Funeral services for 84-year-old Lila Neufeld of Mountain Lake, Minnesota, will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday morning, October 2, 2017, at Bethel Mennonite Church in Mountain Lake, Pastor Roy Kauffman officiating. The church is located at 301 9th Street North.
Interment will be in Mountain Lake City Cemetery, located on 10th Street North at Midway Road, at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, October 2, 2017.
Visitation will be at Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake Chapel, on Sunday, October 1, 2017, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The funeral home is located at 420 10th Street North. A second visitation will be at the church the day of the funeral service from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at: www.sturmfh.com.
Sturm Funeral Home-Mountain Lake Chapel is handling the arrangements.
Lila Neufeld passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on Monday, September 25, 2017.
Lila Mae (Penner) Neufeld was born on June 20, 1933 on the home farm near Mountain Lake. She was the youngest daughter of Anna (Teichroew) and Peter I. Penner. Her childhood language was Plattdeutsch and her lifelong love of learning and teaching began at the Country School District #15. Lila graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1951. In 1955 she graduated from Grace Bible Institute in Omaha, Nebraska. She also attended Mountain Lake Bible School and Mankato State Teachers College (today, Minnesota State University-Mankato) in Mankato, Minnesota, and taught for two years at the Mountain Lake Christian Day School.
Following this, Lila went to Gulfport, Mississippi, serving one year in Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) as a Christian education teacher of African-American students. This MVS effort was a “quiet demonstration” that supported the emerging civil rights movement. In 1957, while living in Gulfport, she met a young seminarian from Chicago, Illinois, Ernest W. Neufeld. Lila and Ernie were married on August 31, 1958 at First Mennonite Church of Mountain Lake.
Together with Ernest, Lila served Mennonite congregations in Summerfield, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Freeman, South Dakota; Fargo, North Dakota and Meridian, Mississippi.
Music and faith in God were integral parts of Lila’s life. She contributed her gifts as pianist, organist, choir director and choir member to every church community. Her leadership skills were used in education committees and as a Sunday school teacher.
Lila was an avid reader, loved playing games, quilting and doing puzzles with her children and grandchildren. Providing hospitality, caring for her flowers and garden, and cooking and baking for family were a source of joy.
She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; sister, Verna Penner; brother, Melroy Penner; brother and sister-in-law, Alton and Luella Penner; brother-in-law, Peter A. Fast and niece, Luanne Fast.
Lila is survived by her children, Randy Neufeld (Susan Geil), Laurel Neufeld Weaver (Paul), Sheryl Fast (Rodney) and Rachel Neufeld-Schultze (Albrecht); 10 grandchildren, Erin Kerns (Jason), Jonah Geil-Neufeld (Annie Fassler), Jeremy Fast, Hannah Geil-Neufeld , Mitchell Fast, Justin Neufeld Weaver, Katelyn Fast, Ann-Katrin Schultze, Ana Neufeld Weaver and Jan-Christoph Schultze; one great-grandchild, Logan Kerns; sister, Esther (Penner) Fast; brother- in law, Robert Coon and sister in-law and her husband, Edith (Neufeld) and Steve Michalovic.
Memorial gifts may be made to Mennonite Voluntary Service online or sent to Mennonite Mission Network, PO Box 370, Elkhart, IN 66515