Lois Joan Krienke

Lois Krienke of Benson passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Bethesda Memory Care in Willmar, at the age of 85.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Benson, with Rev. Dale Degner officiating. Visitation with the family will be held one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will follow in the Benson City Cemetery.

Lois Joan Krienke was born on March 21, 1940 to Erwin and Gladys (Kosel) Krentz in Springfield, MN. She was baptized at Springfield Lutheran Church and confirmed at Nora Lutheran Church in Kensington, MN. She attended Kensington High School in her youth.

She was united in marriage to her husband, Maynard on January 3, 1958 at Nora Lutheran Church. They were married for 39 years until Maynard’s passing in 1997. To this union, two children were born; Wayne and Lori. They made their home in Benson in 1968. Faith was very important to Lois. She was a long time member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Benson.

Lois lived a life filled with simple joys and deep devotion, becoming a steady cornerstone for her family. In her early years, she worked on the cook trailer for the road construction crew Maynard worked with in North Dakota, moving from site to site and setting up camp along the way. They later settled in Kensington and began their family. In 1968, the family moved to Benson. Lois worked at Fingerhut and later became the longtime manager of the Holiday Station Store, where she was known for her strong work ethic and her insistence that everything be kept in tip‑top order. A couple of her mottos were, “It is what it is,” and, “If you weren’t working… you should be working.”

Her kitchen was a place of comfort and tradition. Whether she was baking her famous chocolate cake and sugar cookies, canning tomatoes and pickles, or preparing her Sunday family dinner of creamed chicken, she poured love into everything she made. Outside, she found peace in her vegetable garden and took pride in tending her zinnias and marigolds.

Lois was a woman of action and spirit who embraced every season of life. She took great pride in maintaining a pristine lawn—picking up sticks in the summer and shoveling snow in the winter. She insisted on doing these tasks herself, even during cancer treatments. When dementia set in, she still asked how her lawn was doing and wanted to get home to mow.

She found adventure with Maynard on fishing trips and bus tours, and she never turned down a Hershey’s chocolate bar or a Reese’s. Some of her favorite memories were clothes shopping with Lori and her good friend Peggy. They always found the best sales - and the car was always full.

Above all, her greatest joy was her family. She was a constant, enthusiastic supporter at every grandchild’s sporting event, band concert, and choir performance. Whether she was watching the kids, driving them to and from school, playing board games and puzzles, or tossing a ball in the yard, her devotion to them never wavered.

She will be deeply missed, but her spirit lives on in every blooming zinnia and every shared family meal.

In the end, in Lois’s own words: “It is what it is.” Now get to work.

Lois is survived by her son, Wayne (Jeannine) Krienke of Benson; son-in-law, Jim Razink; brothers, Ralph (Mary) Krentz of Bloomington, MN, and Derald (Theresa) Krentz of Maple Grove, MN; grandchildren, Josh (Alysen Kaser) Razink, Katie Razink (special friend Michael), Tyler (Gretchen) Krienke, and Madyson Krienke (special friend Tyler Flowers and Tyler’s daughter, Taelynn); and great‑grandchildren, Josenda Hauge, and twins, Griffin and Lennon Krienke.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Maynard; daughter, Lori Razink (2023); and her parents, Erwin and Gladys Krentz.