Catharina Marie (Fenske) Krause

Catharina Marie Krause, age 63 of Mankato, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, at Laurel's Peak Rehabilitation Center after putting up a valiant fight against a myriad of health issues in recent years.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at Woodland Hills Funeral Home in Mankato, and her funeral will be held the following day, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 at 1pm, also at Woodland Hills.

Cathy’s journey here on Earth began on Dec. 15, 1962, when her parents, Melroy and Carin (Kjellson) Fenske, welcomed their first child in London, England, where her dad was stationed with the U.S. Air Force. The family moved to San Bernadino, California, Wiesbaden, West Germany, Rapid City, South Dakota, and Bremerhaven, West Germany, before Mel retired from the service.

In 1972, as Cathy was entering the fourth grade, the family settled in Mapleton, Minnesota, where she attended school and graduated with the Class of 1981, the largest in Mapleton High School’s history.

After graduation, Cathy attended vocational technical school in Hutchinson, Minnesota, before living in downtown Minneapolis for a year. It was during that time that she met the love of her life, John Krause. The couple was married on Oct. 20, 1984, in Mapleton — beginning a marriage that lasted for more than 41 years.

Nothing was more important to Cathy than becoming a mother, and her dream was realized in 1990 when John and Cathy welcomed Aaron to their family that grew to include Kristina in 1993 and Adam in 1999. 

She loved taking her children to their activities — whether it be sports or dance — and was always proud of their accomplishments, but maybe her devotion to her children can best be summed up with a story from August 1999. Cathy was eight months pregnant with Adam as the family headed to Indiana and Kentucky on their annual family vacation when their car’s air-conditioning went kaput. The choice was simple: Fix the AC and call it a vacation or continue the trip to theme parks. Despite temperatures in the triple digits, she chose the latter so her kids could have their vacation.

Cathy could be a remarkably stubborn person, but she also was one of those people who always had your back. God help you if you wronged someone Cathy loved because, trust us, she had a long memory!

She was also a devoted daughter to her mother and over the years, she ran countless errands for Carin, and she so enjoyed spending time with her. When her mom passed away in 2015, it left a void in Cathy’s life that could never be filled.

Late in her life, she was blessed with her 5 grandsons, and any day that Oliver, Eli, Liam, Cameron, or Kayson visited her was a really good one for Cathy.

Cathy loved a good book and watching a good movie. Through thick and thin, she stuck with her Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves and Wild and especially enjoyed going to games with her children. 

She endured so much in her life. She had nine knee surgeries before she graduated from high school, and over the course of the last 11 years, she has dealt with the fallout from a devastating fractured leg that led to a partial amputation of a leg and heart issues. Yet, we know she fought as hard as she could in her own way, and we are appreciative that she is now at peace and enjoying some much-needed “catch-up” time, especially with her mom.

She is survived by her husband of 41-plus years, John of Mankato, Minnesota; her children, Aaron (Deanna) Krause of Mankato; Kristina (Logan) Page of Eagle Lake, Minnesota; and Adam (Calista Peterson) Krause of St. Peter, Minnesota; her five grandchildren, Oliver and Eli Krause and Liam Page, Cameron Page-Beck and Kayson Page-Beck; her brother, Bob (Robin Harnack) Fenske; brothers-in-law, Steve, Michael Sr., Tom (Cheryl) and Jim Krause; sisters-in-law, Susan (Dave) Balzar, Patricia (Rick Evans) Wayne, Susan (Dennis) Wayne, Linda (Russ) Cabasal, Grace Krause, and Diane (Jerome) Stenzel; and numerous nephews and nieces.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mel in 2004 and Carin in 2015; her in-laws, Robert and Kathleen Krause; her step-mother, Nadine Schulte; and her brother-in-law, Richard Krause.

Cathy’s family would like to thank the health-care professionals for the care they provided her throughout her life and is especially grateful for the folks at St. Croix Hospice who did so much to comfort her in her final days.