebel, Allena Torres, Christian Herdina, and Taos Hobbiebrunken; great-great-grandchild Christopher Herdina; three step great-grandchildren, Lucy Dubany, Mason and Gabriel Evans; siblings Lonna (James) Parker and Larry (Debbie) Madson; sisters-in-law Darlene Avise and Jane Madson; aunt June Houston, and aunt Beverly Nelson along with many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Melvin, grandparents, Henry and Helen Nelson and Hans and Emma Madson; parents, John and Harriet Madson; brother, James Madson; Uncle Bud Nelson; Aunt and Uncle Betty and Lloyd Bottelson; aunt Lillian Cusick, and niece Dorreen Christenson; great-nephew Christopher Kroegar; and in-laws Henry and Vera Hobbiebrunken; and brother-in-law Dale Avise.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at St. John’s Lutheran Community, the skilled nursing at St. John’s, and the Mayo Clinic Hospice.

In loving memory.