A Funeral Mass for Madonna Arendt-Thomforde will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, December 1, 2022, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bellechester, MN with Father Thomas McCabe officiating. Burial will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Belvidere.
Madonna Arendt-Thomforde, 68, of Goodhue, died on Friday, November 25, 2022, at Deer Crest Memory Care Center in Red Wing surrounded by her family, following a courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease. Madonna was born on May 19, 1954, in Red Wing to Leonard and Bertha (Bertschinger) Arendt. She attended St. Mary’s in Bellechester and Goodhue High School where she graduated in 1972. She went on to attend RCTC in Rochester as well as Moorhead State earning her degree in Marketing. She worked at Hunt's and at JCPenney in Rochester. On August 25, 1979, she married Kevin Thomforde at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Bellechester. They farmed and raised a family in Belvidere Township. She later returned to work at Hunt’s managing the gift department before retiring. She was a lifelong member of St. Mary’s and enjoyed leading songs in worship. She cherished annual summer family fishing trips up north and fall trips with Kevin and friends to the north shore. At home, she enjoyed quilting, gardening, baking and spending time with her family and friends. Her family remembers her kindness toward everyone she encountered, all the time spent baking cookies and pies, hosting many family gatherings, always lending a helping hand to others, her ability to send the perfect card for every occasion, and being so proud when cheering on her children at sporting events.
Survivors include her husband, Kevin; four children, Roslyn (Dan) Huneke of Tomah WI, Lauren (Justin) Banitt of Lakeville MN, Andy (Krystal) Thomforde and Matt (Britta) Thomforde all of Goodhue; 10 grandchildren, Aidan and Liam Huneke, Reid and Cameron Banitt, Kipton, Jazlyn and Paxton Thomforde, Graysen, Kennedy and Theodore Thomforde; 5 brothers, James (Dorothy) Arendt of Lake City MN, Richard (Rebecca) Arendt of Bellechester MN, Paul Arendt of Zumbrota MN, Francis (Yvonne) Arendt of Hampton MN, Dennis (Dyann Baumann) Arendt of Albert Lea MN; 4 sisters, Mary Jean (Bob) Quirk of Minneapolis MN, Bonnie Mayo of Dudley MA, Roberta (Tom) Benedict of Lake City MN, Teresa (John) Allers of Rochester MN; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Nadine, sister-in-law Cindy, 3 nieces.
Friends and family may visit from 4 – 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at Schleicher Funeral Homes, Lake City Chapel and for one hour prior to the service on Thursday at the church.
Arrangements by Schleicher Funeral Homes, Lake City Chapel. Guest register may be signed at www.schleicherfuneralhomes.com
