08/27/2026
It does not happen often, but there are times certain shut-in members of mine die between visits, and I am not notified. This is often due to simple paperwork oversight and the fact that whatever family remained (if any) did not know of my ministry to her. Such was the case with one dear member of Zion, Dzintra Maria Fenske. Dzintra was born in Riga, Latvia on June 13, 1945, and was called home to her Lord in Morgan, Minnesota at the Glen-Mor Manor Nursing Home on August 21, 2026 after a long period of declining health.
In the absence of a funeral, I feel compelled, as her friend and pastor, to not let her death pass unnoticed. Dzintra led a remarkable life. Born at the end of WWII in Riga, Latvia, Dzintra's mother, having survived the horrors of war and seeing the horrors of Communism coming, left all earthly belongings and whatever family she had left, took her infant daughter, and fled to the west. After coming to a Displaced Persons camp (DP), mother and daughter eventually made their way to the United States, settling first in New Jersey and later in Oklahoma. This combination of native Latvian, New Jersey accent, and Southern drawl gave Dzintra one of the most wonderfully unique accents.
In keeping with the post-WWII America she grew up in, Dzintra anglicized her name to the more American “Cindy.” Cindy married four times, and outlived all four of her husbands. Each marriage, though, brought her a little closer to Minnesota, with stops first in Oklahoma, Colorado, and South Dakota, before finally meeting and marrying Dean Fenske of Lafayette, MN in 2008. The losses of her husbands weighed upon her. “Why do those I love and depend upon always seem to be taken from me?” she would ask me often. Particularly painful to her was the tragic death of her infant son, upon whose thoughts she dwelt more and more in the waning years of her life.
Her final years were spent at Glen-Mor Manor after age and infirmity made it impossible to remain on the farm site. In spite of some early trouble with staff over disabling the smoke detectors to allow them to smoke indoors during the winter, the nursing home was a special and wonderful blessing to both Dean and Cindy. Not only were they both given excellent physical and medical care, but they grew closer as a couple, and more importantly, closer to God in their Christian faith. For this, I would especially thank the entire nursing staff at Glen-Mor Manor and the additional spiritual care of Pastors Andrew Schmidt and John Paustian of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Morgan, MN.
The final trial of moving to Glen-Mor caused them to fix their eyes more firmly on Jesus, the author and perfector of their faith. When Dean died in 2024, Cindy again struggled, but she came through with long talks about forgiveness, grace, heaven, and the joy of resurrection. She so looked forward to the time she spent hearing about Jesus and taking the Holy Sacrament. The simple joy she took at hearing her sins were forgiven when I absolved her after confession was expressed with a simple but grateful sigh of relief.
I grew close to this dear woman. She lived such a fascinating life, and yet, for all her travels and adventures, my heart went out to her as she dealt with the pain of lost children and lost spouses. She was a living example of what Paul declared to the Philippians, “I have learned to be content in any circumstances in which I find myself. I know what it is to live in humble circumstances, and I know what it is to have more than enough. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, while being full or hungry, while having plenty or not enough. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:11-13)
The doctrines of resurrection of the body and final glory are not pie-in-the-sky topics for spiritual navel-gazers, but the most practical and important realities as the pain of living in this world of grief, death, and suffering grows ever more heavy. The doctrine of Christ and the resurrection he won is not something for Easter Sunday alone, but the beating heart of all our hope every day.
On the one hand, I am sad because neither the congregation nor I was allowed to grieve for this dear woman and comfort each other with the comfort we ourselves are comforted with. But on the other, there is nothing that makes me more thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ than that he has brought her across the vale of tears into the glory and peace of the place he has prepared for her.
The rest of the world, in recent days, has mourned the death of Dolly Parton. Accolades from celebrities and millions of fans will pour in, while the world will little note the life of Dzintra. Yet, when I read those wonderful words of that great vision of St. John in Revelation 7:13-17, I am consoled that the glory of the redeemed in heaven is showered equally upon all who enter there, famous or unknown alike, who are robed only in the righteous robes of Christ and cling to them alone for salvation:
One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”
And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”
And he said to me:
These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.
Because of this they are in front of the throne of God,
and they serve him day and night in his temple.
He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again.
The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat,
for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Rest in peace, Dzintra Maria Fenske!
