Willard &uot;Willie&uot; Fenske, age 62, of Mankato, died Nov. 16, 2002 at VA Medical Center in Minneapolis. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on today, Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Woodland Hills Chapel in Mankato. Visitation was Tuesday at Woodland Hills Funeral Home and will continue for one hour prior to the time of service today. Interment will be at Timberon Memorial Park in Timberon, N.M. at a later date. Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers.

Willie was born Jan. 11, 1940 in Gibbon, Minn., the son of Ernest and Leona (Jahnke) Fenske. He attended school in Gibbon and New Ulm, graduating from Gibbon High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force from Jan. 8, 1960 to May 10, 1962. On Oct. 27, 1968 he married Judith Gilpin in Klemme, Iowa. After their marriage, they lived in Gibbon where he worked for Kenny Peterson Construction. He then lived in South Dakota for a short time where he worked for Sweetsman Construction. In 1974 they moved to Carlsbad, N.M., and then to Timberon, N.M., where Willie was a heavy equipment operator and also a real estate broker. In 1989 they moved to Mankato and he worked for Myles Lorentz Construction and also Severson Construction. He also drove bus for the city of Mankato and MRCI, and was a consultant for Nikken, Inc. Willie was an avid gardener and he loved to can tomatoes and also make solar dill pickles. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Choir and also American Legion Post #11.

He is survived by his wife Judith (Judy) of Mankato; one daughter, Angel Meyer and her husband David of Emmons; one brother, Melroy and his wife Nadine of Mankato; two sisters, Lorna Rassmussen of Osseo, Minn., and Caroline Pelzel of Duluth; and several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one uncle, Elmer Jahnke; and one aunt, Florence Jahnke.