Gayle M. Bengtson-Gruber

Gayle Marie Bengtson-Gruber passed away on October 5, 2026, at home after several years of declining health. Gayle was born to Wallace and Tannis (Wimmer) Gruber on September 19, 1951, the third of four children. Gayle married James Bengtson on December 5, 1997, at Holy Spirit Church in St Cloud. Jim passed in 2008.
Gayle was born with medical challenges, including blindness, mild CP, and cognitive issues. However, she was blessed with dedicated parents and many caring professionals and was able to lead a full, rich life. She was an accomplished singer, guitar and piano player and spent many years in the Holy Spriit choir and performing at social events. Gayle attended school K-12 with St Cloud School District 742. The Sight Saving classes at Washington School, taught by Freda Showalter, were significant to Gayle’s development. Gayle graduated from Technical High School in 1971. Gayle was also active with many organizations, the most notable being a lifetime member of the National Federation for the Blind. Gayle’s work history included operating her own phone answering service for several small businesses for approximately ten years. She was also involved in many volunteer activities. When communication for blind people was made easier by technology developed for blind people to use the internet, she was able to communicate daily with programming for blind people. The blind community was a very important part of her daily life.
The family wants to give special recognition to her nephew, Erik Thienes, who spent countless hours sharing their mutual love of music via Zoom. She cherished their weekly communication, which often lasted several hours. But most of all, we want to thank her care giver, Wendy Smith. She was truly Gayle’s advocate. She treated Gayle with love, compassion, and respect and without Wendy, Gayle would not have been able to achieve her goal of living out her life at home. We would also like to acknowledge the Lions Club that helped her buy the equipment needed for her phone business, Camp Courage, where Gayle spent many summers, Dial-A-Ride and their kind drivers that assisted Gayle, Dr Pavon for providing patient, tender care for Gayle, Computer Repair Unlimited for their dedication in keeping Gayle on-line and all the volunteer drivers that transported Gayle to and from church and choir practice.
Gayle is survived by her sister Pam Thienes, and her brother Terry (Iris) Gruber. She also leaves behind 10 nieces and nephews [one deceased]. She is preceded in death by her husband Jim, brother John, brother-in-law, Bob Thienes and her parents.
Gayle’s Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 AM on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 AM with a luncheon to follow. Entombment will take place in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls.
The family asks that any remembrances be made to the National Federation for the Blind.