Rae Marie Werner

Rae Marie (Winter) Werner was born on February 27, 1962 to Duane George and Verna Jean (Albaugh) Winter in Hallock, Minnesota where she was baptized into the Christian faith. She was confirmed at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Clearbrook, Minnesota. She graduated from Clearbrook High School in 1980. She attended St. Cloud Vocational School where she received a degree for child care. She received her BA degree in Sandpoint, Idaho and graduated from Eastern Washington University with her Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education.

Rae came to Pipestone, Minnesota for a position with the Pipestone Area School District as an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher. She taught for over 20 years in the Pipestone school district. Rae loved all the “kiddos” that she taught throughout the years and would have brought each and every one of them home with her if she could have. She loved them dearly.

Rae and Steve were married at First Lutheran Church in Pipestone on July 20, 1996. After their marriage, they moved to Postville, Iowa where she was employed for a service coop in the special education field. They were in Iowa for three years before moving back to Pipestone where Rae was again employed by the Pipestone Area Schools as an early childhood special education teacher. Rae continued her education and received a degree as an elementary principal. She didn’t pursue this option as she wanted to remain a teacher to be more connected to her students. To this union, they have three children: Dusti Rae, Jeffrey and Michelle. During the years in Pipestone, Rae and Steve became foster parents for several years. They were blessed to be able to help several children throughout the years.

On September 26, 2012, Rae was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had a whipple surgery and went into remission for a short period of time before the cancer came back. She took 28 different rounds of chemotherapy and was always looking for other options to help her deal with her cancer. Rae was a fighter and battled her cancer hard until the fight finally became too much for her to handle.

Rae’s special place was the lake home that they have on Lake Shetek. She loved the peacefulness of the lake. Rae entered into home hospice on Good Friday, April 14, 2017 and passed away on April 23, 2017 at the age of 55 years, one month and 26 days.

Rae was a member of First Lutheran Church in Pipestone. She was very strong in her faith.

She is lovingly remembered by her husband, Steve; her daughter, Dusti Rae (Chase) Sabers of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; her son, Jeffrey Werner of Marshall, Minnesota; her daughter, Michelle (Shelly) Werner of Marshall, Minnesota; her sister, Cindy Lou (Elvin) Erickson of Trail, Minnesota; her brother, Wayne Allen (Clint Berg) Winter of Palm Springs, California; and numerous other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her mother, Verna Jean in 1992; and her father, Duane George in 2015.

There will be a Celebration of Life service in Clearbrook, Minnesota, at a later date.