Deborah L. Kinner, 66, of Lake Benton, Minnesota, departed her loving family on Saturday, July 24, 2021­­, at her home after a 13-year heroic battle with ovarian cancer, with a short last chapter.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m.­­­­­on Friday, July 30, 2021, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake Benton. A visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 29, 2021, at St. John’s Lutheran Church with a prayer service at 7 p.m. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Hartquist Funeral Home - Lake Benton Chapel. To sign an online registry please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Debbie was born March 25, 1955, to Leonard and Vida (Brockberg) Johnson. Shortly after graduating from Verdi High School in 1973, she married her love, Keith A. Kinner, and moved to Italy where Keith served in the Air Force. Upon completing active duty, they returned to the Midwest and attended Southwest State University where Debbie earned her BS in education. Later Debbie completed her Master’s in business education from South Dakota State University. Debbie taught business and accounting courses at Elkton High School for 30+ years. Following retirement, she kept busy helping the family accounting firm, numerous rental properties, and mowing at unreasonable speeds.
She was baptized, confirmed, and married at St. James Lutheran Church in Holland, Minnesota and was a member at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake Benton, Minnesota for her adult years where she graced everyone with her beautiful soprano voice in the congregation and choir. Her faith was her source of strength through all her life, keeping her always focused on her true home in heaven, where she now resides.
“If it wasn’t scrapbooked, it didn’t happen.” Debbie enjoyed scrapbook retreats and traveling with friends and family. Her love of travel took her to all 50 states and 6 continents, always with a thirst for gaining more knowledge about the world and people around her. Her tenacity, wit, and loving guilt-trips held all who knew her together. With words of encouragement, wisdom, and comfort she was a devoted mother who serves as great inspiration.
She will be sorely missed and survived by her four children, Chris of Bloomington, Minnesota, Nicki (Aaron) Holmen of Anchorage, Alaska, Nathan (Lynae) of Ward, South Dakota, Kelsey (Derek) Haugen of Brookings, South Dakota; her eight grandchildren, Marie, James, and Susie Kinner, Ethan and Liliana Holmen, Adam, Noah, and Natalyn Kinner; her mother, Vida Johnson; and siblings, Diane (Steve) Knight and Nancy (Rick Gerber) Johnson. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Keith and father, Leonard.