Lola (Minke) Lynn Lee

Lola (Minke) Lee of Montevideo died on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at her home at the age of 58.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, August 9, 2021 at 1:00 PM at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Montevideo.  Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation with the family will be held on Sunday, August 8, 2021 from 5 to 7 PM at Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home in Montevideo.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday.

Lola Minke Lee (Tostenson) was born on August 18, 1962 in Willmar, Mn. She was baptized at Mandt Lutheran Church. She graduated from Montevideo Senior High School in 1980.  After graduation, she worked in various positions before settling into a career at Jennie-O Turkey Store that lasted 31 years. She started working on the production line at the Willmar plant.  She then moved to Montevideo and began working at the new plant there. She worked her way up to Supervisor and was loved by all of her employees, especially when she surprised them with some of her famous baked goods.  Lola was also active in the Women of Today group in Montevideo serving as a treasurer and dedicated member.

Lola was united in marriage to Leonard Minke in September of 1986. They lived in Minneapolis, Willmar, and then finally Montevideo. Together they had Raine Minke Joubert in March of 1988 and Taylor Minke in November of 1990. Lola and Leonard would eventually divorce. Years later Lola married Steven Lee in March of 2021.

Lola had a passion for baking and especially loved treats made of chocolate! She was particularly known for her bars and her many variations of homemade cheesecake.  Lola even dabbled in cake decorating and supplied many celebrations with beautifully decorated confections! One thing that was of high importance to Lola was keeping family traditions alive, so many were roped into the adventure of making Lefse!

Lola loved to travel! Her most favorite place in the world was sitting on the beach in New Smyrna Beach at her timeshare where she’d often watch the sunrise while drinking coffee.  Some of her most memorable vacations include Raine’s birthday trip to Paris, TJ’s birthday cruise through the Caribbean, her couple’s vacation in Cozumel, and swimming with Steve and the dolphins in the Florida Keys. 

Lola loved spending time with her family and friends. She loved pontoon rides, shopping for anything and everything purple, reading, and relaxing.  Spending time with her 4 grandchildren was also on the top of her list. You would often catch them cuddling together, swimming at the pool or the lake, or taking annual adventures to the pumpkin patch!
Friends were very important to Lola. She had many close friends, including Joanie, Chris, Shannon, Jan, Maggie and Kathy. Lola’s closest and best friend was Robyn and the two often traveled, shopped, laughed and enjoyed coffee together! It was common to find Robyn giving Lola tips on jazzing up her newly purchased outfits with the right accessories! After Robyn’s passing, Lola carried on a special friendship with Robyn’s mother Maxine, and her two daughters, Melissa and Sarah.  

Lola fought a courageous battle against incurable Metastatic Breast Cancer for a little over three years. She was an avid supporter of Metaviver and the Minneapolis Metsquerade chapter. As a result, she became friends with many other women also fighting MBC.  

Lola is survived by her husband, Steve Lee of Spicer; two children, Raine (Jacques) Joubert of Minneapolis and Taylor Minke of Montevideo; step-children: MaKayla Lee and Amanda Lee Bramstedt; grandchildren: Andre, Esme, Conrad, and Isabeau; her brothers: Scott Tostenson of Clontarf and Tony Gregerson of Terre Haute, Indiana, and her sisters: Lisa Happe of Montevideo, and Linda Styrbicky (Kenny) of Danvers; step-siblings: Cindy King, Alan Cameron, Tammy Porwoll, Lori Bohlman, Shelley Cameron, and Ken Cameron; as well as many nieces and nephew and other extended relatives. 

Preceding her in death were her grandparents: Maurice and Josephine Goodall and Oliver and Evelyn Tostenson; mother, Maurine Tostenson; father, Roger (Gladys) Tostenson; brother, Michael Gregerson; and brother-in-law, Steve Happe. 

Memorials preferred: Minneapolis Metsquerade (Metaviver)