Renate Maria Sovell

Renate Sovell, age 92, of Ivanhoe, Minnesota, died on Friday, May 1, 2020, at her home with family at her side. Private Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday, May 9, 2020, at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Wilno, Minnesota. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. A Drive-Through Visitation, open to the public, will be from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2020, at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Wilno. Please stay in your vehicle and converse through an open window, and at a safe distance, as the family will be available to receive condolences in front of the church building.

Renate Maria Hoberg entered this world on July 28, 1927, in Langenholthausen, Germany, born to Christoph and Johanna (Schäfer) Hoberg. She grew up fast in WWII, working long hours in potato fields, and caring for wounded American troops in a local hospital. She had an uncle who was a priest in Papua New Guinea and she wanted to do mission work like him, so Renate joined the Schoenstatt Sisters and eventually traveled by boat to the United States, via Ellis Island. From there she traveled to the Motherhouse in Madison, Wisconsin. Fate then had her travel to Ivanhoe, Minnesota, to open a new hospital that was associated with the Schoenstatt Sisters. After leaving Schoenstatt, Renate lived and worked in Sioux Falls at Avera McKennan Hospital working as a nursing assistant.

She and Elliott Sovell were united in marriage on November 14, 1970, at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Wilno, Minnesota. They welcomed their only child, Regina, in May of 1972.

Renate was very hard working and had a deep love for her family and faith as a devout Catholic. Renate was an excellent cook and baker, learning her skill from being a head cook at the seminary in Madison, Wisconsin. She took pride in her vegetable and flower gardens. She and Elliott built their business, Elliott's Cabinets and Furniture, from the ground up in Ivanhoe. They opened in June of 1974 and this business is still going strong today, over 46 years later. When Renate "retired" she happily took loving care of her three granddaughters.

Renate Sovell died on May 1, 2020, in Ivanhoe, Minnesota, at the age of 92 years, 9 months, and 3 days. Blessed and eternal be her memory.

She is survived by her husband of nearly 50 years, Elliott, and daughter, Regina (Matt) Landrus. Also survived by her granddaughters: Katie, Samantha, and Grace. Renate is preceded in death by her parents, Christoph and Johanna Hoberg, and all of her siblings: Marlene, Irene, Els, Heinz, Christa, Alfons. She will be fondly remembered by her family around the world.