Monica Jane Stephenson

Mass of Christian Burial for Monica Stephenson, 81, of Marshall, formally of New Ulm, will take place at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Ulm. Visitation will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 25, with a rosary at 5:00 p.m. and a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at the Horvath Remembrance Center in Marshall. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church in New Ulm. Interment will follow at the New Ulm City Cemetery.

Monica Jane (Liebl) Stephenson was born on August 25, 1943, in New Ulm, to John and Crescentia (Hartung) Liebl. Monica grew up on a farm near St. George, attended grade school in St. George, and graduated from high school in Fairfax. She then attended Mankato Commercial College. On November 27, 1965, Monica was united in marriage to John Stephenson in Minneapolis. The couple lived in New Ulm, where Monica worked various clerical and bookkeeping jobs throughout her life. In 1969, Monica and John opened JML Sales, which she continued to operate after John’s death in 1993 until she sold the business in 1996. Monica enjoyed camping and sewing in her younger years and following the Concord Singers in her later years. Monica moved to Marshall in 2021 to be closer to family, and she enjoyed playing cards, BINGO, and Farkle at Boulder Estates.

Monica died on Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center after a hard-fought battle with gastric cancer. She is survived by her daughter Lisa (Jim) Zmeskal of Marshall; grandchildren Ashley (Josh) Phillips of Evington, VA, and Mark Zmeskal of New Orleans, LA; John’s children and their families: Susan Hege of Nixa, MO, Jane Roberts of Silver Bay, MN, John (Deb) Stephenson of Des Moines, IA, and James Stephenson of Yukon, OK; siblings Susie Forster, Mary (Cy) Case, and Tony (Karen) Liebl; sisters-in-law Donna Liebl, Judy Liebl, and Deanna Liebl; as well as many other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband John, brothers John, Joe, Francis, Jerome, and Donnie Liebl, brother-in-law Donnie Forster, and special friend, Richard Berg.

The family wishes to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at the Avera Cancer Institute in Marshall and Avera Regional Medical Center for their loving and compassionate care during Monica’s cancer journey. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Avera Cancer Institute in Marshall.