Alice Mae Defenbaugh

Alice Mae Defenbaugh, age 93, of Bloomington MN and formerly of West St. Paul MN, passed away on Monday evening, September 19, 2011. She was born the daughter of Carl J. and Nettie (Benson) Bergman on December 2, 1917 in Enderlin, ND. Alice Mae graduated from high school there and went on to earn her teaching certificate from the State Teachers College at Valley City. She taught country school in North Dakota before returning to bible school. From 1947 to 1952 she was a missionary in Venezuela, teaching English. Alice Mae then taught at several schools in North Dakota and Minnesota, retiring in 1979 after many years as an elementary school teacher in West St. Paul.

On February 24, 1962 Alice Mae married widowed artist Roger Defenbaugh in St. Paul, MN. Upon their retirement they moved to Friendship Village in Bloomington. There, she volunteered and was involved with worship and music programs. Roger preceded her in death in February of 1996. Alice Mae had been a longtime member of the First Evangelical Free Church in St. Paul, and a life member of the MN Education Association.

Alice Mae was preceded in death by her husband, Roger; parents, Carl and Nettie Bergman; brother, Carl R. Bergman; sister and brother-in-law, Mildred and Kenneth Anderson. She is survived by cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate Alice Mae’s life at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 27 at Friendship Village, 8100 Highwood Dr., Bloomington. She will be interred at Willow River Cemetery in Hudson. A brief prayer service will be held prior to her burial at 11:00 AM on Tuesday at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home in Hudson, 715-386-3725. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.