Ann Elise Kronlokken Widness

Ann Elise Kronlokken Widness, loving wife of Brad Widness and mother of Jonas Widness, died September 25, 2022, at her home in North Mankato. Beloved by her family and friends, the loss of Ann leaves a great empty space in many hearts.

Ann was born September 6, 1961 in Postville, Iowa, to Pastor John and Florence Kronlokken. In 1983, she received a B.A. in fine arts from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD, where she also met Brad Widness.

After graduating, Ann and Brad were married and moved to Minneapolis for work, before relocating to DeKalb, Illinois to attend Northern Illinois University. Ann earned her M.A. in Art, focused on textiles and design. After moving to Mankato, Ann and Brad worked as artists, teaching part time at Minnesota State University and additionally working at Mankato’s Barnes and Noble bookstore. In 2013, Ann received her second M.A. in English from Minnesota State University. She has since worked as a technical writer at Rolls Royce.

Among other things, Ann’s inspiring faith brought her and her family to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Mankato, where she played in the church’s brass choir and handbell chorus. While innumerable, her gifts to us included masterful textile art, delicious food, inexhaustible loves of life and her people, and unparalleled kindness. Some of Ann and Brad’s beautiful artwork can be seen at widnessstudios.com.

Ann is survived by her husband Brad Widness; her son Jonas Widness; brother David (Rachel) Kronlokken; sisters Connie Kronlokken (Don Starnes); Solveig (Richard) Taylor; Naomi Kronlokken (Priscilla Skerry); Ruth Kronlokken (Don Evans); her sister-in-law Kris (Scott) Woelber; her brother-in-law David (Karla) Widness; plus a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Memorial Service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Mankato, on Friday, October 7, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be at Northview-North Mankato Mortuary on Thursday, October 6 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. and will continue one hour prior to the service at church. The service will be livestreamed at www.mankatomortuary.com. Ann wished any memorial donations to be made to the Trillion Tree Campaign at trilliontreecampaign.org.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by Mankato Area Funeral Homes.

Unforeseen technical, internet, facility, and/or acoustical circumstances may produce a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear, we are attempting to record and publish the service for later viewing.