Gerald Lensing, 88
Gerald Lensing, age 88 of Lawler, died Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, at his home surrounded by his family.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler with burial in the church cemetery.
Friends greeted the family from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. before the Mass at the church on Wednesday.
Arrangements were entrusted with Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home and Crematory in New Hampton.
Gerald was born on the day after Christmas in 1931, the “middle son” of John and Regina (Tierney) Lensing on a farm in rural Lawler. It was the beginning of a remarkable life, one filled with so many good memories.
Gerald attended country school through the eighth grade, transferred to Lawler High School and was a member of the Irish’s Class of 1951.
After high school, he continued farming with his parents, but the day he agreed to serve as the best man at his buddy’s wedding changed his life forever. That’s because the bride’s sister, a pretty young woman named Irene Myers, was the maid of honor. Gerald and Irene began dating, and then decided they wanted to get married.
So off they went to elope in California, and on Jan. 12, 1960, the two exchanged vows at the Los Angeles Cathedral, beginning a 60-year marriage that was filled with love, hard work and plenty of fun times.
Their family grew to include six children — Judy, Janet, Tom, Pat, Jolene and Cheryl — and those kids knew that their No. 1 fan was their dad. Gerald never missed a game, program or a concert as his children made their way through Turkey Valley. Gerald and Irene were fixtures in the stands.
Gerald also taught his kids that you worked hard so you could play hard, and you often worked hard both before and after playing. He and his wife loved taking them on family vacations to places like Florida, Las Vegas, Colorado, Arkansas, Yellowstone National Park and Quebec.
For 38 years, Gerald, his brothers and his sons would take their annual fishing trip to Canada, and the stories those boys could tell would fill a book. Let’s put it this way: What happened in Canada, stayed in Canada.
Gerald and his brothers also traveled to Europe twice, visiting Ireland, Rome, London and Germany, but Gerald was Irish to the core. He told his stories with a twinkle in his eye, and God only knows how many tales he told during his Euchre games over the years. Heck, some of them were even true, or at least only slightly exaggerated.
Gerald and Irene owned the Little Turkey Tavern for 25 years, and he worked — and still got his card games in — the morning and afternoon shifts.
He was a lifetime member of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler, a longtime member of the Catholic Order of Foresters and served his parish in a variety of ways.
And if you thought he was a great dad, he may have been an even better grandfather. He loved attending his grandchildren’s games and school programs, and he told them a story or two or a 100 over the years.
It’s hard to say goodbye to a man like Gerald, especially for his wife of 60 years, his children, his grandchildren and his legions of friends, but they know that up in Heaven right now, he’s probably regaling those who went before him with a great story. One day, they will all meet again and their husband, dad, grandpa and friend will meet them with that Gerald smile that always comes with a spark in his eyes.
Survivors include his wife, Irene; six children, Judy (Dean) Drilling of Avon, Indiana, Janet Lensing of Rochester, Minnesota, Tom (Laurie) Lensing of Winterset, Pat (Kim) Lensing of Waucoma, Jolene (Dave) Vaselaar of Fountain City, Wisconsin, and Cheryl (Joe) Hageman of Calmar; 16 grandchildren, Amy Drilling, Kyle (Nichole) Drilling, Haley Drilling, Derek Lensing, Darci Lensing, Traci Lensing, Karleen Lensing, Morgan Lensing, Tierney Lensing, Delaney Lensing, Katelyn Vaselaar, Kelly Vaselaar, Jack Vaselaar, Ryan Hageman, Abby Hageman, and Logan Hageman; great-grandchild, Kennedy Drilling; one brother, Clair (Mary) Lensing of Marion; and sisters-in-law, Norma Lensing of Protivin, and Gladys Myers of Ridgeway.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Donald Lensing; sister-in-law, Florence (Francis) Sheridan; brothers-in-law, Alvin (Theresa) Myers, Raymond Myers; his in-laws, Phillip and Emma (Leibold) Myers.
