Charles Menk

Charles Chuck' F. Menk was born May 16, 1931 in Redwood County, MN to Erwin and Meta (Otto) Menk. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church in Morgan, MN. He attended grade school at District #100 in Redwood County and graduated from Morgan High School in 1949. Chuck served his country in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War. Following his honorable discharge, he was employed at Morgan Grain and Feed until 1959 when he began working at Del Monte Corporation in Sleepy Eye until retiring in 1993. On October 10, 1958, Chuck was united in marriage to Delores Reddemann of Sleepy Eye at St. John's Lutheran Church in Morgan. Chuck and Delores resided in Sleepy Eye where they were members of St. John's Lutheran Church. They were blessed with two children, Marla and David, and shared 62 years of marriage. Chuck and Delores met at a dance at the Orchid Ballroom in Sleepy Eye, and continued to enjoy listening and dancing to old-time music throughout their lives. Together, Chuck and Delores enjoyed traveling with their children on family vacations, and later in life their travels took them to Alaska, Hawaii, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and almost-annually to Branson, Missouri. Chuck enjoyed woodcarving, a hobby he began near retirement. He was particularly skilled at carving Santa Clause figurines. He was a member of the Blue Earth Royal Chiselers Wood Carvers Club and the Minnesota Wood Carvers Association. He also enjoyed gardening, growing vegetables and dahlias, beekeeping, raising chickens and pigeons, and raising Arabian horses earlier in life. Chuck is survived by his wife Delores, son David of Minneapolis, MN, grandchildren Jonathan Bender (Rebecca) of California, Sarah Bender-Burbidge (Preston) of Maryland, and Hannah Bender-Blizzard (Jarrett) of Virginia, brother Lloyd and sister-in-law LaVonne Menk of Mankato, MN, sister-in-law Dorothy Menk of La Crosse, WI, brother-in-law Leonard Reddemann of Springfield, MN, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his daughter Marla Bender, who became an angel in heaven in 2004, and his parents, parents-in-law, brother Dale, sister Mary Ellen Warhol, brother-in-law Frank Warhol, and sister-in-law Marjorie Reddemann. Visitation 1 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2020 Sturm Funeral Home, Sleepy Eye Chapel 301 - 3rd Ave. S.W. Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, United States 56085 Service Information 2:00 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2020 Sturm Funeral Home, Sleepy Eye Chapel 301 - 3rd Ave. S.W. Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, United States 56085 Interment Information Home Cemetery 700 St. Mary's St. N.E. Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, United States 56085