KRAFT, Alberta 'Bertha' (nee Miller) Rague 1914-2004

KRAFT, GRUIS, MILLER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/16/2009 at 19:17:57

BERTHA RAGUE KRAFT

GREENE, IOWA — Funeral services for Bertha Rague Kraft, 89, of 306 W. South St. Greene, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the United Methodist Church in Greene, with Pastor Ashok Patet officiating. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Charles City.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Reid’s Funeral Chapel in Greene, and continue one hour prior to services on Wednesday at the church.

Alberta Miller was born Dec. 25, 1914, in rural Dumont, Butler County, the second child of Henry H. and Hattie (Gruis) Miller, and died Sunday (March 28, 2004) at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

She was baptized on May 4, 1919, and received her education in the country schools near Dumont.

She was united in marriage to Earle Everett Rague in December 1932 at the Reformed Church in Dumont. They made their home in Greene and to this union were born four children. Earle died Oct. 24, 1967.

On Feb. 5, 1973, she was united in marriage to George Kraft at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. George died in October of 1997.

Bertha provided for her family through vegetable gardening, canning, cooking, with the memories of the flavors, smells, and warmth from her kitchen.

She will be remembered as the lady with the green thumb. She worked countless hours on her flower garden, raising house plants and keeping her home immaculate inside and out.

She enjoyed traveling, shopping, and eating out at the Royal Fork and Bonanza.

Bertha always said that she wasn’t going to die because she hadn’t started living.

Living family members include her daughter, Eloise (Robert) O’Brien of Greene; three sons, Eugene (Deanna) Rague of Mason City, Donald (Phyllis) Rague of Charles City, and Roger (Marlene) Rague of Phoenix, Ariz.; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; four sisters: Dena Hansen and Kathleen Schempf, both of Lakewood, Colo., Alice (John) Heinz of Charles City, and Lucille Hansen of Waterloo; and two brothers, Daniel Miller of Greene and Les Miller of Portland.

She was preceded in death by her two husbands, her parents; three brothers, William, Vernon, and Harry; and a grandson, David Rague.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the Bertha Rague Kraft Memorial Fund in care of the family.

Reid’s Funeral Chapel, (641) 823-4457.

[Globe Gazette]