Bertha J. Harms, age 82, of Riceville, Iowa, died Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2000 at the Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage, Iowa.

Bertha Jennie Harms was born on January 24, 1918, at Johnson, Minn, to Charles and Kate (Geerdes) Wessels. She was baptized June 5, 1920 by Rev. James Friedly at Graceville, Minn, in the German Lutheran Church.

She was cared for by her dad after losing her mom at the age of two. Around the age of five, they moved to Ackley, Iowa, and then to Buffalo Center, Iowa. After losing her dad at age nine, she was cared for at their home by two brothers and a sister. A year or so later, she moved in with an aunt and uncle, until making her home with a cousin’s family. There she met John Harms, their hired man, and they married on October 8, 1935 at the Wesley Parsonage. To this union three children were bom: Rhadora, Kenneth and Ardith.

They lived on rented farms in the Titonka and Buffalo Center area. In March, 1949 they moved to the farm they purchased north of Riceville, John (A.J.) passed away there on June 30, 1992. Bertha resided at their,home until January 24, 2000 when she suffered a stroke.

Bertha is survived by her son, Kenneth of Osage; one daughter, Ardith Gronwoldt and husband Marvin Jr. of LeRoy, Minn.; grandchildren: Shielo Gronwoldt of Riceville, Tamyra Gronwoldt, Dan Wamke, Karla and Dan Murphy, all of Lime Springs, and Geoff Gronwoldt of LeRoy; eight great-grandchildren; one sister, Mae Schwartz of Swea City, Iowa; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, A.J.; one daughter, Rhadora Fesenmeyer; one son-in-law, Chuck Fesenmeyer, a granddaughter, Shannon Harms; a grandson, Chad Gronwoldt; one greatgrandchild, Hannah Badker; her parents; three brothers, John, Ralph and Carl Wessels; and three sisters, Elsie Blood, Katherine Gillman, and Katherine’s infant twin sister.

Funeral services were held Friday, Jan. 28 at the Conway Funeral Home in Riceville with burial in Riverside Cemetery. Rev. Edythe Hill presided.

Source: Riceville Recorder Feb. 3, 2000 from the Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee, Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the web by Bill Waters