Schwenke Kroeger, Reta (Taake) 1854-1936

KROEGER, SCHWENKE, TAAKE, LINDNER, KRUSE, KELPIEN, GLAWE, SCHWENCKE, MELCHERT

Posted By: Ken Johnson (email)
Date: 9/17/2022 at 11:29:59

Wed., 9 Dec. 1936 issue of "Clayton County Register" (Elkader, IA), page 3, columns 5-6:

MRS. RETA KROEGER

Mrs. Reta Minnie Kroeger, for many years a resident of this county, was buried at Clayton Center yesterday afternoon, following services in the Lutheran church of that place.

Mrs. Kroeger was born in Germany, May 10, 1854, in the Province of Prussia, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Taake.

At the age of two years she came to America with her parents and settled in Read township, this county. On the 13th of March, 1873, she was united in marriage with J. H. Schwenke and then continued to live in Clayton Center until the year 1908 when they removed to Hartford, S. D., where the decease has lived ever since.

In 1921 she suffered the loss of her husband and in 1923, she was married to Christoph Kroeger. Her second husband died in 1926.

She leaves to mourn her death two daughters, whom she adopted: Mrs. Minnie Lindner of Steen, Minn., and Mrs. Emma Kruse of Minneapolis, Minn., also three step-children. Besides these there are the following brothers and sisters: Mrs. Chas. Kelpien, Elkader; Mrs. Elisa Glawe, Farmersburg; Fred Taake, Farmersburg; Henry Taake of Guttenberg; George Taake, Elkader and August Taake, Read township.

Mrs. Kroeger was an active, life-long member of the Lutheran church both here and in South Dakota. Only seven weeks ago she came to Clayton Center and her main desire was to worship again where she had so often worshipped and to renew old acquaintances.

Little did she know then that death would soon overtake her. Five weeks later, while visiting her granddaughter, Mrs. Kruse in Sioux Falls, S. D., she was stricken with gallstone trouble. Added to this Pneumonia set in to cause her death. She died last Thursday evening in a Sioux Falls hospital at the age of 82 years, six months and 23 days.

Card of Thanks

We desire to express to our kind neighbors and thoughtful friends our heartfelt thanks for their many expressions of sympathy, to the Rev. O. Melchert for his service, and to the choir for their songs. The beautiful floral offerings were especially appreciated.

Mrs. Louise Glawe, Mrs. Chas. Kelpien, Fred Taake, George Taake, August Taake, Henry Taake.

[TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Photos of her and her first husband's headstones are posted at findagrave. The surname is spelled Schwencke on the monument, and her headstone gives her name as Wilhelmina.]

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Added by Reid R. Johnson 5/11/2023:

Clayton County Register, 09 Dec. 1936.

GUTTENBERG: Henry Taake on Friday received word from Yankton, S.D., that his sister, Mrs. Minnie Krueger [sic], died there. The body was shipped to Clayton Center, her former home, for burial.