BLOOMINGTON-It is a small world after all as two Brainerd natives-who'd never met-ran into each other this week at the Mall of America in a casual conversation.
Both women-Susan Koering of Merrifield and Karen Kanne Stanley of Bloomington-are volunteering this week in the Twin Cities metro area for the Super Bowl festivities.
Koering was one of the 10,000 volunteers for Super Bowl week. Koering said she was assigned at the Mall of America to greet visitors and answer questions.
"I happened to strike up a conversation with a lady sitting at the north Mall of America entrance," Koering said. "During our conversation I shared that I grew up in Brainerd and Karen said, 'So did I.' We were so excited to share with each other our journeys since growing up in Brainerd.
"I learned her father delivered me."
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Stanley is the daughter of the late Dr. Earl Kanne, and Koering is the daughter of the late Clem Koering.
Stanley is the disease prevention and clinical services manager at the Bloomington Public Health Department, where she has been for the past 40 years. Koering just retired from Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital as the manager of the cancer registry for 28 years. Koering is now devoting more time to volunteering opportunities, especially in the Brainerd and Crosslake areas.
