Stephanie "Stevie" Serleth

Stephanie Ann Serleth (“Stevie”) left this life after an extended battle with cancer on October 10, 2023.  She was surrounded by her husband and children.  She was born August 7, 1947, in Brookings, SD.  She was the oldest of 6 children of Margaret “Peggy” and Denis Pieschel.  The family moved to Blue Earth, MN where Stevie attended Catholic school through 8^th grade then graduated from Blue Earth High School.  She earned a B.S. in Education from St. Catherine’s in St. Paul, MN.  She met lifelong friends while there and they continued to meet for a long weekend nearly every year including this year.  Some of her fondest memories of her years at St. Kate’s were the summer jobs she held while attending school there.  They included one summer at Madden’s on Gull Lake and another summer working at Ballard’s Seafood on Block Island, RI.  She shared many stories from those summers with her family and friends

After college she accepted a job in Anaheim, CA teaching 4^th grade.  The best part of her teaching experience was living on Balboa Island in Newport Beach.  Teaching wasn’t her thing, so she left and returned to Minnesota where her boss at a part-time job took her to a United Airlines hiring event held at Minneapolis Airport.  There over 1,000 job seekers and Stevie was given a 90 second interview and was hired as flight attendant.

Her first base was out of O’Hare International in Chicago.  She lived near the lakefront on the near north side of Chicago.  It was there that she met her future husband, Tom, on a blind date that Stevie was very reluctant to go on saying to the roommate who asked her to do so “why should I go out with a loser who can’t get his own date?”  That chance meeting turned into a whirlwind romance that lasted one day short of 48 years.  She flew for United both domestically and internationally for 31 years and enjoyed it immensely.  She and Tom lived in Chicago, Larkspur, CA where their children were born, Napa, CA, Portland, OR and, most recently, Alexandria.  Stevie found Alexandria to be the place she had been looking to live for her entire life.  She loved the lakes and the Alexandria Golf Club.  She made many friends through Newcomers Club and Pickleball.

Stevie was preceded in death by her parents. Her children survive: Katie Sullins (Drew) and Max Serleth (Nicole).  Stevie, Mimi to her grandchildren, was blessed with 4 of them: Mackenzie and Olivia Sullins; Liam and Max Serleth. 

Stevie was greatly admired for her determination to live as normally as possible throughout her long battle with cancer.  Her children learned a lot from her and will miss her tremendously.

Stevie is survived by one sister, Denise Vonnahme and four brothers: Mike, Tom, Frank and Tim. 

Services will be held Friday, October 13, 2023, at 3 PM at Anderson Funeral Home and Crematory. 

A Celebration of Life will be held in June 2024 in Alexandria.  Details to follow.