Stanley L. Zenk, 80, Foley

July 4, 1943 - January 15, 2024

Stanley L. Zenk, was born July 4, 1943, in Winfield Township, Renville County, MN to Sylvester and Evelyn (Soukup) Zenk. He died January 15, 2024, at the St. Cloud Hospital. A private family burial will take place at the MN State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, MN. Service with Dignity Provided by Foley Funeral Home.

Stan married Sharon Baumgardt of Buffalo Lake, MN on Sept. 17, 1964, in Jasper, Texas. They lived at Tomahawk Trailer Court, St. Cloud (1966-68), rural Clearwater (1968-83), and rural Foley since 1983, raising a small flock of sheep on a hobby farm.

Stan grew up on his parents’ farms in Winfield and Melville Townships, graduating from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Bird Island in 1961. He was a FFA and 4H member. He worked on his father’s and neighbor Gerald Jungers farms until March 18, 1964, when he was drafted into the Army where he served as a combat engineer, operating heavy equipment at Fort Polk, LA, and drove truck in Viet Nam from Sept. 1965 to March 1966. Stan was employed by JC Penney, St. Cloud, as an auto mechanic. From Aug. 1, 1967, to Aug. 28, 2009, Stan was employed by Jack Frost Farm Foods, St. Cloud, working in barn sanitation (ten years) and delivering over one billion baby chicks to Gold ‘n Plump barns!

Stan was a volunteer 4H leader (1981-2017), receiving the Benton County 4H Pioneer Award and served on the Benton County Fair Board (1990-99). In his free time, Stan was a pretty good handy man repairing and maintaining autos, tractors, farm equipment, lawn mowers, garden tillers, building sheds when not working with his 1964 John Deere 110 Garden/ Yard tractor.

Stan is survived by his wife Sharon, Foley; children, Sam, Monticello, Sarah (Jerome) Sammons, Clear Lake, SD, Susan Wiley, Foley; grandchildren, Stanton Zenk, Stephanie (Brian) Van Heel, Sandra (Jake Wagner) Bartels, Daniel (Andrea) Bartels, Evelyn & Brenda Wiley; great grandchildren, Owen Wagner, and D.J. Bartels; sisters, Catherine Seitez, Sleepy Eye & Janet Howell, Oliva.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Leo, brothers-in-law Norman Howell and Ronald Seitz and son-in-law David Bartels.