Reilene J. “Rae” Kuzma

Reilene J. “Rae” Kuzma, age 75 of Melrose, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at the Mother of Mercy Nursing Home in Albany, Minnesota.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12 p.m. Friday, April 4 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Melrose with Rev. Mitchell Bechtold officiating. A private inurnment will be at a later date at Oak Hill Cemetery in Melrose, Minnesota.
A visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Melrose and from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Friday at the church.
Reilene Jean Priyatel was born in Winton, Minnesota on December 9, 1949, to John and Lorraine (Janeksela) Priyatel. She graduated from Memorial High School in Ely, Minnesota in 1969. On August 2, 1969, she married Robert Kuzma in Virginia, Minnesota. Right around that time, Rae and Bob moved to Melrose and started their life together there as husband and wife. Rae worked at Pine Villa Nursing Home for a few years and then went to St. Cloud Beauty School to earn her cosmetology degree. She worked at Long’s Salon in Sauk Centre and Cut Above in Melrose. After years as a hairdresser, Rae went back to caring for the elderly and began working at Das Goldene Wohnheim in New Munich. She also provided in home daycare for many years.
Rae was a warrior who battled many illnesses throughout her life. One of which was breast cancer. After beating cancer, Rae felt blessed and wanted to give back to those less fortunate. She founded the non-profit organization Project Give a Gift. It started in Rae’s dining room with one Cabbage Patch Doll. Very quickly Rae realized that helping others was her purpose, her mission, so she reached out to friends in the community. Project Give a Gift took up new residence in a larger space and Rae found a team of “elves” to help her carry out this mission. Over the years it has grown from helping one child to having helped up to 150 families in a given year mainly during Christmas. Rae and her team visited the elderly, sent cards and well wishes to the sick and touched many people’s lives.
Rae’s greatest love was her family. She always put their well-being ahead of her own and they were the main focus throughout her life. She was deeply in love with her soulmate and husband Bob. Their commitment to one another was apparent as they renewed their marriage vows twice over the years. Rae and Bob loved to travel. The spent countless hours in the car together looking for the next adventure. They raised a family together whom Rae was most proud of. She loved her children Cheri and Todd and had a special bond with each one of them. Her children grew up and had families of their own and gave her the most precious gift of all, grandchildren. Rae spent any opportunity she could with her grandsons. She was the grandma who showed up for every sporting event, concert, or activity her grandchildren were in. She babysat them often. She found pure joy in watching them grow.
Survivors include her husband, Robert “Bob” Kuzma of Melrose; daughter, Cheri Hemker of Sauk Rapids; son, Todd (Deb) Kuzma of Sauk Rapids; 5 grandsons, Tyler, Connor and Nolan Hemker, Jarred Taylor and Blake Kuzma; brother, John (Diane) Priyatel of Maple Grove; brother-in-law, Tim (Barb) Kuzma of Britt; sister-in-law, Sue Kuzma of St. Cloud; Niece, Becky (Jim) Glasgow of Virginia; Nephews, Kevin (Candace) Priyatel of Waukesha, WI and Mike (Teagan) Priyatel of Albertville.
Rae was preceded in death by her parents, John and Lorraine Priyatel.
Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral and Cremation Services of Melrose.