Arnold "Casey" Milton Stengel

Arnold (Casey) Stengel passed into the arms of his Lord on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at Methodist

Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN after a short bout with pneumonia.

Born on October 8, 1934 in Saum, MN, Arnold was the youngest of five siblings born to Einar & Johanna

(Krogseng) Stengel. His father passed away when he was only three-years-old. Yet, because of the

support of the small Norwegian community surrounding him, he was forty-years-old before he realized

he’d been raised by a single mother. This spirit of service toward family and community became a

hallmark of his life.

After graduating from Kelliher High-School in 1952, Arnold enrolled in Concordia College, Moorhead

where he met and fell in love with a young co-ed from North Dakota named Doris Mae Lueth. They were

married in June of 1956 shortly after his graduation with a degree in education. Arnold and Doris spent

the first years of their married life following his teaching assignments at Sacred Heart, Plummer, and

Herman, MN. He completed his Master’s Degree from the University of North Dakota in 1963 after

which the Stengel family moved to Brainerd and he took up his position as a guidance counselor at the

high school. Brainerd became the place that he spent the rest of his working career.

Arnold had an immense interest in and capacity for community service birthed from his abiding faith in

Christ and his mother’s insistence. He and Doris were members at Bethlehem Lutheran Church for

decades where he served in a variety of roles. He also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity,

Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Kiwanis Club, Meals on Wheels, and Kinship Partners. He received

various commendations for service over the years including Brainerd Schools Teacher of the Year, Crow

Wing County Outstanding Senior Citizen of the Year, Sertoma’s Service to Mankind Award, and

Concordia College’s Call to Service Award. One of his favorite volunteer roles was as a counselor for

Minnesota All-State Lutheran Choir where he and Doris served with the founding director for twenty

years.

His love for sports and passion to mentor young men lead him to numerous coaching positions in

baseball and football. In 1997, he was inducted into the Brainerd High School Sports Hall of Fame as a

coach. In his retirement years, which began in 1992, Arnold became the ubiquitous Brainerd Warrior

sports fan attending more sporting events than perhaps anyone in the history of the town. Of course, he

was a life-long fan of all the various Minnesota sports teams too. In later years, you could find him in his

backyard tending to his famous raspberry patch while listening to a game on the radio.

His family was his pride and joy. He loved travelling to see his children and grandchildren’s musical,

theatrical, or sporting events and he was delighted to have anyone join him on his various hunting and

fishing expeditions. He was Doris’s biggest poetry cheerleader. His siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins

were always included in any road trip itinerary whenever possible. He embraced his Norwegian heritage

while always making room for other cultures including sponsoring two foreign exchange students in his

home – Carlos Dellien (Bolivia) and Beatrice Naana Osae (Ghana).

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Doris Stengel, his sister Eva Stengel, sister-in-law Lorna Zirbel, his

son Randy (Karen) Stengel, his son Shawn Stengel, his daughter Wendy Jo (Phil) Cerna and his

grandchildren Matthew (Heidi) Stengel, Kyle Stengel, Phillip Cerna, Delaney Cerna, and Livia Cerna, as

well as his great-grandchildren Ada and Case Stengel and numerous beloved nephews and nieces. He

was preceded in death by his parents, Einar and Johanna Stengel, his brothers Bjarne (Arianna) Stengel

and Paul (Garnett) Stengel, his infant sister Ann Marie Stengel as well as his brothers-in-law Fritz Zirbel

and Vernon (Virginia) Lueth.

A funeral service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd, MN on Saturday May 13, 2023 at

11am with visitation hours the previous evening Friday May 12, 2023 from 5-7pm, at Halvorson Taylor Life Events Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation of time or money to a community or faith-

based or educational service group of your choice in his name. A couple of Arnold’s favorites were

Concordia College and Habitat for Humanity.