Arlene Louise Frechette

Arlene L. Frechette age 88 of Tracy, MN died Monday, September 10, 2012 at the Prairie View Healthcare Center in Tracy. Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:30 AM Friday, September 14, 2012 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy. Visitation will be held at the church on Friday from 10:00 AM until time of service, with a rosary at 10:00 AM. A luncheon will be served immediately following the service. Interment will be 10:00 AM Saturday, September 15, 2012 in the New Ulm Catholic Cemetery in New Ulm, MN. The Almlie Funeral Home of Tracy is handling the arrangements. Arlene Louise Frechette was born November 5, 1923 to August and Myrl (Sharett) Heil in Morris, MN. She was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and later in life, converted to Catholicism. As a young girl her family moved to Westbrook, MN and she graduated from Westbrook High School. On December 26, 1942 Arlene married Louis Frechette at the Catholic Church in Worthington, MN. They made their home in Tracy and celebrated 67 years of marriage. After her husband’s death in 2009, Arlene remained in her home until 2010. As a housewife, mother and grandmother, Arlene raised six children, but was also active in her community and church, which was a very large part of her life. Arlene was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy and active in the Catholic Church Women, taught Catechism and Confirmation for seventeen years, was a tutor, librarian and lunch time worker at St. Mary’s Catholic School, made flower arrangements for the alter and was a past member of Catholic Daughters and Extension Club. Her faith was important to her and she attended Mass regularly and lived her faith. She was an accomplished artist and poet, having won several contests with her poetry and copies of her painting of Christ, adorn not only St. Mary’s in Tracy, but also many homes, churches and other buildings in southwest Minnesota. She also restored statues and paintings for area churches. In her community she was active over the years as a food shelf volunteer, Campfire Girl leader, and the costumes she made for the Box Car Days Kiddie Parade won first place many times. Besides painting she also enjoyed reading and was a member of several book clubs. In April of 2010, Arlene became a resident of the Prairie View Healthcare center in Tracy, where she died, surrounded by her loving family, on Monday, September 10, 2012 at the age of 88. Arlene is survived by her four daughters, Colene (Lennard) Nydell of Tracy, MN, Dianne (Bill Grunz) Goings of Kasota, MN, Nancy Greenfield of Mankato, MN and Jill (Mark) Fischer of New Ulm, MN; two sons, Tim Frechette of New Ulm, MN and Guy (Teresa) Frechette of St. Paul, MN; twenty seven grandchildren; thirty four great grandchildren; seven great-great grandchildren; two sisters, Evelyn Kaufman of Tracy, MN and Phyllis Quillen of southern CA; three brothers, Delbert, Kenny and Roger Heil, all of southern CA; nieces, nephews and friends. Her husband Louis, one son David, her parents, and two brothers, Mahlon and Harvey preceded her in death.