Gladys "Dena" Marlene Sporre

Gladys (Dena) Marlene Sporre, age 86 of Menahga, MN went to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, December 12, 2025. She was the eighth of 13 children, born on June 15, 1939 to Gladys Opal (Davis) Govenor and George John Govenor in Ortonville, Minnesota. The family moved to Prospect, Oregon when she was a small girl. Her dad drove a small bus with his growing family. Her teenage brothers built a modest house with the advice of some family with construction experience. As she grew up, she came back to visit her older sisters in Minnesota. Both were in the Menahga area where she eventually met and married Ervin Edwin Kinnunen in November 1959. The following year, her first child, Mary Lou was born and by early 1963, Michael George was born. She helped run a country store and tavern in Huntersville for several years. 1962 and 1963 were difficult years as both of her parents died within months of one another. It was one of the reasons she decided to move back to Oregon with her two young children in tow. In 1965 she married Lloyd Delano Sporre. They had a small home in Medford Oregon where Lloyd worked in the saw mills. In 1969 another transition, after a trip back to Minnesota to visit family, the family decided to move back to Minnesota. By early 1970, the final member of the family was born, Lloyd Alan.They lived a short time in Big Lake and St Michael before building a home in rural Monticello. It was in 1973 that she and the family began attending the Big Lake Evangelical Free Church. The turn to faith made a great impact on her family and friends. She worked as a nursing assistant at the Monticello Nursing Home from 1979 - 1999. In 1999, after Lloyd’s retirement, they moved to rural Menahga where she has lived until she passed away. She had Parkinson’s Disease in the last years of her life.

She worked at the Park Rapids Nursing Home from 2000 until retirement in 2004. She enjoyed making a home and was known as a wonderful cook. She baked homemade bread often, cookies and cakes. She learned how to decorate cakes and made beautiful creations for celebrations for many years. Other activities she enjoyed were gardening, canning and embroidery. Her most treasured roles were those of mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is preceded in death by her parents, Gladys Opal (Davis) Govenor and George John Govenor, siblings Vernon “Bob” Govenor, Norma Lucille Lake of Menahga, Fern Opal (Karjala) Stevenson, Lorraine “Toots” Mae Mather, Darlene Lavalle, and Marian “Nan” Louise Frazier, Son-in-Law Daniel George Schmidtke and Granddaughter Danielle Marie Schmidtke. She is survived by her loving husband of over 60 years Lloyd Delano Sporre, Children Mary Lou Schmidtke of Andover, MN, Michael George (Delight) Sporre of Laporte, MN and Lloyd Alan Sporre, 15 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, December 19, 2025 @ Eastside Church of Park Rapids at 12:00; viewing at 11:00; Interment at Meadow Apostolic Lutheran Cemetery, Pastor Justin Domogalla officiating. Light lunch will be at the church following Interment.