Norine Ann Blenkush

After almost 104 years of spreading kindness, generosity, and love, Norine Ann (Palmersheim) Blenkush passed away peacefully at her home on March 9, 2026.  We will celebrate Norine’s life on Friday, May 15 from 5-7 PM at the St. Stephen Parish Hall. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, May 16 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 103 Cty Rd 2 S, St. Stephen, MN 56375, with visitation one hour before Mass.

Norine was born at home on May 24, 1922, in Regal, MN to Henry and Theresa Palmersheim.  She attended grade school in St. Stephen, MN, two years of high school in Little Falls, MN, and then received her GED in 1976, at the age of 54.  During World War II she worked in Minneapolis, doing a variety of office duties as part of the war effort.  She married Wilfred Blenkush at St. Stephen Catholic Church on June 21, 1944.  Together they made a life and raised their large family on the Blenkush farm in St. Stephen, MN.

Norine was a member of the St. Stephen Christian Mothers, performing many duties such as cleaning the church, creating floral arrangements for the altar, and doing food prep for funerals and other church events.  She was a 4-H Club leader and advisor, gently guiding members in their projects, encouraging them to always do their best.  Seeing each child’s growth and their pride in successful projects was most gratifying to her.  Many blue and purple ribbons were a direct result of her leadership.   Summers were occupied with her flower gardening for beauty, and vegetable gardening and canning for sustenance.  During the winters, she loved to sew and to quilt, happily piecing together keepsake quilts for her family members.  She belonged to her church quilting circle, helping to create beautiful quilts that were auctioned or raffled off at the annual Fall Festival.    She worked at a lens factory and at a floral shop later in life, as well as learning to drive tractor to help Wilfred on the farm after the kids were grown, saying “I just did what needed to be done”.  Norine will also be remembered for her delicious foods, especially her chicken and rice casseroles, dill pickles, pineapple tea rings, and potica.

Norine was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Wilfred, children Laura Lee and Ronald, siblings Cyril, Maurice (Rita), Romuald (Delphine), Adrian (Mary), Victor, and Lillian Dullinger.

She will be greatly missed by; her surviving children, Roger (Kim), Laura Ann, Mary Lou, Jeanne (Mike Warren), Colette (Dan) Traut, Bill (Peggy), and Jackie (Keith Fladung), daughter-in-law Janyce (Ron) Blenkush, sister-in-law Jane (Victor) Palmersheim, and brother-in-law Delvin (Lillian) Dullinger.  Her memory will be cherished by her 16 grandchildren and 19 (soon to be 20) great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and her special cat Zoey.

Our family is grateful to Laura for being Norine’s primary caregiver in recent years, honoring her wishes to remain on the family farm until the end.  We also wish to thank Hannah, Ava, Rachel, and Anna, our special group of CSB nursing students and grads who helped care for Norine, and Jack, our SJU student who helped keep the outdoors looking beautiful.   In so doing they became her much-loved   “bonus family”.

Donations will be given to the St. Stephen Firefighters Relief Assn.