Carl John Schoenfelder

Carl John Schoenfelder, 59, died unexpectedly, Monday, May 25, 2026, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.

Carl was born July 2, 1966, in Park Falls, Wisconsin as the 12th of 15 children to Raymond and Helen (Guzak) Schoenfelder. Carl grew up in rural Goodhue MN, attended Goodhue High School and graduated in 1984 as a star athlete which earned him a full D1 scholarship from University of North Dakota where he obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Carl met the love of his life, Angela Rae Benson, in 1988 and were married on October 11, 2003. Their daughter, Estella Rae Schoenfelder, was born in 2005, just before they made the move to Colorado. Their family continued to grow with the arrival of their son, Frank Heller Schoenfelder, in 2007.

While Carl was still in Grand Forks, he began his engineering career at American Crystal Sugar followed by becoming Plant Manager at Philadelphia Macaroni Company. Carl left North Dakota to return to the sugar industry for an opportunity to manage Western Sugar in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He then moved to Minnesota and managed a sales group at Hydrite Chemical before finishing his career at Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar as Executive Director of Engineering and Maintenance.

Carl was a vibrant, intelligent, selfless man with deep love of faith and family. He was larger than life in stature, spirit and personality. He was a jokester at heart, but beyond that fun spirit he valued time spent with loved ones, never hesitated to show up for his people, nor wasted a moment to teach, travel, explore and build. He shared a passion for adventure with his brothers and loved the Rocky Mountains.

Carl’s integrity and strong faith brought comfort and safety to all around him. We feel blessed to have shared this time with him as he truly was a gift from God.

Carl is survived by his wife, Angela; two children, Estella and Frank Schoenfelder; 13 siblings, Anna Sills, Helen McNamara, Jeanne Bjorngaard, Raymond Schoenfelder, Rita Herndon, John Schoenfelder, Carol Schoenfelder, Judith Schoenfelder, Richard Schoenfelder, Joseph Schoenfelder, Mark Schoenfelder, Karen Kennedy, Lenore Schoenfelder Austin, and their spouses; mother-in-law, Amy Benson; numerous nieces and nephews; extended family and many friends.

He was proceeded in death by his parents, Raymond and Helen Schoenfelder; infant sister, Joyce; nephew Brian Bjorngaard; and father-in-law Billy Gene Benson. A Mass of Resurrection and burial will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, May 29, 2026 at St. Columbkill Catholic Church in Goodhue. A visitation will be 1 hour prior to the service at church with the Rosary beginning at 9:30. A luncheon at the Goodhue Lions Community Center will follow the burial. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com

 In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that a memorial donation be made to his surviving children to further their education. A gift towards knowledge would have been his most wanted gift. https://gofund.me/eec4d1198 

Carl’s love and friendship reached far and wide among friends, colleagues and family. An additional Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, so everyone has an opportunity to honor and remember him together.