Miene, Harold J.A.F. 1936-1990

GILSON, MIENE, STEGEN, HORN, ZUERCHER, EHRHARDT, DOTSETH, SWENSON, SCHULTZ

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 8/18/2005 at 16:27:34

Harold Miene

Funeral services for Harold Miene were held Friday, January 12, 11 a.m. in St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville. Rev. Julius L. Peterson officiated assisted by Rev. Charles W. Miller. Schutte Funeral Service, Postville, was in charge of arrangements. Burial was in the Postville Cemetery.

Harold James Albert Fritz Miene, son of Fred William and Frances (Gilson) Miene, was born January 18, 1936 near Luana, Iowa. He died Thesday (sic), January 9, 1990 in Clayton County, Iowa.

He was baptized March 22, 1936 and confirmed April 2, 1950, both at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville. He graduated from Luana High School in 1954.

On February 8, 1959 he married Sharon Stegen at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville. The couple had 5 children. For about a year they lived in Postville and then moved to their present farm near Luana.

He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, where he was active as a member of the Church Council, usher and a Sunday School teacher. He was also a member of the Iowa and National Holstein Association, the Clayton County Dairy Promotion Committee, Clayton County Fair Board, and Farm Bureau. He served as a 4-H Leader for several years.

He is preceded in death by his parents.

Surviving are his wife, Sharon; 2 sons, James and Fred, both of Luana; 3 daughters, Deborah and her husband, Mike Horn, Newton, IA, Linda and her husband, Joe Zuercher, Postville, and Sandra and her husband, Mark Ehrhardt, Monona; 9 grandchildren; 2 brothers, Willard and Wayne, both of Luana; 2 sisters, Patricia (Mrs. Robert Dotseth), Decorah and Erma Jean (Mrs. Marlin Swenson), Postville; his mother-in-law, Clara Stegen, Milwaukee, WI; an aunt, Velma Schultz; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Casket Bearers: Brad Schutte, Loren Walch, John Foels, Rod Mohning, Ron Lenth, Darrin Walch, Jim Moose and Daryl Henkes.

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Miene Killed While In Silo

Harold Miene, 53, of Luana was killed Jan. 9 while he was loading shelled corn from a silo on the Stanley Schultz farm south of Postville.

He was alone in the silo at the time of the accident and so "it is difficult to know just what happened," said Postville Fire Chief Steve Schroeder. He was shoveling the corn into a grain vacuum which was taking it outside to a truck operated by 2 employees of Four County Ag., Postville. Lyle Opheim, owner of Four County Ag. declined to discuss the accident with The Herald.

Schroeder said apparently the grain vacuum took corn out from underneath Miene, creating a pocket where the victim was covered with corn and was smothered.

The accident happened just before 2 p.m. As soon as it was recognized by those outside, including Miene's son, Fred, they began trying to dig him out. The Postville Ambulance was called at 2:00 p.m.

(Schultz was working elsewhere when it happened, although his wife was at their home.)

"When we got there, all we could do was help them dig him out. There were 4 digging when we got there .... Corn is kind of like quicksand once somebody gets buried in it," Schroeder said.

Once the victim was dug out, he was taken to Community Memorial Hospital, Postville, but efforts to revive him there were unsuccessful.

Obituary on the church page of The Herald.

Postville Herald newspaper clipping from my mother's obituary collection.

Submitter has no further information