Dorene Enge peacefully passed away at Oakland Park Nursing Home on January 6, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Dorene was born on November 14, 1931, in Argyle, Minnesota. Her parents were Rose and Emil Fournier, and she was the youngest of seven children. Tragically, just two months after her birth, her father Emil passed away. Rose, determined to provide for her family, opened a boarding house and raised them all on her own.

When Dorene was eight years old, a kind friend of the family and the owner of the Argyle Movie Theater hired her to pop popcorn for moviegoers. He placed her on an old wooden soda pop box, and Dorene’s talent for popping popcorn soon became legendary.

In 1949, Dorene was crowned Miss Argyle and participated in various local shows and parades throughout the area. During her reign, she decided to move in with one of her sisters in Thief River Falls. She started working at Gambles and met a charming young man named Leland Duane Enge from Oslo, Minnesota.

They fell deeply in love and were married on March 6, 1951. From their union, they blessed the world with four wonderful children: Mark, Robert, James, and Mary. While raising her kids, Dorene was a dedicated homemaker, a hardworking employee at JC Penney, and most importantly, she started cooking delicious elementary school lunches. During her 12-year tenure, she was always disappointed when macaroni and cheese was on the menu because the kids didn’t seem to enjoy it. But one day, early in her career, Dorene decided to take matters into her own hands and added some orange food coloring to the macaroni and cheese. To her astonishment, the kids loved it, and they would devour it all, leaving hardly any to spare.

A year after Bud’s passing on January 20th, 2009, Dorene moved to Summerfield in town and spent the next 13 wonderful years playing cards, making friends with the lovely residents, and attending various local events and activities.

Dorene is survived by Mark (Linnae) Enge, Bob (Diane) Enge, Jim (Beth) Enge, Mary (Bill) Uelmen

Grandchildren: Aaron (Allie) Enge, Amy (Steve) Olson, Casey (Jessica) Enge, Katherine Enge, Danica Enge and her spouse (Azu) Dashzeveg, Luke Enge, Zach Ziemann, Ben (Kelsey) Ziemann

11 Great-grandchildren: Hannah, Nolan, Abe (Halle), Annie, Ike, Lane, Boone, Sloane, Zadie, Zoey, Lily.

Dorene was an incredible wife, loving mother, and devoted grandmother to her 8 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She was also a dear friend to many wonderful people. The Enge Family would like to extend a special Thank You to the Staff at Oakland Park Communities along with Dorene’s grandchildren Aaron and Amy and their families.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in her honor on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 1:30 PM at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Thief River Falls, with Father Craig Vasek officiating. Following the service, she will be laid to rest at St. Bernard’s Catholic Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to join for lunch and fellowship in the church dining hall after the burial. Visitation will take place at the church one hour prior to the service.

The family encourages memorials given to St. Bernard's School.