BIRKHOLZ, Irene Velma (Priebe) 1920-2011

PRIEBE, BIRKHOLZ, HEMKER, SIDO

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 12/30/2011 at 12:37:21

Irene Velma (Priebe) Birkholz

SHEFFIELD, IOWA - Irene Velma (Priebe) Birkholz, 91, of Sheffield passed away Saturday, December 24, 2011, at the Rockwell Community Nursing Home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, December 31, at Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Sheffield with the Rev. G. Kim Wills presiding. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Charles City.

Irene Velma (Priebe) Birkholz was born Sept. 23, 1920, to Herman and Wilhelmina (Hemker) Priebe in Dresden Township, rural Fredericksburg. She was baptized at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Boyd, Iowa, on Oct. 17, 1920. Irene attended rural school near Fredericksburg until moving to Charles City in 1927, where she attended public schools until her graduation in 1938. During her senior year she worked at the Iowa State Employment Agency and later at the Oliver plant in Charles City.

Irene was united in marriage with William (Ed) Birkholz at Spencer on September 7, 1940. They moved to the family farm near Oakwood raising hogs, cattle and chickens, producing hatching eggs for Hoover Hatchery for 38 years. They moved to a farm in St. Charles Township in 1956 and Sheffield in 1970 and continued farming until retiring in 1980.

After retirement, summer months were often spent in northern Minnesota camping and fishing and winter months were spent in Harlingen, Texas. Traveling was discontinued in 1989 because of health problems.

In 1970 Irene became a member of Zion St. John Lutheran Church in Sheffield. Many hours were spent on mission projects, quilts, layettes, mittens, clothing protectors for the Care Center along with fellowship. She remained active her entire life, living on the farm at Sheffield until May of 1996 when she fell and broke her hip. Then she moved to the Rockwell Community Nursing Home where she loved to play rummikub, cards and doing some reading. She enjoyed the staff at the care center and the activities that kept her busy. Collecting stuffed animals became one of her favorite things to do.

Irene is survived by a daughter, Patricia (Marnie) Will, Mankato, Minnesota; son, David (Mary Lou) Birkholz, Palestine, Texas; six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Gladys Nelson, Charles City. She is also survived by her Special Iowa Family.

She is preceded in death by her parents and husband, Ed, in 1997, and one sister, Mable Sido.

Retz Funeral Home, www.retzfh.com.

[ Mason City Globe Gazette online, December 30, 2011 ]