Corina Theresa Deeny, 96

Corina Theresa Deeny, age 96 of Waterville, MN, died on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at Traditions in Waterville.

Corina was born on the family farm near St. Lucas in Fayette County, Iowa on November 14, 1922. The fourth of nine children born to Ben and Rose (Rausch) Bodensteiner, she was raised on her family’s farm and was educated at St. Luke’s School in St. Lucas. She grew up in the days of house parties and barn dances. She sang in the choir at church, which the whole family attended, and played in a harmonica band. As a young girl she worked hard on the farm, doing all types of chores including harvesting potatoes during the Great Depression. She met her future husband at a dance at the Inwood Ballroom in Spillville, Iowa. Corina married Donald Francis Deeny in St. Lucas on September 12, 1944 while he was home on leave from serving in the Navy Seabees during World War II. Together they lived in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota until 1968 when they moved to Waterville where they have lived ever since. Over the years she worked many jobs including the ladies’ department at Ben Franklin, cooking at Waterville Schools, and at Singing Hills Girl Scout Camp. Corina enjoyed dancing, playing cards, traveling, crafts, sewing, growing flowers, reading, and cooking. She was especially fond of baking and was known for her cookies and raised donuts. She also liked to volunteer as an election judge and as a driver, taking people to doctor’s appointments. She was a long-time member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Waterville.

Corina was the mother of eleven children, David (Joan) Deeny of Rapid City, SD, Carole Carnahan of Fort Collins, CO, Joseph (Anna) Deeny of Bellingham, WA, Susan (Jim) Rubis of Fairfield, IA, Jeanne (Frank) Comstock of Waseca, MN, John Patrick Deeny, Mary Mathieu of Minnetonka, MN, Michael (Chieko Sakamoto) Deeny of Apple Valley, MN, James (Sarah) Deeny of Stillwater, MN, Linda Wojciak of St. Paul, MN, and Mark (Celeste) Deeny of Ellsworth, ME. She will also be remembered by thirteen grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; two sisters, Evelyn (Lawrence) Elsbernd of Calmar, IA, Marion Heying of West Union, IA; and one sister-in-law, Marion Broghammer of West Union, IA. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; three sisters, Elizabeth, Alice, and Lorraine; three brothers, Arnold, Linus, and Dennis; and two sons-in-law, Jim Neubecker and Bruce Mathieu.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Waterville, with Rev. Michael Ince officiating. Visitation will be held for one hour before the service at the church. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Waterville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the activity fund at Traditions of Waterville, or to Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Correspondence may be sent to Jeanne Comstock, 812 9th Ave. NW, Waseca, MN 56093. Dennis Funeral & Cremation Services in Waterville is handling the arrangements.