Elna Ida Bohlke

Elna Ida Bohlke, age 91, passed away on February 13, 2026 at Oak Terrace Assisted Living in North Mankato, MN.

Funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, February 23, 2026 at Woodland Hills Funeral Home in Mankato with Rev. Adam Matheny officiating. Visitation will also be on February 23 at Woodland Hills Funeral Home one hour before the service. Burial will be at Woodland Hills Memorial Park with a reception following.

Elna, the only daughter with 3 brothers, was born on December 6, 1934 in Rapidan, MN to William and Ida (Ratsch) Tischer. She was raised on a farm in Good Thunder and graduated from Rapidan High School in 1952. Elna married the love of her life, Darrel Bohlke, on October 3, 1954 at St. John's Lutheran Church, Good Thunder, MN. They had met on the Rapidan school bus the fall of 1949 on the first day of school. After a few months, Darrel would walk or ride a horse to Elna's farm on Sunday afternoons. Together they raised their two daughters in North Mankato in a house they built together and lived in their entire married life.

After high school, where she played cymbals in band and performed in school plays (one role was a patient called Cadwallder Clippy), she earned a bookkeeping degree and worked at Madsen's while sharing an upstairs apartment with other girls in Mankato. She later worked for 7 years at Thro Drug and then for 13 years at Mankato Clinic Pharmacy as the bookkeeper. She took her bookkeeping skills seriously, even keeping track of every penny spent on her honeymoon.

Elna enjoyed many activities with her family; camping/vacationing across the United States, spending cabin time at Webb lake and then later on West Jefferson lake, playing cards, and making friends wherever she went. She enjoyed sewing clothes for her children and grandchildren, as well as her girls' Barbie dolls, cooking and baking- and making wedding cakes with intricately molded sugar bells. She taught Sunday School for 25 years, was a PTA President, a Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls leader for many years, and participated on the board for 6 years. Spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren was her true joy, attending almost every single school activity and sports event. She was a good wife, mother, friend, and woman.

Elna is survived by her two daughters, Kathryn (David Kreuter) of Eagan, and Debra (Tom Maus) of N. Mankato; Grandchildren, Christopher Ruona, Nathan Kreuter, Jonathan Maus, and Benjamin (Dana) Maus; Great-Grandchildren, Orianna, Danica, McKenna, Cadence, Emery, Peyton, Hudson, Nolan, and Mayven; Brother Erwin of Good Thunder.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Darrel, brothers Walter and Laverne; Grandchildren, Matthew and Elizabeth.

We wish to recognize all of Elna's family and friends who played a part in her life.