Irene M. Selinski

Irene M. Selinski, 87 year old resident of Little Falls, formerly of Pierz, passed away Saturday (June 2) at her home. She died peacefully in her favorite chair in her home of 51 years on the farm she loved so much surrounded by the flowers and gardens that brought joy to her life. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday at 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Little Falls with Rev. Timothy Wenzel officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Friends may call Wednesday from 4-8 PM and Thursday from 9 AM until the service at the Shelley Funeral Chapel in Little Falls. Irene was born August 23, 1924 in Pierz, MN to the late Edward & Regina (Terhaar) Stumpf. She grew up on a farm in Agram Township just south of Pierz. That farm always had a special place in her heart and her childhood was a very happy one. She went to country school through the 8th grade. After school, Irene worked on neighboring farms to help support the family of 12 through the Great Depression. When she turned 16, she moved in with relatives in Minneapolis and worked at St. Mary’s Hospital. When WW II broke out, she had an opportunity to travel to many parts of the country. Jobs were plentiful for young women, and Irene took advantage of that. She and her sister, Marie moved to St. Paul, MN and worked for Ma Bell, making communication devices for the Navy. Her next job was at a ‘smokeless’ powder plant in Rosemount, MN. Her love for travel took her to Pensacola, FL to work as a “Soda Jerk” at the Naval Base where her brother was stationed. When the war finished, she moved back to the farm temporarily, until she was asked to take a trip out west to visit relatives in Spokane, WA. That trip ended up lasting a lot longer than expected. She ended up staying, taking cleaning jobs for professors at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. Irene was eternally home-sick so it was back to her Minnesota roots after one year. She took a job at JC Penny’s in Little Falls and lived at the home place. Irene loved to dance and was often seen at the Falls Ballroom. She happened to be at an event there in 1948, where she met her future husband, Al Selinski. They courted for a year and were married on June 20, 1949. Family has always been important to Irene and she soon started their family. They moved to a farm in Freedhem, MN for a short time and then moved to Little Falls. Irene’s heart was always drawn to farming. In 1961, the couple purchased a farm east of Little Falls. The family grew corn, soybeans, hay, hogs, beef and milk cows. Unfortunately, Al died at an early age in 1975. Somehow, the family made it through this and kept the farm. Irene’s golden years were spent on that farm, gardening, growing flowers, raising raspberries and heating her home with wood. Her raspberry patch ended up being a big business for her. She had a corner on the market in the raspberry industry in Little Falls. One year she sold over 1300 pints…. That is over 10,000 raspberries all picked by hand. Irene lived on her farm and grew raspberries until the day she died. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Little Falls. Irene M. Selinski is survived by her sons, Mark (Tara) Selinski of Little Falls, MN and Allen Selinski of Minneapolis, MN; daughters, Nancy (John) Beutz of Albany, MN; Patricia (James) Kulus of Flensburg, MN and Lynne (Scott) Lentz of Watertown, SD; brothers, Edwin Stumpf of Little Falls, MN; Herbert (Elvira) Stumpf of Pierz, MN and Ernest (Betty) Stumpf of Belle Plaine, MN; sisters, Cora (James) Cain of Ft. Collins, CO and Lavina (Leo) Bonacci of Denver, CO; 10 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred in 1975; parents, Edward & Regina Stumpf; brothers, Walter, Alfred and Roman Stumpf; a sister, Marie Schultheis. Pallbearers will be her children.

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Irene M. Selinski

August 23, 1924 - June 2, 2012