Glendora K. Arens, 96

Glendora K. Arens, 96

Glendora K. (Goodwin) Arens, age 96, of Austin, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at Sacred Heart Care Center with her family by her side.

Glendora was born February 16, 1924 in Austin Minnesota to Knute and Emma (Lerum) Goodwin. She grew up just outside Blooming Prairie on the Goodwin Family Farm. She was one of five children. She often worked on the farm with her Pa; assisting with sowing the seeds, caring for the horses and cleaning the barn. She especially looked forward to summer when all her cousins would come to visit. Glendora attended country school and later Austin High. Following high school, she worked at Hormel. She married the love of her life, Raymond Arens, on September 23, 1943. Glendora and Ray started their life together building their first home in Decker Acres. Together they raised two children, Kathy and Steve, and built a loving family.

Glendora was a creative soul and often made elaborate costumes and clothing for her children, worked side by side with her husband building homes, and finishing woodwork. She was well known for her extensive list of baking specialties including her famous Chocolate Scratch Cake, known to her grandchildren as scrap cake, her amazing graham cracker and lemon meringue pies, the list goes on.

While raising her children, she also worked at the S&H Green stamp store and Robinson Printing. In retirement she enjoyed entertaining her friends and family, she was an avid wildlife and landscape artist/painter, she loved listening to live music, dancing, camping, fishing and traveling.

Glendora was known for her love of a clean house, lovingly called a “Glendora Special”. Most importantly, she was and will always be an inspiration to her children and grandchildren, teaching us to, sew, draw, paint, bake, make lefse and clean our homes in her special way. She always encouraged our creativity and individual spirits and loved each of us for our uniqueness. It is hard to capture the bright spirit of our wonderful Mother and Grandmother in so few words, she was strong headed, fiercely independent, she loved deeply and lived graciously.

Glendora was a car enthusiast and to the surprise of her husband and children was known to come home with a brand new car because it was so cute she just had to have it. She was a spitfire and we adored her.

Glendora is survived by her two children, Kathy (Terry) Trimble of Walker, MN, Steve (Penny) Arens of Austin, MN; six grandchildren, Jaime (Mary) Trimble, Elizabeth (Neil) Adams, Mandy (Erik) Leonard, Jennifer (Peter) Cushing, Haley Arens (Andrew Muraszewski), Alexander (Cassie) Arens; eleven great grandchildren, Haily (Andrew) Davis, Sanger and Kylie Cushing, Max and Ninah Adams, Beau Arens, Briton and Olivia Trimble, Evangeline, Lola, and Lucia Muraszewski.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Raymond M. Arens; sister, Edna Jarvis; twin sister, Eldora Bertilson; brothers, Kenneth and Everett Goodwin; her dear friend and sister-in-law, Ann Arett; all of Ray’s siblings; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

We would like to thank the wonderful staff and caregivers at Sacred Heart Care Center. They enjoyed Glendora so much and cared for her like she was family.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Memorials are preferred to Sacred Heart Care Center.

Condolences may be left online at www.mayerfh.com