Elizabeth "Bette" Lentsch

Elizabeth "Bette" Lentsch, age 81, of Red Wing, formerly of St. Paul, passed away at home on March 28. She is survived by her loving partner, James Sherman, her four children, Thom (Kathy) Henninger, Tamara Doory, Louis (Jean) Lentsch and Monica Kelly, sisters Barbara (Bill) Schwartz and Sheila Ament, six grandchildren (Gus, Ehren, Meara, Peter, Chloe and Carson) and two great-grandchildren (Mary and Helen). Bette lived her life her way, often breaking rules that women of her era were supposed to follow. She nurtured independent thinking and love in her children, all of whom walked very different paths. As a bar-restaurant owner, she fearlessly kept the peace, stepping into skirmishes far bigger than her. Her unbreakable spirit remained inspirational through a 15-year battle with health issues that she repeatedly overcame. Bette wanted no funeral service, but her spirit lives on in all of us.