Mildred "Milly" Blank

Mildred E. “Milly” Blank, age 97 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on Saturday, August 23, 2025 at the Cura Care Center in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, August 28 at First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Michael Carlson and Rev. Rebecca Thomas officiating. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetery in Sauk Centre.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the church.

Mildred Evelyn Engel was born January 24, 1928 in Tolna, North Dakota to William and Olga (Skogley) Engel and was baptized on May 20, 1928. In 1938, the family, including six boys and five girls, moved to the Sauk Centre area where they farmed. They attended Calvary Lutheran Church in Little Sauk where Milly was confirmed on December 12, 1948, and united in marriage to Alvin Blank on July 16, 1946. Al and Milly moved to Sauk Centre from Little Sauk in 1965 and became members of First Lutheran Church. Milly worked at J.C. Penney, Froz-N-Foods, and later owned and operated Eagle Inn Supper Club (Bear Trap). Al and Milly stayed busy raising their children and attending their school and church events.

Milly enjoyed travelling the U.S. especially to Alaska and Hawaii and a few trips to Europe including Norway, Germany, Austria, and Sweden. She also enjoyed sewing, quilting, crocheting, playing cribbage, and making Lefse, but Milly’s greatest joy was spending time with her children and grandchildren. Milly was an active member of Paul F. Donart VFW Post 2853 Auxiliary and the Little Sauk Legion Post 417 Auxiliary; in her retirement, Milly spent much of her time volunteering at the Sauk Centre Senior Center.

Survivors include her children, Kathleen “Kitty” (Tim) Proell of Sauk Centre, Merilyn “Boots” (John) Juelke of Sauk Centre, Linda (Gary) Graham of Hackensack, Gary (Pam) Blank of Coon Rapids, and Janice “Jan” (Tom) Minette of Sauk Centre; daughter-in-law, Connie (Ken) Blank-Meier of Sauk Centre; 24 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Milly was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Alvin Blank on September 1, 2002; son, James “Jim” Blank in 1996; daughter, Suzanne Hager in 2019; son-in-law, John “Pete” Hager in 2025, grandson, Jesse Bo Juelke in 1978; brothers, William, Fred, Archie, Sidney, Richard, and Virgil Engel; and sisters, Martha Lindback, Florence Warner, Lucille Renken, and Fern Ahrens.

In lieu of sending thank you cards, a donation will be made to First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre.