Rebecca (Mensink) Fontenello

Rebecca Katherine Anne (Mensink) Fontenello, 48, of Preston, passed away on Thursday, June 1, 2023, from compl-ications resulting from her December 2021 diagnosis of pleomorphic rhabdo-myosarcoma.  She was at her home in Greenleafton, surrounded by her family and friends.  Her husband Jordan was with her as she took her last breath.

Rebecca was born September 30, 1974, to Duane and Katherine (Rubin) Mensink in Rochester, Minn.  Rebecca grew up and attended school in Stewartville and Spring Valley where she was active in band and was also on the tennis team.  Her favorite instruments to play were piano and French horn.  Rebecca graduated from Spring Valley High School with outstanding grades, earning scholarships to various colleges.  She chose to focus on Early Childhood Education, and attended Lake Superior State University where she graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Rebecca worked for Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Child Care Center during her time in the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and next at Kids Come First daycare center in Rochester, Minn.  Her last employer was Cardinal of Minnesota, where she began in 2001.  Her many years as a faithful caregiver with Cardinal saw her provide service with unfailing kindness, reliability, and dedication to her many clients.  She had a tremendously positive impact in so many people’s lives during her tenure with Cardinal that just like gravitational waves, the ripples of her skilled and knowledgeable care will spread throughout the universe forever.

Rebecca married Jordan Fontenello on October 11, 1997, at Faith United Methodist Church in Spring Valley.  They spent their first years together in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.  Their next home was in Preston, Minn., and finally Greenleafton, Minn.  Rebecca and Jordan welcomed a son, Aeric, into their home in 2007.  Rebecca was a proud and happy mother who was dedicated to homeschooling her son.  In addition, she also attended to and homeschooled her niece and nephew for much of a year when help was needed.

Rebecca was involved in a number of activities throughout her life.  She was an assistant Girl Scout Troop Leader in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.  She was active in the United Methodist Church in Wykoff.  She taught Sunday school there for over 15 years, and organized, scripted, and directed the Christmas play for many lively and enjoyable performances.  Rebecca loved to play the piano, both at home and at church.  She was quite adept at getting the congregation to be involved in a rousing chorus of voices singing the many hymns she played for them.  Rebecca was a truly avid and voracious reader, with an almost universal variety of book genres that she would pick and choose from.  She would often have two or three books she was reading simultaneously.  In the end, she succeeded in her goal of having more books to read than time to read them — she never ran out of tomes to enjoy.

Rebecca also greatly enjoyed camping and hiking.  She was extremely fond of going for a camping trip to one of the many great state parks throughout Minnesota.  Her favorite was Forestville State Park, which she went to regularly, being very familiar with all of its trails, historical sites and cemetery.  Her other hobby was quilting.  She made many quilts for friends and family over the years; they are an enduring legacy wrought in cloth, stitching, and attention to detail, providing many fine examples for people to use and enjoy.

Rebecca loved animals, having had many pets in her lifetime — dogs and cats aplenty.  She was a teacher of youth in her job and in her church.  Rebecca was truly a friend to children and animals everywhere.  Her family members are grieving her passing, but so too are her many friends, coworkers, clients, and children that knew her or worked with her.  Rebecca was highly intelligent and well read, had a strong sense of humor, was kindhearted and generous with her time and energy, was thoughtful and organized, and of the highest importance, she loved her family well.

Rebecca was preceded in death by her grandparents Hershel and Dorothy Mensink of Greenleafton, and Fritz and Ruth Anne Rubin of Spring Valley.

Rebecca is survived by her husband Jordan, her son Aeric, her mother Katherine, her father Duane, her brother Ross, her sister Gretchen, and her adopted sister Kristyn.

Rebecca lives on in the memories of all those who knew her, worked with her, were friends with her.  Her unfortunate early death has produced a black hole of loss in the lives of so many people who were close to her; to simply state “she will be missed” is an almost grotesque understatement, because use of a single phrase in reference to Rebecca is an abjectly impoverished and meager attempt at conveying the depth of feeling that her loss produces — mere language is not enough.  She was a good person, a good Human Being.  Rebecca, you will be forever loved and cherished.

Memorial services for Rebecca are being planned for a later date.

Online condolences may be left at Hindtfuneralhomes.com.