Christine Tacheny

Christine Tacheny, age 89, passed away November 15, 2009, with her family and loving husband of 62 years, Clete by her side.

Funeral is 1:00 pm Thursday at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church with Rev. Robert Schneider, officiating. Visitation 4-7 pm Wednesday at Mankato Mortuary with a prayer service at 3:45 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Memorials preferred to Hospice, Theresa House, or VINE.

Chris was born on June 30, 1920, in San Juan, Texas to Kate (Becker) and Bart Schneider. She grew up in rural Eagle Lake. She attended Loyola High School her senior year where she met Clete Tacheny. Chris earned her registered nursing degree from St. Peter State Hospital. After graduation, she enlisted in the U.S. Army and arrived on Normandy Beach just 3 months after D-day. She worked in a 1,000 bed tent hospital in Carantan, Normandy, and then in Hermann Goering's hastily abandoned hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.

After the war, she returned to Mankato where she worked at St. Joseph's Hospital. Chris and Clete had exchanged letters throughout their deployment during the war and were married at Saint Peter and Paul's Church in Mankato on April 15, 1947. They settled on a farm in rural Mankato where they raised 8 boys and 4 girls. Chris loved gardening, decorating, cooking, and taking photos of her flowers. She was a gentle and caring soul with a smile for everyone, committed to her husband, her family and her faith.

Christine is survived by her husband, Cletus Tacheny and their sons, John (Pat), Jim (Brenda), Mark (Cathy), Bill (Peg), Paul (Mary), Greg (Rose), Tim (Amy), Tom (Laurie), and daughters, Jay (Keith) Tacheny, Margaret (Gary) Nelson, Terese (Mike) Ziniel and Ann (Brad) Parno, 30 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by sisters, Celia Haefner, Irene (Bob) Yenish, Bernie (Gene) Kopachek; brothers-in-law, Kell Lovell, Tom (Jolee) Tacheny, and John Czaplewski; and sisters-in-law, Kitty Schneider, Tillie Schneider, Sr. Mary Tacheny, and Eleanor Caven. She was preceded in death by her sister, Rosemary; brothers, Joe and Edwin; brothers-in-law, Harold Groh and Bill Caven; and sisters-in-law, Louise Czaplewski and Delphine Lovell.