Alice Anita Wiener

Alice Anita Wiener passed away peacefully Saturday, November 3, 2012, at her home with family by her side, after a courageous battle with cancer. Alice was born April 14, 1930, in Blue Earth, MN to Nels Siegfred (Steve) Bjorklund and Erna Anita (Rajewsky) Bjorklund. Her Mom passed away when she was only 3 months old. A kind neighbor lady took her into her care until she was about 3 years old. She then lived with aunts and uncles until about 1938 when her father and older siblings, Helen, Art, and Blondie moved to a farm near Pine City. She vividly would recall Art “exercising” the horses on the farm which would always scare her. The family moved back and forth between Pine City and Sunrise for the next few years. During this time, her father remarried and Alice acquired a stepmother, also named Alice. From that point on, the stepmother was referred to as “Big Alice”. In the year 1944, Alice rode along with some friends to take her cousin Bun Bjorklund to the train station in Pine City, to join the Army. While there, Bun introduced her to his friend Stanley Wiener, who had also been drafted into the Army. With ten years of school behind her and the chance meeting of Stan, Alice moved to the Twin Cities area and worked a few different jobs, such as housecleaning at private homes and hotels. Over the next one to two years, she regularly returned to Pine City to visit friends and relatives. During one of these visits in 1946, the young man name Stan had returned to the Pine City area from serving in WWII and happened upon that cute dark haired girl Alice Bjorklund, which he met before, and their relationship grew. They were married in Robbinsdale, MN on January 24, 1948. Stan worked a few jobs, while Alice took care of the home, and their son Leslie. In 1949 they started Stan’s Radiator Service. The family was growing with the addition of Steven and Janet. To help with the family finances and the new business venture, Alice went to work for a couple of years, in the mid 50’s, at the Twin Cities Arsenal. She returned to the fulltime career as caretaker of the children and the home, which was a responsibility she always took very seriously. Her home was always neat and clean. She scheduled the household duties for the week and stuck to it. In 1958 Stan and Alice moved to the family home built on property on the east side of Cross Lake, where they resided for the rest of their days. The family grew with the addition of Lee, Bruce and Hiedi. Many memorable family picnics and parties were held at their home on the lake, which always included many of the family friends, but the family favorite was the annual July 4th Picnic. In the summer the parties included boating, swimming, water skiing, and an occasional water fight, which Alice was not against starting. Through the years Alice enjoyed many activities such as needlework, gardening, shopping at rummage sales, collecting special antiques, and reading good books. She especially enjoyed the activities that would include the kids and the grandkids. She enjoyed a quick trip to the casino and was always ready for a game of cards, which might include a little innocent bending of the rules in her favor, with anyone who would stop in for a visit. She enjoyed the Sunday drives with Stan in the old cars they owned. Decorating her home with family pictures given to her along with prints and pictures she would pick up here and there was also a passion of hers. Through the years Stan and Alice enjoyed traveling with various family members and friends. A few family trips when the kids were younger to California to visit relatives were some of the great memories. Others trips included Yellowstone, Alaska, England and other parts of Europe. In the later years, Stan and Alice spent the winter months in Mission, Texas. They stayed in their pickup camper for a few years, then graduated to a fifth wheel trailer and purchased their own lot. They made many good and lasting friendships with the people they met while being Winter Texans. The kids were able to join them in Texas to help celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. As years passed, the kids all married and honored Alice with 15 grandchildren. Continuing a few years, she became Great Grandma Wiener. She was also lovingly referred to as Grandma Mooches. Her importance of the family and staying close is the legacy she has passed on to her children and grandchildren. Alice is survived by her children: Leslie (Linda) Wiener, Pine City; Steven (Pamela) Wiener, Pine City; Janet (Tom) Garin, Ocean Springs, MS; Lee (Julie) Wiener, Pine City; Bruce (Cindy) Wiener, Cave Creek AZ; Hiedi (Scott) Cornelius, Pine City, 15 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren and her brother Arthur (Inez) Bjorklund, Faribault, MN. Also are many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Preceding Alice in death were her husband Stan, parents Nels Sigfred Bjorklund and Erna Anita Bjoklund, her sisters, Helen Lyons and Beatrice (Blondie) Muscat; and her grandson Jerrad Steven Wiener. Pastor Ron Boettner will officiate funeral services on Wednesday, November 7th at 11 a.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Pine City, with the interment at Hustletown Union Cemetery, Chengwatana Township, Pine City. A time of visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 6th from 4-7pm at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Pine City and one hour prior to the service. The Wiener family prefers memorial donations to St. Croix Hospice.