Mary E. Nothnagel, 72, St. Cloud

May 11, 1951 - September 5, 2023

Mary Ellen Nothnagel, age 72, St. Cloud, MN, died Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at her home in St. Cloud, MN.

A celebration of life will be held Monday, September 11, 2023 at First Presbyterian Church, St. Cloud, MN with visitation from 3:30 PM - 5 PM. A service at 5 PM will be followed by fellowship at the church to continue to share stories and memories. Funeral arrangements have been provided by Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud, MN.

Mary was born May 11, 1951 in St. Cloud, MN to Donald Sr. and Helen (Gohmann) Kunkel. She was a graduate of the St. Cloud Technical High School class of 1969 and went on to attend the College of St. Benedict. Mary married Richard Nothnagel on September 25, 1971. Settling in St. Cloud, they raised two children together, Tina and Ryan. They later divorced. Mary lived in St. Cloud her entire life and was known for her generous and caring nature. She worked for various companies in information technology throughout her career and had a passion for helping people and solving problems. Most recently she found joy and purpose working as the administrative assistant downtown St. Cloud at First Presbyterian Church.

In her free time, Mary enjoyed spending time with friends and family, her dog Chloe, and tending to her flowers and gardens around the yard. She also took great pride in preparing her select stable of home-cooked meal favorites (usually reserved for birthdays and holidays), such as pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy, shepherd’s pie, Italian beef vegetable soup, and last but absolutely not least, Grandma Helen’s legendary creamy potato soup recipe. Most memorably, Mary enjoyed the gift of gab. She could carry on a conversation with a stranger like she knew them forever. If you were lucky enough to know her well, she could talk for hours. However, her greatest pride in life, besides her own children, were her grandchildren who called her “Nana”.

Survivors include daughter, Tina (Jeffrey) Hauser of Carlsbad, CA; son, Ryan (Terra) Nothnagel of St. Cloud, MN siblings, William (Kathy) Kunkel of Largo, FL; Laurie (Mike) Nolden of St. Cloud, MN; Donald (Cindy) Kunkel, Jr. of St. Cloud, MN; and Kathy (Roy) Evans of New Bern, NC; many nieces and nephews; three grandchildren, Cailin, Avery and Landon Nothnagel; and two step grandchildren Andrew Hauser and Melissa Antunez.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Larry Kunkel and sister Linda Roush.