Orene Marie Amberg

Orene Marie Amberg, passed away with her family by her side at the University of Minnesota Fairview Hospital on Friday, June 7, 2024.  Mass of Christian Burial will be on Tuesday, June 11th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bird Island with Rev. George Schmit as celebrant. Visitation will be at Dirks-Blem Funeral Home in Olivia on Monday, June 10th from 4 to 7 p.m. and will continue one hour prior to the service on Tuesday at St. Mary’s Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to St. Mary’s School.

Orene was born on March 23rd, 1941 in Redwood Falls, MN to Edward and Estella (Horesji) Serbus. She grew up in Bechyn and graduated from Morton High School in 1959.

Orene was united in marriage to Lawrence “Larry” Amberg a few months later, on August 29th, 1959 at St. Mary’s Church in Bechyn, MN. They made their home on the Amberg Family Farm where Larry grew up, south of Bird Island. Their marriage was blessed with five children. During their 60 years together they traveled extensively, loved to meet people from all over the world and make new friends everywhere they went.  In 2008 she and Larry moved into Bird Island to begin the adventure of ‘city living’.

Orene was a force of nature that loved life, family and a good laugh.  She had a natural ability at sales, whether it was selling Beeline Fashion in the late 70’s (she was the top seller in the state), recruiting members and building chapters of Blue Star Mothers (as member #1 in the state of MN) or getting farmers to share numbers with her as a USDA enumerator in multiple counties.  She also used her salesmanship to sell raffle tickets and convince people to contribute time or money (or both) to Czech Fest and St Mary’s in Bechyn, which were very close to her heart.  Once she latched onto a cause, she charged full speed ahead getting everyone else on board whether they wanted to or not.

Never one to sit still, Orene also had several hobbies.  Arts and crafts (making roses out of plastic spoons or grape clusters out of resin), remodeling (always) and shopping old school internet (catalogs….lots and lots of catalogs) were all hobbies but gardening was her passion.  Being in the sunshine and ‘playing in the dirt’ made her truly happy.  Her tomato cages will not be the same without her.

To have met Orene was to remember her.  She was confident in herself, loving of her family and proud of her accomplishments.  She was 100% one of a kind.

Orene is survived by her daughter, Pamela and her husband Henry Leach of Bird Island, MN; her sons: Joseph Amberg, of Chanhassen, MN; Thomas Amberg and his wife Valerie of Willmar, MN; Mark Amberg and his wife Andrea of Alexandria, VA; and Peter Amberg and his wife Tara of Bird Island, MN.  She is survived by ten Grandchildren: William, Nicholas, Melanie, Stephanie, Brenden, Drew, Tucker, Gage, Nathan, and Derek; and by ten Great-Grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Estella Serbus; husband, Larry in 2020; and her father and mother-in-law, Sebastian and Gladys Amberg.

Blessed Be Her Memory

Orene Amberg