Mildred "Millie" Koschmeder, age 74, passed away at her residence on March 23, 2001 after a short illness with liver cancer. Funeral services were held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Riceville on Monday, March 26. Rev. Michael Parris officiated, with burial in St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery in Riceville. Lindstrom Funeral Home in Riceville handled arrangements.

Mildred was born in Meltonville, Iowa on June 23, 1926 to Johnnie and Ida (Kvale) Larson. She was baptized at Osage Lutheran Church and confirmed there on May 26, 1940. She attended local school in Meltonville and Mitchell, Iowa. Following high school graduation, she moved to St. Paul, Minn, and worked as a hostess/waitress at Lee’s Broiler. On April 23, 1949, she was united in marriage to Frederick John Koschmeder at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Millie and Fred moved to the Riceville area in 1950 and farmed in Howard County all of their lives. Millie worked at the Riceville Sale Barn Restaurant and Pettitt’s Cafe in Riceville from April 1971 until she retired in January 1998.

Millie was an active member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Riceville. She enjoyed participating in Bible Studies, quilting, Ladies Aid, Pairs and Spares, and was dedicated to supporting the youth group. Millie enjoyed cooking, baking, gardening, playing cards, photography, dancing, theater, concerts and was an avid reader. She also enjoyed traveling and visiting her family and many friends. Millie enjoyed being a member of the Farmerettes Club for over forty years. She was an active member of the Riceville Community Rest Home Auxiliary and the American Legion Auxiliary.

She is survived by two sons: Fred Koschmeder Jr. and his wife Betty (Walker) and their children Nickolas, Dustin and Kellie Koschmeder of Riceville, Jeffrey Koschmeder and his wife, Rachel, of Champlin, Minn.; three daughters, Lana Fowler of Kansas City, Missouri, Anne Koschmeder and her sons, Chris and Nolan Grimm of Rochester, Minn, and Nicole Armstrong and her husband, Tom, and their children, Jessica and Eric of Independence, Missouri. Also surviving is one sister: Betty Grimm and her husband John of Council Bluffs, Iowa; and one brother, Virgil Larson of Fairfield, Iowa and their families.

She was preceded in death by her husband Fred in 1992; her parents; four brothers, Arthur, Nuel, George and Hilbert; and two sisters, Viola Larson and Hazel Brandt.

Source: Riceville Recorder; Mar. 29, 2001 Page 13
from Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee
Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the Web by Bill Waters