OBITUARY: Elsa Margarete Kohnke, Mitchell County, Iowa [Mitchell County Press-News, online, www.mcpress.com, Posted May 8, 2002] Elsa Margarete Kohnke Funeral services for Elsa Margarete Kohnke, age 95, of Osage were held Monday, May 6, 2002 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Osage. The Reverend Dennis Hanson and Reverend Roy Ott officiated. Interment was in the Osage Cemetery. Elsa Margarete Kohnke died Wednesday, May 1,2002 at Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Osage. She was born Dec. 6, 1906 in Diekdorf, Germany. She was raised in Heiligenstedten, Germany. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Marien Lutheran Church in Heiligenstedten, Germany. Elsa worked in Hamburg, Germany until the age of 23 and came to the United States on January 26, 1929. She was united in marriage to Herman Kohnke, Sr., on Oct. 14, 1933 in Clayton Center, IA. They served as maid, butler and chauffeur until 1940 and began farming in 1941. She lived on farms in Postville, Manly and Mona, IA until retirement in 1980 when she moved to Osage. Kohnke was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Osage and resided at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center since October of 1999, up until that time she lived alone at her home in Osage. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting and tatting. Elsa will be sadly missed by her family and friends. Preceding her in death are her parents, husband Herman Kohnke, Sr., son Herman Kohnke, Jr., one sister and one brother. Survivors include her son John Kohnke and his wife Pauline of Glenville, MN; two granddaughters, Monica Wallace and her husband Shon of Elko, MN and Marnie Thompson and her husband Scott of Albert Lea, MN; grandson Jay Kohnke and his wife Shelly of Austin, MN and great-grandchildren Nathan Kohnke, Andrew Thompson, Anna and Nathan Wallace. Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Copyright (c) 2002 by Kermit Kittleson (Note: I am not necessarily related to the subject of the obituary.) This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. **************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material,must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ****************************************************************************