Bircher, Jeanette Marie (1931-2017)

BIRCHER, CHRISTIANSEN, THOMPSON, CODER, CHRISTIANSEN, RAPER, MONROE, KNUTSON

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 11/25/2017 at 13:25:58

Jeanette Marie Bircher
May 11, 1931 - October 22, 2017

Jeanette Marie Bircher, age 86, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, went to be with her Lord on Sunday, October 22, 2017, after a prolonged struggle with diabetes..

The third of seven children, Jeanette was born on May 11, 1931, to the late Marcus and Mae (Thompson) Christiansen at their home in rural Newell. She loved living on the farm and graduated from Newell High School in 1949. One of As a small child, Jeanette loved having her Grandfather Thompson visit the farm because he would bounce her on his knee while singing Danish hymns to her. Always proud of her Danish heritage, she would accompany her mother on a tour of Denmark later in life.

On June 12, 1949, Jeanette married Fred Raymond Bircher. To their union, five sons were born: Norman, Steven, Neil, Daniel, and Scott. During their marriage, they lived in various towns throughout Iowa. Always involved in community activities either as president of the PTA or as a participant in Church activities. She especially enjoyed singing in the church choir. While living in Boone, she worked for the Iowa Electric and Gas Company for twenty-three years, first as a supply manager and later as a radio operator in the Line department, a position she held until she retired.

Jeanette enjoyed playing the piano, riding through the countryside enjoying nature, and getting together with family. She had many friends who all loved her. In February of 1974, she lost her husband, Fred, to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and in January of 2008, she lost her oldest son, Norm, to the same disease. She, later, married Dean Coder from Ogden, who passed away in 2005. In May 2012, she moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to be near her son, Steven, and his wife.

She is survived by her sons, Steven (Debbie), of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Neil (Denise), of Van Meter, Dan (Melody), of Sheridan, Wyoming, and Scott (Marcy) of Kansas City, Missouri; several grandchildren and great grandchildren; her brother, Roger Christiansen, of Storm Lake; her sisters, Marge (Jerry) Raper, of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Ann Monroe, of Sioux City; as well as by many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Jeanette was preceded in death by her husbands, Fred Bircher and Dean Coder; her son, Norm (Beverly); her brothers, Ralph (Diane) and Marc (Carol); and her sister, Elaine Knutson.

Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2017, at the United Methodist Church in Storm Lake, (211 East 3rd St.) with Rev. Phil Webb officiating. Interment will follow in the Newell Cemetery, Newell, Iowa. The Evergreen Funeral Home and Crematory in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is serving the family.

Evergreen Funeral Home and Crematory, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 2017.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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