Johanna Neis Love – Henning, MN

Johanna Neis Love made her grand entrance into the world November 1, 1927 in Rockville, MN courtesy of Joseph and Susan (Loesch) Neis. She grew up on a farm near Kimball, where she perfected the art of bareback horseback riding and general mischief. She later met her match — literally — in Otter Tail County. James Love didn’t stand a chance against her sass and sharp wit, so naturally, they got married and were blessed with 12 children, raising a small army of 11 children to adulthood, all of whom benefited from her awesome cooking. In 1969, they packed up the farm life and relocated to West Battle Lake, where Johanna transformed into a legendary gardener (a.k.a. “Pickle Patch Queen”) and embraced lake life like a true Minnesotan. Summers were for sunshine, weeding and pretending to relax. Johanna’s cooking was the stuff of family legend—her sourdough pancakes, spaghetti sauce and wild rice hotdish could unite nations. Her grandkids will forever dream of her magical bran muffins and cupcakes made “just for them” — or so she told each one. When Jim needed a hand with the family’s black dirt and gravel business, Johanna jumped in – mastering the loader, rocking the dump truck and leveling the dirt like a pro. But once work was done, it was time to hit the town. You’d find them on the dance floor, tearing it up to a polka or two step, never missing a beat! When fall rolled around, Johanna turned into a wild rice warrior, armed with a canoe, push pole and zero tolerance for slackers. She passed on her love of wild ricing to her kids and grandkids. In the winter, she rode shotgun on the township snowplow as Jim’s wingwoman ensuring he didn’t take out any mailboxes. In retirement, she and Jim traveled in their RV with their beloved cat to Arizona to enjoy family and friends in the winter months. Johanna also had a passion for traveling internationally, her fav-orite destinations were in Europe. Johanna lived life with grit, humor and a whole lot of love. We’ll miss her sass, her cooking and her refusal to take life too seriously. Johanna was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Susan; husband, Jim; infant son, Karl and daughter, Kandace; brothers, Sylvester, Melvin, Donald, Albin and Andrew; and sisters, Rosemary, Edvina and Marie. Surviving Johanna are her children, Karen (Larry) Love-Kugler, Kevin (Judi) Love, Kristy (Jeff) Love-Anderson, Kay (Steve) Love Miletto, Kathy (Brad Latzke) Love, Kory (Beth) Love, Kim (Bill) Love-Hatling, Konnie Love, Karla Love and Kendra (Greg) Love Gack; grandchildren, Kaila (Peter), Casey (Jess), Kari (Ben), Kristoffer (MacKenzie), Kiah (Matt), Mike (Jenn), Justin (Kristin), Maxwell (Britt), Hannah, Nicole (Robert), Kimberly (Eric), Terrin, Alex, Kaia and Kennedi; and 14 great-grandchildren. Her services were at Our Lady of the Lake in Battle Lake, Minnesota Monday, May 19, 2025. Johanna was laid to rest in Girard Union Cemetery in Henning, Minnesota. Please visit www.karvone nfuneralhome.com to leave memorials and condolences on Johanna’s Tribute Wall. Arrangements provided by Belmont-Karvonen Fun-eral & Cremation Service of Henning, Minnesota.