Audrey Mae Zachow

March 24, 1928 - November 2, 2015

Audrey Mae Zachow, age 87, of Hutchinson, died, Monday, November 2, 2015, in Minneapolis. A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 9, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Hutchinson with Rev. Mark Richardson officiating at the service. The interment of the urn will be held on a later date at Fort Snelling National Veterans Cemetery. There will be a time to gather with the family one hour prior to the service at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Hutchinson. The Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel is in charge of the memorial service arrangements. Audrey Mae Loberg was born to John J., a tall, strapping Norwegian, and Mabel (Hedlund) Loberg, a dark-haired, dark-eyed Swede, on Mar. 24, 1928 in St. Paul, MN. She was baptized, confirmed, and wed at St. Stephanus Lutheran Church on Lafond Avenue. Like many others during the Great Depression, the Loberg family didn't have a lot in terms of material possessions, but they had a house full of love. Audrey's closest playmates and dearest friends were her sisters Lorraine, Marlys, and Beverly. She had a big brother, Jerome ("Bud"), and a baby brother, Douglas, both of whom she adored. Audrey attended Mechanic Arts High School, but dropped out during the war years to help her family, initiating what would become a lifelong pattern of hard work and industriousness. In the late 1940s, she met Norman Zachow, a tall, handsome German from Gaylord, MN at a dance at the Deutsches Haus on Rice Street. His buddy was too shy to ask her to dance, so Norman did and they married on Oct. 9, 1948. Audrey supported Norman in his career, and moved with him and their growing family from place to place until they settled in Hutchinson, MN in 1966. There, she began a 20+ year career at 3M, and met a group of women who would become her lifelong friends. Audrey was a proud member of the American Legion and VFW Auxiliaries. When she wasn't working, she liked to bake and sew. She was a terrific housekeeper and took pride in her lovely homes. She loved to dance in her earlier years, and she loved to laugh and she could be a wicked practical joker. She loved her family, and she loved her friends. Audrey passed away Monday, November 2, 2015, with her husband and daughters by her side. She is survived by her husband, Norman; son and daughter in-law, Jack and Linda Zachow of Seminole, FL; daughters and sons-in-law, JoAnne Zachow and Gary Hede, Norma Zachow and Tony DeMars, and Mary and Andrew Zachow, all of Minneapolis; daughter Denise Zachow and her partner Paul Burandt of Chaska; four grandchildren; her sisters and her brother, Doug. One day, we will be reunited with Audrey, when she will once again stand tall and straight, see us with her beautiful clear hazel eyes, and she will hold us in her arms. And we will be glad.