John Renner
John Donald Renner Junior, age 90, of rural Winthrop, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at home with family, as he wished, at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2022. John had been on hospice care since April due to multiple health conditions. Funeral service were held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 10, 2022 at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 2407 County Rd 7, Stewart, MN, 55385, with Pastor Aaron Albrecht officiating. Burial with military honors accorded by the Winthrop Honor Guard will follow in St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation was held on Friday, September 9, from 5:00-8:00 p.m., at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, and will continue for one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church. John is survived by his daughters, Wanda Renner and her husband Robert Kruempelstaedter of Winthrop and Wendy Renner of Rockford, MN; brother, Gary (Mary) Renner of Winthrop; sister, Carol (Doug) Block of Brownton; and sister-in-law, Viola (Jerome) Renner of Hutchinson. John was preceded in death by his wife, Mavis (Fenske), who passed away on May 17, 2022; parents, John Renner Sr. and Elsie (Eitel) Renner; brothers, Delmar, Jerome and Thomas. The family is asking that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations are sent to the St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church Cemetery Upkeep or Perpetual Care or Memorial Fund, in care of the Treasurer at the address above. Please make a notation in the memo line. Minnesota Valley Funeral Home in New Ulm is assisting the family. To leave an online condolence for his family or to sign the guest book, go to: www.mvfh.org John was born on August 24, 1932. He was baptized as an infant and confirmed at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Fernando (rural Stewart), MN. John proudly served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and Army Reserves from January of 1955 and was honorably discharged in December of 1962, with a decoration for good conduct and a Marksmanship Rifle M1 medal. He had many stories and fond memories of his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and of his fellow soldiers. On July 19, 1958, John was united in marriage to Mavis Fenske at St. Matthew’s. John and Mavis enjoyed 64 years of marriage and were blessed with two daughters. John was a dairy farmer for 40 years. After retiring in 1992 from the dairy business, he rented out his farmland and worked part-time for two years at Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors and ten years at Central Region Cooperative (Buffalo Lake Elevator). John served on the boards for the Sibley County ADA, Dairy Herd IA, Round Grove Creamery, Winthrop Shipping Association, and the St Matthew’s Lutheran Church Council When his daughters were participating in 4-H, from 1967-1982, John was active as a 4-H parent and leader for the Lucky Clovers 4-H club. John enjoyed old time dancing with his wife Mavis, playing cards with the 500 and Pinochle card clubs, traveling with his wife and family, and trips to local casinos. John loved fishing and loved recalling stories about his great fishing buddies and numerous fishing trips to Canada, Northern Minnesota and South Dakota. John had a “Green Thumb” and enjoyed caring for his large flower and vegetable gardens, canning his garden produce and taking care of his large farmyard. As health concerns made physical activities increasingly difficult, he kept busy reading countless novels, watching his favorite westerns and Buzzer gameshows.
