Delores Ihnen

Delores Ihnen, 94 of St. Paul, MN, formerly of Parker, passed away on July 1, 2026 at the Episcopal Home in St. Paul, MN. At this time no services are planned. Arrangements provided by Hofmeister-Jones Funeral Home.

Delores Ihnen was born in Parker in 1931 and lived there 90 of her 94 years. She was very proud of Parker and loved her time there. It wasn’t until her last 4 years with failing health that she moved to St. Paul, Minnesota to be closer to family.

She attended Parker Elementary school until age 10 when her family moved to the farm outside of Parker. She then attended Finley #5 country school with her sisters and graduated from Parker High School in 1949. After the Brooklyn Dodgers lost the world series, she moved to Sioux Falls with her younger sister, Irene, to work. When in 1955 she was offered a job at the Parker State Bank (currently First Savings Bank), she returned to the farm and worked at the bank until 1988.

She and her mother moved in to town in 1978. After so many years on the farm, they both enjoyed the convenience of being able to walk a few blocks to downtown, often stopping to have coffee with friends.

In retirement, she became very active serving on various civic boards in Parker: the Commercial Club, the Cemetery board, the Refugee Committee, the City Council, the Library Board, The Food Pantry, the Senior Citizens, etc. She was a pillar of the Parker Methodist Church, serving as treasurer among many other volunteer tasks. She was glad to put her organizational skills to work and was very generous with her time.

She has always enjoyed reading, writing poetry, gardening, scrap-booking, and learning new things. She had a remarkable memory of history and could rattle off dates of events and names of people involved, locally and world-wide.

Delores spoke often of her life in Parker. She so appreciated her many friends and family members. She was a quiet presence in many social and community get-togethers and loved being a part of things. She was genuinely interested in people, both longtime friends and new acquaintances. She liked hearing about other people’s lives and experiences and had an open mind for different perspectives. She was truly a gentle and kind soul.

Her 4 years in St. Paul at the end of her life were very rewarding. Both of her younger sisters, Irene and Dorothy, moved to St. Paul as well. They spent many hours talking about growing up on the farm and enjoyed seeing each other each week. They had lots of laughter remembering old times.

Preceding her in death were her father (John Ihnen), mother (Elsie Sue Ihnen nee Vogt), sister, Marlene, nephews Stuart Tanquist and Alan Porter. She is survived by her two surviving sisters, Irene Porter and Dorothy Ihnen, her niece Colleen Lesedi, nephew Bruce

Tanquist and great-nieces Rachel Sherlock, Meg Porter, and Hazel Cutting, and great-nephews Philix and Henry Chadbourn.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to a charity of your choice would be appreciated. She especially valued tree planting.

Condolences can be sent to Irene Porter or Dorothy Ihnen at 1492 Portland Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104. No services are planned.