Maureen Luetmer

Maureen M. Luetmer, beloved wife, mother, artist, author, and storyteller, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2025, at the age of 88, surrounded by loving family and friends.

A celebration of Maureen’s storied life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 13 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Meire Grove with Rev. Mitchell Bechtold officiating. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church. Inurnment will be at the parish cemetery.

Born October 31, 1936, in St. Cloud, Maureen was the youngest daughter in a close-knit family. She and her sisters (who affectionately called her “Babe”) spent happy days helping at their father's gas station and in their mother’s large garden. These formative years instilled in her a deep appreciation for hard work, resourcefulness, and the simple joys of life.

Maureen attended parochial school in New Munich before graduating from Melrose High School. After high school, Maureen worked for an attorney in Melrose, then at Northrup & King Company in Minneapolis. Eager for new experiences, she pursued and acquired a secretarial job with an attorney in downtown Minneapolis. She thrived in the city and spent some of her proudest days working for Mr. Grenier on the 22nd floor of a bustling high-rise.

She loved to dance and skate, and it was at the skating rink in Greenwald, where she met Al Luetmer. They were married on April 30, 1957, and settled on a dairy farm near Meire Grove. Together, they raised eight children, creating a lifetime of memories amidst the wonderful chaos that comes with a large family. Maureen and Al cherished family trips “up north”, out west or just to “the woods” for a wiener roast. After retirement they continued to travel and, in 2013, Maureen took the trip of a lifetime to Paris and Germany. Maureen and her daughter, Pat, were known for their playful mischief, often finding themselves in humorous predicaments in locales far and wide!

Maureen was a gifted artist and writer. She founded Little Dipper Ceramics, where she taught classes, and you can see her painting talents on the Grotto in Meire Grove. Maureen brought a creative spirit to everything she did and passed it on to her children and grandchildren with joy and intention.

In 1991, Maureen and Al retired from farming and moved to Little Birch Lake. Family gatherings were at the heart of Maureen’s life and there were many fun times at their beautiful home in the woods. Shortly after the move to the lake, she began working for the Melrose Beacon. In 1995, Maureen received a liver transplant — a blessing that deepened her life’s purpose and writing ambition. She began writing more regularly for the Beacon, and later for other local papers, where her heartfelt stories resonated with readers.

Around 2009, Maureen decided to author a book, another of her lifelong dreams. When she and Al moved to Melrose in 2014, her work on the book continued. In 2023 she published, The View from the Hill, a collection of her newspaper columns, life stories (and recipes!) At her book signing that year, she experienced firsthand how her stories helped people feel connected and that meant the world to her.

Maureen lived life with grace and optimism, always finding reasons to celebrate and bring joy to those around her. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched—as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, artist, and storyteller.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to the charity of your choice or honor her memory by sharing a story (Maureen believed that everyone has a story), creating something beautiful, or spending time with those you love—just as she did every day.

Maureen is survived by her children, Rose Pawlenty, Monticello, MN; Martin Luetmer (Linda), Belle Plaine, MN; Tony Luetmer (Sheri), Meire Grove, MN; Patricia Luetmer, San Diego, CA; and Lois Luetmer, Los Angeles, CA; thirteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Al Luetmer; children, Mary Frances Monroe (Rod), Robert Gerard Luetmer (Amy), and Ted Luetmer; grandchild, Franklin C. Luetmer; son-in-law, Stephen Pawlenty; parents, Hubert and Rosalia Heinen; and siblings, Dorothy Heinen, Rita Toenies (Cel), Arlene Moening (Ken) and Doris Hazuka (Joe).