Obituary of Cathy Wilhelm

Cathy Wilhelm, age 77, of St. Cloud, MN died on Sunday, September 20, 2020 at St. Benedict's Community, St. Cloud, after losing a short battle with cancer.

There is no memorial service planned at this time. Interment will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, north of Little Falls.  Donations in her memory will be welcomed by the American Cancer Society or Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Cloud. The family is grateful to the Cremation Society of Minnesota for their guidance and support.

Cathy is survived by her husband, Steve Wilhelm, St. Cloud, MN; daughter Kay Guelfi, Anchorage, AK; brothers Gerry (Deloris) Beneke, Coquille, OR; Paul Beneke, Golden Valley, MN; Philip Beneke, St. Cloud, MN; and one sister, Betsy Beneke, St. Cloud, MN.  She was preceded in death by her parents, and daughter Amy.  She had seven grandchildren, and many cousins and friends. Miley, the dog, misses her too.

Catherine Clare Beneke was born on February 14, 1943 in Brookings, SD to Clarence and Naida Beneke. Her parents moved Cathy and her 3 brothers to a farm east of Hinckley, and then to another farm at Cloverdale.  Cathy and her brothers began their education while living, working, playing, and getting into mischief on the family farm. Formal education began at the Bangs Brook School in Ogema Twp, later in the one-room schoolhouse at Cloverdale, and then was completed in the Hinckley school system.  Betsy came along after the family's move to Cloverdale.

Cathy worked as a waitress at Tobie's in Hinckley, and as a dental assistant in Hinckley, and later at a dental office in Moose Lake.  Her favorite job was working in the Girl Scout office in St. Cloud, where she made several good friends with whom she continued to have regular meals and laughs with, until just recently.  In 1965, while working at Tobie's in Hinckley, Cathy caught the eye of the MN DNR's new District Forester - Steve.  On September 25, 1966, they were married, not long after Steve joined the U.S. Navy.  During Steve's service, they lived in Florida, and Rhode Island. In 1969, Steve was once again working for the MN DNR, and he, Cathy and Kay lived in Moose Lake. Daughter Amy was born there. Later Steve worked in Brainerd and St. Paul, and the family lived in Forest Lake. In 1979, Steve left the DNR to take a job with Woodcraft Industries, managing their Foreston Dimension Company, and the family moved to Milaca. After a short experiment living and working in Asheville, NC, Steve began a new career as the Sales and Marketing Manager for Woodcraft in St. Cloud.  The family then made their permanent base in the St. Cloud area.

Cathy's leisure activities included bowling, golf, and laughing as much as possible. Even sometimes when it was barely appropriate.  She always enjoyed fishing, playing cards, watching Vikings football, and Minnesota Twins games.  She was devoted to her family, especially the grandchildren.  She enjoyed entertaining, cooking (but not baking), and playing pranks on a variety of different unsuspecting targets.  She loved babies, and if you were ever out for a meal with her, you could always count on a lengthy exit from the restaurant, while she took time to talk to those little ones and their families. She had a big heart and oozed loving concern for everyone she knew, and many she didn’t.