Rhienhold "Rhiney" E. Axel
May 12, 1926 – November 15, 2025
Services
Schedule Details
Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, November 22 at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 405 Riverside Ave North, Sartell, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at North Star Cemetery, St. Cloud, MN. Arrangements are with Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud.
Rhienhold E. “Rhiney” Axel, 99
May 12, 1926-November 15, 2025
Rhienhold Edwin “Rhiney” Axel, age 99, of Sartell, passed away on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Valley Health in Hamilton, MT. The world has lost one of the good guys. Rhiney was known for his love of family, his sense of humor, and his absolutely stunning wood carvings that were more like pieces of art.
Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, November 22 at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 405 Riverside Ave North, Sartell, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at North Star Cemetery, St. Cloud, MN. Arrangements are with Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud.
Rhienhold was born on May 12, 1926, to August and Freada (Koschnick) Axel at home in Culdrum Township, MN. Rhiney was married to Gerada “Gerry” Johnson on November 26, 1947, in Inglewood, CA. After returning to Minnesota in 1948, Rhiney began working at Franklin Manufacturing, which eventually became Electrolux. He started there working on the floor and retired as a foreman in 1990. In 1950 he built a home on the banks of the Mississippi River for his family, and he lived there until age 99. Rhiney enjoyed hunting, fishing, reading, doing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time at the lake cabin he built on Big Pine Lake. After a very active life, he enjoyed sitting on his deck watching the river go by while taking in the wildlife. He and his siblings remained close, socializing, dancing, and enjoying the music of Butch Wolfe.
He is survived by his children Dennis (Barbara) Axel of Darby, MT and Judith Axel of Minneapolis; granddaughter Lisa Axel (Shane Jessop) of Darby, MT; sister-in-law Virginia Axel of Long Prairie and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Gerada on September 23, 2004, and siblings Hertha “Hattie” (Richard) Barton, Emma (Roy) Hanson, Amanda (Herman) Fritz, Walter (Doris) Axel, Frieda (Joseph) Kedrowski, Erna (Walter) Dickmann, August (Marilyn/Millie) Axel, Esther (Ed) Barber, Lawrence (Arvella) Axel, Edna (Jerome) Golombiecki, Donald Axel.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Riverside Presbyterian Church.