Funeral services for 98-year-old Margaret Schroeder of Butterfield, Minnesota, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, March 12, 2016, at Cornerstone Bible Church in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, with Pastor Nathan Janzen officiating. The church is located at 1019 Prince Street.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery, located in rural Mountain Lake on the west side of 570th Avenue, south of 360th Street and north of 10th Street and Cottonwood County Road #9.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. onhttp://www.sturmfh.com Friday, March 11, 2016, at Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake Chapel. The funeral home is located at 420 10th Street North. A second visitation will be held at the church the day of the funeral service from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Condolences to the family may be sent online to: www.sturmfh.com.
Margaret was born on June 16, 1917, the daughter of Abraham J. Classen and Kathrina (Brandt) Classen in Jansen, Nebraska. Theirs was a farming family, growing up with a solid work ethic.
In 1941, Margaret,and her sister, Tena, moved with their parents to Luton, Iowa, where they attended a small Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church. Margaret worked in Sioux City, Iowa, for many years as a live-in practical nurse for newborns. While still in Luton, Tena died in 1962 of a stroke, and her father died in his home in 1964, at 85 years of age.
Margaret and her mother later moved to Mountain Lake, where her mother became a resident of Eventide Home. She passed away the following year at the age of 90.
Margaret was united in marriage to Peter P. Klassen on October 8, 1966 in the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church (today, Cornerstone Bible Church) in Mountain Lake.
Their work was their hobby, cutting trees, gardening, and tending the large yard where Pete had originally built a house.
Margaret and Peter spent their winters in South Texas. Peter passed away on November 1, 1987 at the age of 98.5 years.
In 1988, William P. Schroeder asked for Margaret’s hand in marriage, and they were married on January 7, 1989 at the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church (today, Cornerstone Bible Church). They had a large yard to maintain, and tended a garden together for many years.
Margaret was a baker, and is especially remembered for her zwiebach and pie, for which she could easily have won awards. She also enjoyed gardening, sewing and cooking.
Thirteen winters were spent in South Texas to soak in the warmth of the climate. When home responsibilities became overwhelming, Will and Margaret moved into the Parkwood Place apartments in Mountain Lake. They enjoyed playing Bingo and visiting with other residents.
In October 2012, Margaret suffered from Guillain Barre Syndrome to the point that she was unable to use her legs or care for herself, and in December 2012, she was moved to the Good Samaritan Society of Mountain Lake-The Village. After a brief move back to Parkwood Place to be with Will, they moved to Westside Senior Living in Butterfield.
Margaret was preceded in death by her husbands, Peter P. Klassen and William P. Schroeder; parents, Abraham and Katherine (Brandt) Classen; brothers and their spouses, Isaac and (Leone) Classen and Pete and (Tena) Classen; sisters, Lena at infancy, Maria at 1age 9, Elizabeth and Ben (Kroeker) at age 26, along with baby Linda who died at birth, Tena and Sarah Kroeker and her husband, Henry; nieces, Bonnie Classen and Alice (Dahlke) Kroeker; a great-nephew, Mark Kroeker; and stepdaughters and their spouses, Elvira and (John) Janzen, Esther and (Alf) Odden and Gladys and (Robert) Kampars.
Margaret is survived by her stepdaughters, Judy (Tracy) Fawbush and Janice (David) Klassen, David Klassen, 18 step-grandchildren, and 12 step-great-grandchildren, along with nieces and nephews.
