Yolanda Marie Butenas Born: November 16, 1927 in Toluca, IL Died: February 27, 2025 in Fergus Falls, MN Yolanda Marie Butenas, 97, the beloved matriarch of the Butenas family, passed away peacefully on February 27, 2025, under the compassionate care of Vive Hospice. Born to Alphonse and Mary (Castelli) Bernardi on November 16, 1927, in Toluca, Illinois, Yolanda grew up in a vibrant community of Italian, Lithuanian, and Polish immigrants who had settled in the area to work in the coal mines, on the railroad, or to farm the land. She often fondly reminisced about her childhood in this tight-knit, extended family, where cousins, aunts, and uncles were like second parents, and the town was filled with spirited children who turned the stores, taverns, and Italian ristorantes into their playground. Her love story began when a handsome, hometown boy, Bill Butenas, returned from Navy service after World War II. They were married on July 19, 1947, and together they built a life filled with lov

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