(FOX 9) – Two women are dead after a crash involving a minivan and a semi-truck in southwest Minnesota on Christmas Eve.

Deadly Pipestone County crash

What we know:

 Minnesota State Patrol responded around 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday to a crash along Highway 75 at 21st Street in Elmer Township in Pipestone County. The intersection is about eight miles east of the South Dakota border and 30 miles northeast of Sioux Falls. Google Maps images show a rural intersection surrounded by farmland with a power substation on the northwest corner. There are stop signs located on 21st Street.

According to an incident report from state patrol, the semi involved was headed northbound on Highway 75 when it collided with the minivan, which was traveling westbound on 21st Street.

Local perspective:

Troopers say both the driver of the minivan, 71-year-old Patricia Ann Struiksma, and a passenger, 69-year-old Donna Jean Vanthof, were killed in the crash.

The driver of the semi was not hurt.

What we don’t know:

Further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash were not disclosed. However, troopers said alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash. Investigators also noted that road conditions were wet at the time of the collision.

On Dec. 9, 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuted on CBS, and it became an instant classic. Lee Jenkins’ home is proof that the show is still a hit six decades later.

“It’s just something about these people,” Jenkins said. “Talking about health, talking about wealth, talking about friendship and everything.”

A long-time Staples, Minnesota, businessman, Jenkins didn’t have any woodworking skills when he retired. 

But in 2017, at the age of 74, he decided to pick up a jigsaw and build something that made him happy. Snoopy came to mind, and after he created Charlie Brown’s beloved beagle, he realized he was hooked. 

“It just evolved from that to more characters every year until this year,” Jenkins said. “There are 18 in the main gang and Marcie is number 11.”

Each of his creations is made out of particleboard. Jenkins first sketches an image and then goes to work. 

“I’m not an artist, this is all freehand out of here,” Jenkins said. 

From the sketching to the cutting to the sanding to the painting, it takes anywhere from 10 to 20 hours for Jenkins to build one character.

“Probably the hardest one I had to make was Pig-Pen,” Jenkins said. 

He now has enough for an entire holiday scene, complete with Charlie Brown’s scrawny tree just like in the show. 

There’s Linus with his blanket, Schroeder with his piano and Charlie right in the middle of it all. 

“His famous saying was ‘Good Grief,’” said Jenkins. “And it is fun. It really is neat for the family, and that’s what I’ve got here is a family.”

Jennifer Krippner was as surprised as anyone when her dad began this holiday hobby in his mid-70s, but she believes this isn’t just a tribute to Peanuts creator and St. Paul native Charles Schulz. 

“I think what it says to a lot of us is passion, creativity, doesn’t retire,” Krippner said.

She believes her dad is honoring a more innocent time. Back when a phrase like “good grief” meant good things. 

“It’s a classic show and the Peanuts, I don’t think, are just characters. They are memories for us, and I think that brings back a lot of nostalgia,” Krippner said.

Each of Jenkins’ Peanuts creations is about 3 feet high and they are on display in front of his house, four miles north of Staples. He typically builds one or two each holiday season.