Grace Antolick, age 97, died Thursday at Meadow Creek Assisted Living in Montevideo, MN. Funeral Services will be 11:00 AM, Saturday, November 14, 2015, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Benson, MN with Rev. Dennis McManus officiating. Burial will be in the Benson City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, Friday, November 13, 2015 at St. Mark's Lutheran Church and will continue for one hour prior to the service. With great sadness we announce the passing of our beloved Mother, at age 97, on November 5, 2015. She was an amazing woman with incredible spirit that brought her through good times and bad. She was born to Mabel and Lars Underthun on October 10, 1918 in Swift County and has lived there all her life. She graduated from Benson High School at age 16 in 1935 and from Appleton Business School the following year. Because of her young age she could not find a job in business. Fortunately, this led her to a fantastic experience working in the home of the Mayor of St. Paul. She cooked and served formal dinners for very prestigious guests and took care of the family's needs. When she returned to Benson she worked for the Swift County Register of Deeds at the Benson Court House. She met and married her husband George Antolick in 1939, moved to a farm south of Benson and had three children. Always a team, both were 4H leaders and were active in many community activities. They were members first of St John's Lutheran Church in Cashel Township and later of St Mark's Lutheran Church in Benson. Their retirement years were filled with many surprises. They turned a hobby of making "seed mosaics" to a business that found customers across the country. Magazine articles were written about them and they made a commercial for the Minnesota State Fair advertising the Crop Arts Exhibit. A picture of them is displayed in the Historical Building at the State Fair Grounds, celebrating their first place win in a competition in 1972. As a result they began building kits and she taught classes across the state. She was very proud that Yale University purchased one of her pictures to display on their campus. Mom was also a wonderful seamstress who in addition to sewing clothes for her daughters, sewed many prom and bride's maid dresses for family and friends. She was asked by a fabric shop to teach a class on sewing men's clothing using double knit fabric which was the fashion of the day. She loved doing it. George and Grace always welcomed visitors with coffee and fresh baked goods. When George died in 1973, she went back to work as the office manager for the Swift County Home Nursing Service. She loved her job and the interaction with so many people. She bought and renovated a house in Benson while continuing to manage the farm business. She always loved spending time with her friends and thinking up adventures they could have. She traveled all across the US and toured Europe and Asia as well. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren delighted her. She was very special to all of them. She was much loved and will be terribly missed by her family and many friends. She will always live in our hearts. Grace is preceded in death by her husband George, brothers Astor, and Blanchard. Surviving are her three children, Stanley Antolick (Judy), Gloria Janes (Dennis) and Sharon Lund. Her three surviving sisters are Jo Dahlberg, Blanche Gravlun and Lorna Godfrey (Bill). Surviving grandchildren are Michelle Kirkpatrick (Scott), Craig Antolick (Emily), Lyle Antolick (Sarah), Jeff Janes, Brian Janes (Coreen), Stephanie Brennan (Bill), Keith Brennan (Jeniffer). She also leaves 14 great-grandchildren and three step-grandchildren and their families.
