Audriene (Vanden Heuvel) Zelenski, 83
Published 8:39 am Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Audriene (Vanden Heuvel) Zelenski, 83, died peacefully on Jan. 12, 2018, at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus, Rochester, Minnesota.
Audriene was born on July 9, 1934, in Ellendale, Minnesota, to the late Harold and Reta (nee Nelson) Bunnell. She attended country school and graduated from Ellendale High School.
After high school, Audriene worked at Federated Mutual Insurance Co. in Owatonna, Minnesota.
She married Henry (Bud) Vanden Heuvel on May 23, 1954, in Ellendale. They lived in Austin, Minnesota, and she worked part time at J.C. Penney. She also worked for the Austin schools as a secretary for 23 years.
After her retirement, and death of her husband in 1994, she moved to Rochester. She joined the Widowed Person Service, where she made many friends and met Richard (Dick) Zelenski. Audriene and Dick were married on May 6, 2000, at St Pius X church in Rochester.
Audriene and Dick enjoyed a number of years traveling on bus trips throughout the United States and on cruise ships around the world.
Audriene was a member of Christ United Methodist Church. She enjoyed her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoyed cross-stitching, quilting, and knitting. She knitted more than 300 prayer shawls for the Saint Marys Hospital Volunteer program.
She is survived by her husband, Dick; children, Craig Vanden Heuvel and Heidi (Ray) Dunfee; grandchildren, Nate (Heather) Dunfee and Samantha Dunfee; great-grandchildren, Jack and Camryn Dunfee; stepchildren, Margie (Ward) Lane, Cathy Zelenski, Barbara (Rich) Dettinger, and Andy (Jenn) Yara-Zelenski; and step-grandchildren, Steven, Thomas, and David Lane, Erica, Tori, Tim, and Kylie Dettinger, and Jacob Yara-Zelenski. She also leaves many nieces, nephews, cousins, and numerous friends.
Audriene was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Henry Vanden Heuvel; daughter, Sheila; a sister; and a brother.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Memory Care Unit at River Bend, the Mayo Hospice team, the staff on Saint Marys Mary Brigh 5E and the Palliative Care team at Mayo Clinic for the care received.
A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18, at the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the funeral home and one hour prior to the service on Thursday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic. Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com