Jolene Sagedahl

Jolene Sagedahl, age 83, of Willmar, Minnesota, died on Saturday, August 7, 2021, at her home surrounded by her family. Traditional Visitation will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 13, 2021, at the Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar. The evening concludes with a memory share at 7:00 p.m. A Private Interment Service will be held Saturday at the Cloverleaf Memorial Park Cemetery in Willmar, Minnesota.

Jolene Ann “Ticky” (Haats) Sagedahl was born on August 21, 1937, in St. Johns Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Edward and Minnie (Van Heuveln) Haats. Jolene grew up on the family farm and was baptized in 1945 at the Bethany Reformed Church in Clara City, Minnesota. Jolene attended school in Raymond, graduating with the high school class of 1955.

After graduating, Jolene worked as a waitress. She chased a handsome young man while at work for forgetting to pay his tab, little did she know, she had met the love of her life. On February 25, 1956, Jolene was united in marriage to Dean Sagedahl at the Bethany Reformed Church Parsonage in Clara City, Minnesota. The couple had two children, Todd in 1957 and Paula in 1958. She stayed home with the kids until they reached school age. They made their home in in various locations around the Willmar area before settling in town. Jolene worked for 26 years at Hardware Hank in downtown Willmar. In retirement, she and Dean worked at a funeral home doing various tasks including maintenance and cleaning. It was a rare sight to spot Jo without Dean at her side.

Jolene was diligent with her daily prayers and enjoyed making cookies and caramel bars for family and friends. When it came time for clean-up, she and Dean would always wash the dishes together. He washed, she always dried. Jolene enjoyed her weekly coffee outings with Dean, and they got to know many people in the Willmar community. Her greatest joy in life was her family. She valued spending time with her children, grandchildren, and especially her great-grandchildren.

Jolene left her Earthly home peacefully on Saturday August 7th, 2021. She reached the age of 83 years, 11 months, and 17 days - just two weeks shy of her 84th birthday. Blessed be her memory.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Dean Sagedahl of Willmar; children, Todd (and Laurie) Sagedahl of Willmar, Paula (and Doug) Kashmark of Silver Lake; 3 grandchildren, Mark (and Mallory) Sagedahl of Alexandria, Sara (and Matt) Frakes of Minneapolis, Elly (and David) Sprik of Marshall; 6 great-grandchildren, Tyler Sprik, Kylee Sagedahl, Jolie Sprik, Reese Sagedahl, Kyla Sprik, Bode Frakes; sisters-in-law, Helen Haats of Lake Lillian, Wilma Shellum of Burnsville; brother-in-law, Kenny Gratz of Anaheim, CA; nephews, nieces, other relatives and many friends.

Jolene is preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Minnie Haats; three siblings, Charles (Elaine) Haats, Vivian (Jay) Wubbels, and Gary “Butch” Haats; sister-in-law, Alice Gratz; and brother-in-law, James Shellum.