Elaine A. Zoch

Age 90, of Little Canada, MN, passed away on July 25, 2021, at her home with her loving husband by her side. Elaine was born on January 10, 1931 in St. Paul, MN, the daughter of Paul and Elizabeth (Amacher) Mandehr. She grew up in St. Paul and graduated from Johnson High School in 1949.  Elaine began working at a root beer stand, then a sewing factory while in high school.  She worked as a secretary at State Farm before leaving to raise her family. While raising her children, she was active in Girl Scouts and volunteered at numerous other organizations over the years. She returned to working outside the home in the 1980’s for the state of MN as a secretary for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency before transferring to the DNR and continued to work there until her retirement. She was united in marriage to Marcel Zoch on February 23, 1957, at St. Louis Catholic Church in St. Paul. She and Marcel lived in Little Canada, in the house they built since 1958. Elaine was a devoted wife and mom. She enjoyed being with her family both at home and their cabin in the north woods. She loved spending time outdoors and walking in the woods with her family and friends. Elaine’s favorite pastimes were reading, playing cards with Marc, and she could spend hours playing scrabble. She loved sharing their garden produce with family, friends, and neighbors. It gave her great joy to share her homemade zucchini muffins, fruit crunches, and bars with everyone that stopped by. Her home was a welcoming place for all that visited, and she especially enjoyed having overnight guests. Her favorite yearly tradition was attending the state fair and often times would go several days.  Christmas was a special time of year for her, and she would spend days baking to ensure each family member received a large tin of their favorite cookies. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren gave her much joy. She spent countless hours reading and playing with them. She was like a second mom to many friends and relatives. Elaine went out of her way to provide to those in need, especially many neighbor kids, over the years. She served the Lord through the kindness and generosity she showed to all those she met.   She is preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Elizabeth (Amacher) Mandehr and daughter Susan (Zoch) Maile. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Marcel Zoch; sons, Paul (Karen) of Jackson, MN, Dale (Teri) of Marine on the St. Croix, MN, Bruce (April) of Stacy, MN; and daughter, Nancy (Alan) McHugh of Arlington, TX; son-in-law, Dennis Maile of St. Augusta, MN; her brother, Dick (Sue) Mandehr of WI; 10 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and many friends and other relatives. Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM Wednesday, August 4 at ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST CATHOLIC CHURCH, 380 E. Little Canada Rd, Little Canada. Interment Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Visitation at MUELLER-BIES FUNERAL HOME - ROSEVILLE, 2130 N. Dale St. @ County Rd B from 4-7 PM Tuesday, and at the church from 10-11 AM Wednesday.