Darlene Sylvia Wientjes

January 21, 1937 - January 18, 2022

Darlene S. Wientjes Born January 21, 1937 and passed away peacefully on January 18, 2022. She is survived by her 4 children George, Cynthia (3 daughters), Donald (3 sons), Allen (Paula) (2 children); 8 grandchildren, Ginger (Nick), Chere' and Terra, Calvin, Mitchell, Dillon, Colin, and Emma (Zach); and 3 great-grandchildren, Ida, Fiona and Vivian. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She could make them laugh, that's for sure. She made afghans that were colorful and sometimes way too large to even cover a bed. Growing up she would spend her summer days laying in the grass and running in the park. She would look up at the stars and dream. She liked to catch fireflies and take their light off and put on her finger and pretend it was a diamond. In the winter she would go tobogganing, sliding, ice skating and making snow angels and of course snowball fights. A few of the many things she enjoyed were bingo, diamond art, coloring, drawing (sometimes it was a guess to what it actually was), playing cards, Chinese checkers, meeting friends for coffee and breakfast. She knew how to navigate the garage sales. There were many stuffed animals won from the claw machines while the grandchildren were growing up. She watched Price is Right and the Hallmark Channel religiously. She LOVED her dogs. Her first was a Chow Chow named Fuzzy. She had many other dogs Midnight, Queeny, Tooties, Bing, Buffer, Buster, Hidie, Daisy, and last was the little minpin, Bandit. The two were the best of friends. She drove mainly Fords, not sure if her son had any influence on that choice. She enjoyed making and decorating cakes. She would hunt for the St Paul Medallion. She made clothes for herself and for Cindy. Fun fact about Gma, she raised deer, in the basement and backyard on White Bear Ave?! She loved to dance. She always had a wind chime either in the house or outside. She loved flowers, plants, (her green thumb was impeccable), earth tone colors, photographs, watches, Betty Boop, deer, decorating for Christmas. Oh the decorating for Christmas, she loved that! She made the best deviled eggs; thankfully one of us can recreate them. She hid a plate in the fridge of the extras that was quickly found by a few of us diehards. She was witty, fierce, sassy, and loving. She worked for Rosemount Aerospace; she was one of the women working on the home front. She loaded ammunition at the arsenal during Vietnam. She also worked at the State Fair, Little Six Bingo, and busing company before she retired. These are just a few of the places she left her mark. Gma, as the grandkids decided to start calling her years ago, wasn't just a grandmother to some of her grandchildren. She welcomed them to live with her, help them out of a rut, listen to their phone calls; she was a lifeline for them. She cherished her friendships, especially Gloria. They were friends for what seems like a lifetime, and now they can continue the years together. All of her caregivers have said she was a sweet lady and have a special place in their hearts for her. To all of those that did so over the years and especially in the last few months, the family thanks you. Her final days were spent with family and no longer in pain. Her final wish was to spend her Birthday with Jesus. She is preceded in death by her parents, George and Sylvia Lindberg; husbands, Arvin Reetz and Henry (Sonny) Wientjes. The family welcomes you to join them in remembering Darlene (Gma) at her memorial gathering, Friday, January 28, 2022 from 1-3 PM at Washburn-McReavy Nokomis Park Chapel, 1838 E Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis, MN. Her Burial will be Thursday, February 3, 2022 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN.