Tena Lepeska

Tena Virginia Lepeska, age 88, of Willmar, died Tuesday, May 9, at the Bethesda Heritage Center in Willmar. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, May 22, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home with Fr. Joseph Steinbeisser officiating. Interment will be at a later date at St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery in Olivia. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Monday at the funeral home.

Tena was born on May 17, 1917, in Lake City, Minnesota, the daughter of Oscar and Lena (Binger) Ahl. She grew up and received her education in the rural Hector community. On February 5, 1952, in Minneapolis, Tena was married to Edward James Lepeska. They lived in Minneapolis where she worked for 10 years at Sears Robuck & Co. They later moved to Atwater and lived on Diamond Lake where Tena worked for Sears in Willmar for 14 years. Her husband Edward died in 1966 and she retired from Sears on July 31, 1978. She was also a cook at the Lakeland Hotel in Willmar. Tena was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. She enjoyed fishing, traveling and baking cookies, bars and cakes for many people throughout the years.

She is survived by two stepchildren, James Lepeska of Hopkins and Janet Weis of Venice, FL; four step grandchildren and several step great grandchildren. Also surviving are two brothers, Clinton (and Louise) Ahl of Atwater and Dennis Ahl (and special friend, Marilyn Eliason) of Willmar, besides other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Edward; four sisters, Lorraine, Tillie, Mary and Ruth; and one brother, Howard.