Charlotte "Char" (Denn) Rondeau

Charlotte Mae Rondeau went to be with the Lord on April 10, 2024.

Born November 28, 1930, in Hastings, Char lived most of her life in Hastings, and passed away with her family by her side in her Hastings home.

She worked at Werth’s Grocery Store as a teen and graduated from Hastings High School.

Married on May 5, 1951, to James Rondeau, they were united for 46 years until his death in 1997. They worked hard to support and raise their five children. Char worked at Rexall Drugs before she became a Dakota County employee, working in the Registrar of Deeds Office until her retirement.

Char was a woman of strong faith, growing up attending Guardian Angels Catholic Church (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church). She raised her children at the same church and continued as a member.

Char never forgot a birthday or anniversary of anyone in her large family – her cards always arrived early. She was generous and kept notes to ensure she was fair in her gift giving to her family. She was also meticulous in her personal record keeping – she had steno notebooks going back years, which were filled with her tiny, neat handwriting documenting her budget.

She showed her love through her food and by gathering people together for holidays and booyahs. She wrote notes by her recipes, so she’d remember whose favorite they were. She baked bread for family and neighbors, and was known for her canning of vegetables. She freely gave out mason jars of her delicious canned goods, with pickles and salsa being favorites, and doctors looked forward to her bringing them a jar of salsa during her visits.

She and James traveled all over the world, including to Europe, New Zealand, China and Vatican City, where they were able to see the Pope and pray with him. In more recent years, she spent some winter months in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Char was welcoming of everyone she met. She also always had an opinion and usually wasn’t afraid to share it. She enjoyed working on difficult jigsaw puzzles, listening to KDWA-AM radio, going on drives to see the fall colors (and to get butter pecan ice cream along the way).

She was active with Catholic United Financial (Catholic Aid Association) and the VFW Auxiliary in Hastings.

In addition to her husband, Char was preceded in death by her parents, John and Laura Denn, brother, Robert Denn, and grandson, Joel Swanson.

Char is survived by her children, Nancy (Duane) Swanson, Anthony (Ruth) Rondeau, Gary (Mary) Rondeau, Patrick (Dawn) Rondeau, and Charles (Tami) Rondeau. She was Gram to her 11 grandchildren and Gigi to her 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be directed to Hastings Family Service, 301 2nd St. E., Hastings, MN 55033 or online at hastingsfamilyservice.org.

A Celebration of Char's Life will be held 4:00 p.m. Friday, April 19, 2024 at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings. Private family interment will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Cemetery at a later date.

Family and friends are cordially invited to a visitation for one hour prior to the service, and to a reception with Char's special requests immediately following the service, all at the funeral home on Friday afternoon.

For guestbook and further information, please visit www.hastingsmnfuneral.com

Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.