Dennis J. Zenner, age 80, of Lowry, died unexpectedly from complications following surgery, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at his home surrounded by his family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at St. John Nepomuk Church, rural Lowry with Fr. Joe Vandeberg officiating. Interment will take place at the church cemetery.

A visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m., Monday, January 12th, at Lind Family Funeral Home in Alexandria and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church.

Dennis Joseph Zenner was born on February 21, 1945, to Leo and Barbara (Hoheisel) Zenner in Belgrade. One of ten children, he was raised on the Zenner family farm outside of Belgrade. Dennis attended school in Belgrade and graduated from Belgrade High School in 1963. Shortly after, he enlisted in the Army National Guard, serving a four-year term in the Twin Cities area. Following his honorable discharge, he returned home to the family farm. He met Colleen Gandrud at a local wedding, and the couple were married on April 29, 1972 at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Benson. Together they built a life and raised three children, making their home just across the road from the Leo Zenner family farm. Dennis and his brother Bob took over the farm, where they raised a variety of crops and expanded their tillage operations. Life on the farm provided Dennis with the opportunity to put himself at risk of injury. He had numerous accidents over the years, some more serious than others, all of which provided a learning experience and a good story to tell. In 2003, Dennis retired from farming, and he and Colleen moved to Lake Reno, where they settled on Kalina Drive and quickly built a new circle of friends and community including a Coffee Club crew that met on a regular basis. Faith remained an important part of Dennis’s life, and he was active in his church communities as a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Belgrade and St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church in Lowry. Dennis kept busy gardening, making homemade wine and salsa, fishing, hunting and spending time on Lake Reno. He and Colleen enjoyed traveling together, with favorite destinations including Breezy Point Resort, trips to Mexico, cruises to Alaska and the Panama Canal and many other travels. Grateful to have his children living nearby, Dennis was deeply involved in their lives and in the lives of his grandchildren. He attended numerous baseball games, dance recitals, theater performances, masses at St. Mary’s to listen to his granddaughter sing and anything else that involved his grandchildren. He took great pride in passing along hunting and fishing traditions with his children and grandchildren. In the last few years, Dennis devoted himself to caring for his wife, supporting her with the same strength and dedication she had shown him throughout their life together. His generosity and care for others remained evident to the very end, as he chose to give the gift of organ donation to help others even after his passing.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Leroy and Steve Zenner; and sisters, Shirley Lipold and Florence Sheesley.

Dennis is survived by his wife of 53 years, Colleen; children, Eric (Amy) Zenner of Alexandria, Kendra (Matt) Adelman of Alexandria, and Darin Zenner of Alexandria; grandchildren, Greta, Leah, Brody, Skyler, Jada and Braden; brothers, Bob (Kathy) Zenner and Gary Zenner; sisters, Virginia Meierhofer, Betty (Tony) Waggoner, and Mary (Bill) Manns; and many nieces nephews and friends.

Serving as casket bearers will be Dave Anderson, Mark Onken, Mark Suggs, Steve Hanrahan, Tom Guinn, Stuart Olson and Vonn Braaton