Maurine Ann Herbst

Mass of Christian Burial for Maurine Herbst, age 84, of Milaca, will be held Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 11 AM at St. Louis Catholic Church in Foreston.  Interment will follow at the parish cemetery.  Visitation will take place from 4 - 8 PM Friday at the church and continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.

St. Louis Parish requires that all attending the visitation and service PLEASE wear a mask.

The service will be live-streamed on the Four Pillars In Faith Facebook Page CLICK HERE.

Maurine Ann (Johnson) Herbst was born May 10, 1937 in Moorhead, MN to Julian and Emma (Larsen) Johnson. The oldest child with 3 younger brothers, she grew up on the Iron Range in Marble, MN. Her family lived within walking distance of Twin Lakes where she loved to swim and “hang out” with her friends and brothers. Her friends called her Renie and Johny. After graduating from Greenway-Coleraine High School in 1955, she moved to Minneapolis, working at the Franklin Cooperative Creamery where she became friends with Lenore Herbst who introduced her older brother, Richard, to Maurine in 1956.  On their second date, Richard asked Maurine to marry him.  They married the following year on June 1, 1957, at St John’s Catholic Church in Foley.

They settled in the Foreston area in 1962 where they lived and dairy farmed and together proudly raised 11 children.  Maurine worked as a postal clerk in Foreston, Milaca and Onamia for over 20 years. More than her work, Maurine cared for the family home and all matters related to their large family.

Maurine was engaged in community organizations over the years, including the Milaca Township Board and Meals on Wheels. As an active and long-standing member of the St Louis Bertrand Catholic Parish in Foreston, Maurine served in many roles, including the Christian Mothers, making soup, peanut butter balls and crafts with her girls to sell at the annual Christmas Bazaar, CCD teacher and organizer, lector, choir member, prayer chain, and perpetual adoration adorer.  She loved shopping for clothes, especially with her “girls,” and getting her nails done with her daughter, Nancy.

After a life well lived, Maurine passed away on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at the age of 84 years at her home along the Rum River in Milaca, surrounded by her family who collectively cared for her with assistance from St Croix Hospice. Comforted with knowing she was reunited with her beloved husband of 63 years, who died in February 2021, Maurine will be deeply missed by her children, Barbara (Jeffrey) Jacobson of Milaca, Paul Herbst (Sheryl) of Foreston, Daniel (Lorie) Herbst of Princeton, Karen (Albin) Swenson of Milaca, Mark (Carrie) Herbst of Foreston, Mary Stanley of St Louis Park, Lowell (Michele) Herbst of Foreston, Dale (Nancy) Herbst of Foley, Norman Herbst of Foreston, Nancy (Alan) Frerich of Foreston and Colleen (Steven) Kasella of Morrill; 24 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; her brothers, Bruce Johnson, Wayne (Sue) Johnson, and Don Johnson, and also by many sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many dear friends and neighbors. She was preceded in death by her husband Richard Herbst, her parents, and granddaughters Rebecca Jacobson and Elli Kasella.

Maurine devoted her life to her family and community. She will be remembered for her kind and loving nature, her quick wit and tendency to speak her mind, her deep devotion and daily practice of the teachings of her Catholic faith, handing out big Snicker candy bars to every person who visited her, and her willingness to help others.