Kestel, Gladys Elaine (1928-2018)

KESTEL, GRUNDMEIER, PLOEGER, PATERA, ENGLISH, DILLS, GAFFNEY, ENGLANDER

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 5/18/2021 at 17:36:23

Gladys Elaine Kestel
January 30, 1928 - December 31, 2018

Gladys Elaine Kestel, age 90, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on December 31, 2018, at her home in rural Storm Lake.

Gladys Elaine Grundmeier, a daughter of August and Marie (Ploeger) Grundmeier, was born on January 30, 1928. Baptized on March 4, 1928, at Immanuel Reformed Church near Schaller, she attended grade school in rural Schaller and Schaller High School until the tenth grade. She, then, transferred to and later graduated from Hayes High School in 1945.

On February 11, 1947, Gladys married Donald Kestel at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Schaller. They lived for a short time in Schaller before moving to the Kestel farm southwest of Storm Lake in 1950. Gladys taught CCD classes at St. Joseph’s for nearly twenty years. An active member of the Rosary Society and the Catholic Daughters of America, she served as an Eucharistic Minister as well.

Gladys was employed as a cook at both the Faith, Hope, and Charity Home and at St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake. A devout mother and grandmother who deeply loved and enjoyed her family, she, also, had an unwavering faith in God. She enjoyed knitting and was always known for her impressive cooking and baking skills, especially for her spaghetti, amazing chocolate chip cookies, and cinnamon rolls.

Those left to cherish her memory include Donald Kestel, her husband of seventy-one years; her dear children and their spouses: Joan Englander, of Storm Lake, Iowa, Ronald (Jeannie) Kestel, of Waterloo, Iowa, Diane Patera, of Ida Grove, Iowa, Paul (Gaylene) Kestel, of Storm Lake, Iowa, Thomas (Renea) Kestel, of Lake Crystal, Minnesota, Joseph Kestel, of Denver, Colorado, and Karen (Mike) English, of Omaha, Nebraska; twenty grandchildren; thirty-nine great grandchildren; and her brother-in-law, Gene (Doreen) Kestel, of Storm Lake, Iowa; as well as extended family members and friends.

Gladys was preceded in death by her parents; her granddaughter, Jill Kestel; her brothers: Clarence (infant); Ervin (Mildred), Harold, Arthur (Arlene), and Melvin (Agnes) Grundmeier; her sister, Viola (Curt) Dills; her sister-in-law, Dolores (Kestel) and John Gaffney; and her sons-in-law, Dr. Daniel Patera and Robert Englander.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, January 5, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Schaller, Iowa. Burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will take place Friday, January 4, 2019, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Schaller with a recitation of the rosary at 4:30 p.m. and a vigil service at 7:00 p.m., all at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Schaller is in charge of the arrangements.

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes, Schaller, Iowa, 2018.

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