Janet Rentschler

Janet Rentschler, 92 formerly of Babbitt, MN and Gowrie, IA passed away on February 20, 2026 in North Mankato, MN with family at her side.

Memorial services will be held 11:00 AM Saturday February 28, 2026 at United Methodist Church in Gowrie, with Pastor Susan Rohden officiating. Graveside services will be 2:00 PM Saturday at Pilot Mound Cemetery in Pilot Mound, Iowa. There will be a visitation from 10:00 AM until service time at the church Saturday. Laufersweiler Palmer & Sons Funeral Home in Gowrie is serving the family.

Janet was born on January 13,1934 in Gowrie, IA to Ed and Grace Stubbs. She graduated from Gowrie High in 1951. Shortly after graduation, she married Gerald Rentschler on June 16, 1951. They moved to Babbitt, MN a couple years later where they resided until Gerald retired. After Gerald retired, they moved to Apache Junction, Arizona. They made a lot of friends there and were very active in the park (Gerald a little more than Janet). Janet moved back to Gowrie in 2007 after the passing of her husband, Gerald. She moved to North Mankato, MN in November of 2023.

She loved to knit and do craft projects for her family and church. She was an active member of Woodland Presbyterian Church in Babbitt, MN. She knit many Christmas stockings for the family. The stockings were big and being made of yarn, they stretched a lot and you had to get creative to fill them. She was a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader when her kids were younger. She loved to cook, and always looked forward to making pheasant for the family reunions. She loved spending time with family, she was an avid reader and enjoyed putting puzzles together and doing word searches and playing games. She loved spending Thanksgiving with her brother and sister and their families. When she moved back to Gowrie, she became a member of the Gowrie Methodist Church.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Gerald, her daughter Lynn, her parents Ed and Grace Stubbs, and her brother Jim.

Janet is survived by her sister Carolyn (husband Roger) Sandgren, her brother Larry (wife Ruth) Stubbs, her son Cary (wife Linda) Rentschler, grandchildren Amber Wagner, Isaiah Rentschler, Micah Rentschler and Aubrianna Rentschler, and 5 great grandchildren.

A special thanks to Birchwood Cottages North Mankato and St. Croix Hospice services for their excellent care for Janet.

Memorials may be left to The Special Olympics.