Vanessa Jean Frentz

Vanessa Jean Frentz, age 33, passed away on Sunday, February 9th in Santa Rosa, California.

Born in Mankato on February 28th, 1991, she was the daughter of Nick and Jill Frentz. She grew up in North Mankato surrounded by friends and family including her three younger brothers–Andrew, Derek, and Sean. Her namesake was her paternal great grandmother, Jean Thro Frentz.

Vanessa spent her younger years developing a love for loud music, friends, and acting. While at Mankato West High School she thrived in the social setting, joining numerous clubs, programs, and athletic teams. Her love of theater combined with her talent and led her to multiple leading roles, including “Belle” in Beauty and The Beast, “Raggedy Anne” in Raggedy Anne & Andy, “Pinocchio” in Pinocchio, and “Alice” in Alice In Wonderland. In her senior year, she delivered her favorite performance as the title character in the play Lady Dracula.

She was nominated as a Homecoming Queen candidate that same year, underscoring the positive impact she had on those around her. At Vanessa’s request and in keeping with school tradition, her father drove her Homecoming procession cart at the football game while she waved to the crowd. She graduated in June 2009 and moved to New York City that fall to attend Hunter College. Vanessa lived in NYC for 6 years and loved every second of it. For her, it was soul food: a place to dream big and live unapologetically.

Vanessa’s adult life revolved around her journey with sobriety. That journey involved not only her own efforts with recovery, but also extensive work on behalf of others. That work continued when she moved to Northern California in 2020. Although there were hard times, there were also resounding successes. In her possessions are multiple writings, notes, and motivational materials that cover her drive for happiness, sobriety, and a better life. She completed hours upon hours of AA meetings, step-work, therapy, and support for others. During a portion of her time in California, Vanessa worked as a House Manager for her Sober Living Environment home. Her responsibilities as manager included regular check-ins with roommates, testing each resident every day, and just being a sounding board for any and all problems that her peers were going through. Perhaps Vanessa’s greatest accomplishment in life was the number of people who she helped with their own sobriety journeys.

She checked in with her family regularly and was looked at as a beacon of hope by her siblings. She often commented, posted, or reached out to her brothers to vocalize how much they meant to her. This was a sentiment that was always reciprocated by them. As she grew, so did her relationships with all her family members. One of her strategies for connecting with family was through her deep love for horror movies, which was passed down to her by her mother. Watching the movies, talking about them, and laughing through them together became a family past-time. She enjoyed these times together and movie nights are a tradition that will no doubt continue in her honor.

Vanessa was passionate–a trait she inherited from her father. She was also caring–a trait she inherited from her mother. One needn’t look too far to find her heart, as she always wore it proudly on her sleeve. She graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College with a degree in Psychology in 2024 before she began a new job providing care for children in the autism community. She felt this job provided her a renewed sense of purpose, and she felt that sense of purpose for the rest of her life.

Through it all, Vanessa made her family very proud. We will miss her forever. Vanessa was preceded in death by grandparents Carl and Patricia Nelson and grandfather LeRoy Brand Frentz III. She is survived by her immediate family: Nick, Jill, Andrew (Samantha), Derek (Sydney), and Sean Frentz, as well as her grandmother Ann Sutherland and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Visitation will be held from 4-7pm, Thursday, February 20, 2025 at Northview – North Mankato Mortuary (2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato, MN 56003). Please share a memory of Vanessa with her family and view her video tribute at www.mankatomortuary.com