Bernadine M. “Bunny” Fasen, 87, Paynesville

October 16, 1937 - March 19, 2025

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 28, 2025 at the St. Louis Catholic Church in Paynesville for Bernadine “Bunny” Fasen, age 87, of Paynesville. Bunny passed away peacefully on March 19 at the St. Cloud Hospital. Burial will take place in the St. Louis Parish Cemetery in Paynesville. Visitation will begin after 9:30 a.m. on Friday at the church.

Bernadine “Bunny” Marie Fasen (Kennedy) was born on October 16, 1937, in Peoria, IL, to Bernard “Bus” and Vivian “Bid” Kennedy. As a young child she enjoyed the bustling city, however, in 1949 her family relocated to Minnesota. She attended a one-room schoolhouse—a big change for a girl accustomed to a large metropolitan school—until she transitioned to high school in Perham.

Every summer, Bunny worked with her family at their resort on Star Lake. After high school, she moved to St. Cloud, attending St. Cloud State University, where she earned a degree in English and Latin and planned to teach high school. She met her future husband, Marvin “Marv” Fasen, through speech class and theater productions.

The two were married on November 15, 1958, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sartell. They moved to Monticello, where Bunny completed her student teaching. They later relocated to Paynesville, where Bunny taught high school English and directed plays. She continued teaching until the birth of her first son, Kurt, in 1967.

As a new mom, Bunny began working at St. Louis Catholic Church, where she would remain for 35 years as the Director of Religious Education. After the birth of her second son, Neil, in 1976, she began an additional role as an instructor in a community education program for new parents called Seton Hall.

Bunny and Marv loved to drive around the state, traveling and visiting family. One of their many joys was to join their family on an annual trip to Lake Mary near Alexandria. When Marv’s health began to decline, they sold their family home and moved to Willows Landing in Monticello where they made many dear friends.

Bunny continued to have a zest for life even after Marv’s passing in 2023. She enjoyed traveling, happy hour with friends, bingo, trivia, water aerobics, her beloved women’s group at St. Henry’s, grandkids’ sporting events, concerts, many hours reading to her great-grandchildren, and Sundays attending Mass, going out for brunch, sipping wine and playing Yahtzee. Bunny’s faith and love for family and friends were felt by many.

Bunny was preceded by her parents, her sister Phyllis, and her husband of 65 years, Marvin. She is survived by her two sons: Kurt (Louise) of Monticello and Neil (Sarah) of Minneapolis, her grandchildren: Emily (Geoff) Ferk, Joe (Nancy Brown), Anna (Evan) Fick, Ray, Paul, Ben, Warren, and great-grandchildren: Oakley, Philip, Rose, Eleanor, Lillian, Monica, and Juliana Ferk, and Ruth and Maria Fick, her brother Mike (Carol) Kennedy of Brookfield, WI, and her sister-in-law, Doreen Knopik of Waite Park, MN
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make a donation to the charity of your choice to honor Bunny’s legacy.