NEW ULM–Jim Senske, age 86, of New Ulm, died Friday, February 28, 2025, at Ridgeway on 23rd in New Ulm.Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm. Pastor Kathleen Ulland-Klinkner will officiate. Burial will follow in the New Ulm City Cemetery, after which lunch will be served at the church. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home-SOUTH Chapel in New Ulm, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. To leave an online condolence for his family, or to sign the guestbook, go to: www.mvfh.org

Jim is survived by his wife, Katie; daughter, Kim (Dan) Hafstad of Eagan; sons, Eric Senske of Faribault and Matt (Joey) Senske of North Mankato; eight grandchildren, Jordan Jenkins, Kezia Jenkins, Christina Hafstad, Joy Hafstad, Jack Senske, Brodie Martinka, Evan Senske, and Alex Senske; great-granddaughter, Genessa Lantow; sisters, Ramona (Fred) Trachsel of Rochester, Sherry Carlson Reagan of St. Paul, and Peg Bagan of Oakdale; brother, Jeff (Denise) Senske of Lake Elmo; virtual family members Jane and Nancy Zupfer; and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Patricia Riemenschneider; and a brother, Joseph Senske.

Everette James (“Jim”) Senske was born on September 5, 1938, in Augusta, WI to Everette Julius & Florence (Kirby) Senske. His family moved to St. Paul when Jim was a teenager, and he became a standout football, basketball, and baseball player at Wilson High School. After graduating in 1956, Jim moved on to Hamline University, where his basketball and baseball exploits ultimately got him inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. While at Hamline, Jim met Annie Kate (“Katie”) Bryant, a beautiful Texan that he soon convinced to move north. They snuck off to Iowa and got married on January 3, 1959.

Shortly after graduating from college in 1960, Jim took a teaching job in New Ulm. While Jim and Katie thought New Ulm seemed like a nice place to start a teaching career, they did not plan to stay for long. Turns out, they never left. Jim and Katie raised their three kids in New Ulm, and Jim taught all three of them at New Ulm High School. Jim taught primarily social studies at NUHS for over 40 years, winning several state and local honors and awards, and he found time to earn a master’s degree from Mankato State University along the way. Jim was the head basketball coach at NUHS for a total of 23 years, and an assistant football coach for nearly 20. His passion, however, was baseball. Jim led the NUHS baseball program for 40 years, posting a cumulative .805 winning percentage. He coached the Eagles to 19 state tournament appearances, culminating with a state championship in 2002. He retired with 707 career wins, a state record at the time. Jim also spent many summers coaching New Ulm’s American Legion team; his 1978 team won the state and Midwest regional tournaments and advanced to the Legion World Series in Yakima, WA.

Aside from baseball, Jim’s passions were golf, travel, and grandchildren. He was a long-time member of the New Ulm Country Club, and he spent much of his early retirement years on Tierra Santa Golf Course in Weslaco, Texas, where he and Katie lived while they waited for Minnesota’s snow to melt. Though his friends and sons often made fun of his violent golf swing, it produced six holes-in-one and a small collection of wristwatches from Patterson’s jewelry store. Jim made multiple trips to Europe and Hawaii, and he and Katie loved taking long road trips together, usually finding a way to include Waco, Texas on their itinerary so they could visit Katie’s family. But the one thing that always melted away Jim’s trademark discipline and intensity was his grandchildren, around whom he was not ashamed to act silly and look foolish. He adored them all, and they adored him back.

Jim and Katie belonged to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church for more than 60 years. Jim served on numerous committees and in various leadership capacities over the years, and the church played a huge role in his spiritual and social lives.

Jim had a profound impact on his family, friends, students, ballplayers, church, and the New Ulm community as a whole. He will be missed.

Rest in peace, Coach Senske.

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