Theresa Ann La Fleur

Theresa Ann La Fleur, 53, of Mankato, Minnesota and formerly of Winona, with her family by her side went to meet her Heavenly Father on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Rochester Methodist Hospital due to a very aggressive and very rare cancer called Langerhans Cell Sarcoma. This cancer came after she successfully defeated the Large B cell lymphoma cancer in May 2021.

Theresa was born Monday, September 11, 1967 in La Crosse to Albert and Karen (Thimmesch) La Fleur. At four months old she moved with her parents to Urbana, Illinois. She started her education in Champaign, Illinois, then Monticello, Illinois, then Tomah, Wisconsin. She then moved to Caledonia in 1976 where she graduated in 1985 from Caledonia High School. She always made friends at all the new locations including some lifelong friendships at Caledonia, especially her best friend forever, Valerie Kircher. She continued her education at Viterbo University in La Crosse where she graduated in May 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree. She married Shawn Bartell in 1990 and they later divorced. She married Paul Ringo in 1998 and moved to Hutchinson, Minnesota where she gave birth to her pride and joy, Ethan Cole Ringo. The family moved to Rollingstone (near Winona) in July 2005. Theresa enjoyed staying home to raise Ethan and later attending his many baseball and football games. The most exciting moment was when Ethan, as a Junior at Winona High School, caught a touchdown pass in the end zone and later in the game a 70-yard catch and run to keep the Winhawks hopes alive at the U.S. Bank Stadium during the playoffs. Theresa worked at the Family and Children’s Center then Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center in Winona. Theresa relocated to Mankato in May 2020 after her divorce to move closer to her dad and sister. Theresa started work for Nicollet County Health and Human Services as an Admin Support Tech at the North Mankato office in mid-October as well as buying her town home in Mankato at the same time. Theresa was starting her new life and career when her health took an unexpected turn in January 2021. They discovered she had Large B cell Lymphoma and started chemotherapy treatments at Mankato Andreas Cancer Center in February and successfully completed that treatment the end of May. They determined she no longer had any lymphoma in her body, but in very early June she developed a new cancer they eventually diagnosed as Langerhans Cell Sarcoma, which is aggressive and there is no known cure at this time. She went to Rochester Methodist in early August to try other existing chemo treatments, but they did not work. Theresa kept up the fight to the very end.

Theresa is survived by her son, Ethan of Winona, her father Albert, sister Cherie Magaard (Kevin) and nieces and nephew (Kailee, Lynsey and Lukas Magaard) all of Mankato, her ex-husband Paul of Winona and several aunts and uncles and many cousins and her best friend forever, Valerie as well as her dog and constant companion since 2009, Bella Willow. Theresa has many friends as well that I am sure will miss her and provided much love and support to Theresa and her family on the Caring Bridge Journal site as well as through texts and other communications. Wherever she went she made friends. She was predeceased by her mother, Karen, and her grandparents.

There will be a visitation at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home at 200 West Ave South, La Crosse, from 1-4 PM on Sunday, August 29th. Theresa did not want a funeral but wanted more a celebration of her life. Theresa’s cremains will be interred at the La Crosse Catholic Cemetery in the mausoleum next to her mother. There is a Cancer Benefit for Theresa in Caledonia, Minnesota from 6-10 PM on Friday, September 24 at the Rustic Tap, which will also be a celebration of her life. She felt there had to be a purpose for her going through this journey and she wanted to help others. Rochester Mayo conducted a full autopsy and collected tissue samples of her cancer to be used in future studies, even up to five years in the future. Theresa was always smiling and wanted to help others in her life and now she can help others even after her life.

The family of Theresa would like to express a big thank you to all the doctors and nurses at Mankato Mayo and Rochester Mayo clinics and hospitals who provided loving and caring support to make Theresa comfortable in all her treatments.