Marilyn Zinnel

SHAKOPEE — Services for Marilyn Zinnel, 88, of Shakopee will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Hadley Lutheran Church in Hadley. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services at the church on Thursday. Burial is at Highland Home Cemetery in Hadley. The family will gather at the Hadley Park following burial for food and fellowship. Totzke Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.

She died Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Friendship Village in Shakopee.

Marilyn was born Feb. 10, 1932, in rural Hadley, to Herbert and Marie Quaintance Johnson. As a little girl, she attended a one-room schoolhouse outside rural Slayton through elementary and finished the remaining secondary school years at Slayton Public School graduating in 1950. She was united in marriage to Delbert L. Zinnel on Aug. 4, 1950. They were married for 39 years where they lived on a farm outside of Hadley and raised six children until Delbert’s death in 1989. She then moved into Slayton in 1996. She worked at the ASCS office and then for 35+ years at Slayton Drug until she retired. Marilyn had many interests, talents, and accomplishments. She was a piano teacher, organist and music director at Hadley Lutheran for 40 years, a seamstress, loved crafts, stamping and card making, Bingo, playing cards, Scrabble, but her best known talent was her flair for cake baking and cake decorating. She was known far and wide as the “Cake Lady.” She was active in 4-H in her earlier years, the Brookside Circle, Birthday Club, Hadley Lutheran Ladies Aid, VFW Ladies Auxiliary 6322, and the Hadley Golden Club. In 2004-2005, she received the Buzz Erlandson Community Service Award in recognition of her years of community service and leadership and was the 2004-2005 recipient of the Friend of Education Award for the Murray County Schools where she volunteered countless hours. Marilyn was a avid sports enthusiast and she enjoyed cheering on the Murray County Central sports teams, the Minnesota Twins, and the Hadley Buttermakers. Her greatest joy, however, was spending family time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She delighted in their activities, accomplishments, milestones, visits, hugs, and just being near them. She had a picture blanket displayed on her wall with all her family, which she looked at each day for hours. It gave her a sense of pride and admiration.

Marilyn is survived by her six children, Deborah (David) Biren of Rochester, Michael Zinnel of Avoca, Melanie Zinnel of Shakopee, Mark Zinnel of Pipestone, Doreen (Bob) Veenhuis of Slayton, and Marcia (Michael) Geraets of Monticello; nine grandchildren, Sean Biren, Nathaniel (Jennifer) Zinnel, Matthew (Alicia) Biren, Brianne (Brady) Hedstrom, Danielle (Jarod) Murray, Taylor (Samantha) Zinnel, Jamie Geraets, Joshua (Amanda) Onken, Jordan Geraets; seven great-grandchildren; Serenity Biren, Annika Zinnel, Alaire Biren, Jaelynn Murray, Leo Zinnel, Witten Murray, and Briar Hedstrom. She is also survived by her aunt, Lois Oldewurtel, special family members, Deb Elliott, Dave Onken, and Cathy VandeBraak, and her many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Herb and Marie Johnson and husband, Delbert.