Gertrude Sophie (Quale) Zahnow

Gertrude Sophie Zahnow (Quale) passed away peacefully Monday, August 15, 2022, at the age of 96. She had a long and happy life! She is survived by her son Daryl and wife Wendy; daughter Darla Smith and her former spouse Richard; grandson Brandon Zahnow and his wife Liz; granddaughter Bailey Bonds and husband Demetrice; grandson Travis Smith and his wife Jada; and two great-grandsons DeAndre and Darius Bonds. She also leaves behind several nieces and nephews, and many great friends. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Elmer, her parents, numerous in-laws and dear friends. She often wondered why she outlived them all?

Gert was born November 27, 1925, the daughter of Olga and Henry Quale, in Marietta, Minnesota. She became a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Western Minnesota, and married her childhood sweetheart on April 17, 1949. They eventually moved to the Twin Cities where she continued her long teaching career, and they adopted their two children. They had homes in Minnetonka, Hopkins and Maple Grove. Several years after Elmer’s death, Gert moved to The Legacy of St. Michael where she spent her final 10 years, and had many dear friends.

Gert enjoyed gardening, baking, singing and dancing, and especially spending time with her family – especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren, the youngest being only 4 months old. She was also an avid Twins fan! As their ages advanced, she and Elmer’s twin sister, Elnore, would watch games in their respective homes, calling each other whenever there was a particularly good (or BAD!) play to talk about!  “Did you see that!?”

She was a long-time member of Lord of Life, starting before the church moved to its present location. She made Pastor Peter PROMISE to preside over her funeral when the day came, and he was happy to oblige her wish.

Her service will be held at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 7401 County Road 101 in Maple Grove, Minnesota, at 11am on Saturday, August 20, with visitation to be held one hour prior, followed by a luncheon at the church. Interment will be at Maple Knoll Cemetery in Maple Grove, where she will be laid to rest next to the love of her life, Elmer. She looked forward to being reunited with him some day – she finally got her wish.