Marie K. Stern

Marie K. Stern, age 87 of Storm Lake passed away at the Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa on March 12, 2003 following an extended illness.

Funeral services will be 10:30 am, Saturday, March 15, 2003 at the Grace Lutheran Church in Storm Lake with Pastor Steven Schulz officiating. Burial will be in the Buena Vista Memorial Park Cemetery in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

Visitation will begin after 2:00 pm, Friday, March 14, 2003 with the family present to greet friends from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake.

Marie Kathryn Weitzel was born on December 6, 1915 in Sac County to Henry and Ruth (Andrews) Weitzel. She attended school in Early, Juniata, and Hayes Consolidated School of Storm Lake, Iowa. She quit school following 10th grade to help support her family by hiring out as a housekeeper.

On October 5, 1937 she was united in marriage to Alvin J. Stern at the Lutheran Parsonage in Waverly, Iowa. This union was blessed with two children, Robert and Bonnie. They farmed in Butler County, the Truesdale, Hanover, Aurelia, and Alta areas before settling west of Storm Lake in 1950. Marie worked seasonally at the canning factory and Dekalb Seed Corn. She retired from Vern’s Variety in 1977 after working there for over 15 years.

In the early years, she raised and sold rabbits, parakeets, and chinchillas. Her favorite pastimes were gardening and fishing. For many years, she enjoyed making and selling craft items. Her lastest passion was bingo. She divided her time between Mesa, Arizona and Storm Lake for the last ten years.

Marie is survived by her son Robert and wife Bonnie Stern of Storm Lake; daughter Bonnie and husband Thomas Augard of Cherokee; four grandsons; five great grandchildren; sisters: Dorothy Jarvis of Sac City, Doris and husband Loran McBride of Early, and Elaine and husband Chuck Goodman of Alta; sister-in-law Dorothy Weitzel of Storm Lake; nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.

Preceding Marie in death are her parents, Henry and Ruth Weitzel; husband, Alvin; grandson, Michael Stern; brother, Melvin Weitzel; sister, Margaret Miller; and a special friend, Ken Foell.