Gwen Kay Borst

Gwendolyn Kay Borst, age 76, of Albert Lea, Minnesota, was called to her heavenly home by her Lord and Savior on January 7, 2025

A service to celebrate Gwen’s life will be held at 3:00pm on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at Bonnerup Funeral & Cremation Services, 2210 East Main St, Albert Lea, MN. Pastor Jeff Phelps to officiate. Family will greet guests for 1 hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Gwen will be laid to rest at Hillcrest Cemetery privately at a later date.

Gwen was born to the late Lyle and Mildred (Lukens) Hahn on August 2, 1948 in Albert Lea. She graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1966.

She met her late husband, Tim Borst, while working at the Piggly Wiggly in Skyline Mall. Her children, Kelly and Chad, had come to the mall with their grandparents and stopped in to see Gwen during her break. The two children were taken with the electric organs near the Singer shop where Tim worked, and he noticed their intrigue. He was entertaining the kids by playing music for them by the time Gwen found them, and she became quite taken with him.

Shortly after Tim’s passing, love came for Gwen again when she met Ron Larson through mutual friends. They complemented each other in their love of life, family, and faith for the rest of Gwen’s days.

Gwen worked as an inpatient pharmacy technician with the Mayo Clinic for 17 years. It was a position she enjoyed greatly. After leaving the hospital, she took on a part time job at Blockbuster for fun. This gave her access to countless movies to enjoy on her own or share with her family and friends. Occasionally, she would bring home movies for the grandchildren that hadn’t even been released to the public for them to watch, much to their enjoyment. 

Gwen loved spending time with her family and making memories at the family cabin on Tom Lake. The cabin was built by Gwen’s parents in the 60s and was the location for many hours of fishing, mini-bike racing, and riding four wheelers. It was also at the cabin that she spent many hours reading, and painting the landscape of the lake and surrounding trees. When back in Albert Lea, and depending on the season, she could often be found bow hunting with Tim.

Gwen was a dedicated mother and grandmother, attending school events and extracurricular activities. She had a great sense of humor and was comfortable in any setting, whether that was getting dirty with the grandkids or dressed up for a night out.

She was incredibly strong in her faith; Gwen attended Crossroads Church and loved her church family.

Gwen is survived by her significant other Ron Larson; children, Kelly Hoyt and Chad Hoyt; stepdaughter Jody (Aaron) Augustine; grandchildren Jaeger (Ellie Torres) Classon, Bryce Hoyt, and Chase Herman; step-grandchildren Kayla (Courtney Garbarkiewicz) Friedauer, Ben Friedauer, Martha (Taylor) Smith, Samantha (Travis) Erickson, and Nathanial (Jaycee) Borst; sister, Judy Hanson; and sisters-in-law, Arvis Hahn, Karen Borst, and Stephanie Borst; brothers-in-law, Dan (Mary Beth) Borst, John (Susie) Borst, David Borst. Gwen also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, and friends.

In addition to her parents, Gwen is preceded in death by her late husband, Tim Borst; parents-law-, Erwin and Maxine (Koszarek) Borst; brother, Duane Hahn; step-son, Tim Borst, Jr.; and brothers-in-law, Jim Hanson, Steven Borst, and Paul Borst; and sister-in-law, Kathy Chandler.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Youth for Christ at 116 W Clark St, Albert Lea, MN or Crossroads Church at 3402 Hoeger Lane, Albert Lea, MN 56007.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by Bonnerup Funeral and Cremation.
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.