Suchan, Till Bernedette (Etteldorf) -- 1904 - 2001

DESSEL, ETTELDORF, SUCHAN, RONAN, TIMP

Posted By: IAGenWeb Volunteer
Date: 7/20/2010 at 09:31:39

Decorah Public Opinion, Tuesday, June 12, 2001

Till Suchan

Till Suchan, 96, of Ossian, died Tuesday, June 5, 2001 at the Ossian Senior Hospice where she had been a resident since Dec. 1988.

Funeral Mass was held Thursday, June 7 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Ossian, with Msgr. Cletus Hawes officiating.

Placement of the pall was provided by Gerald, Philip, Joseph and James Suchan. Musicians were organist Mary Beth Bouska and cantors Mary Pat Johanningmeier and Joan Schissel. Readers were Michael Ronan and Marilyn Ronan. Offertory carriers were Sara, Angela and Sarah Suchan.

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court No. 983 were in honorary attendance.

Casket bearers were David Suchan, Troy Suchan, Mark Suchan, Shawn Ronan, Michael Ronan and Parnell Etteldorf.

Interment was in St. Francis Cemetery in Ossian, with Schmitz Funeral Home of Ossian handling arrangements.

Till Bernedette Etteldorf was born June 18, 1904 in Ossian, the daughter of Philip and Catherine (Dessel) Etteldorf.

She was baptized and confirmed in St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, attended De Sales School and graduated in 1921. Her mother died when Till Etteldorf was young, so she stayed at home to care for her father and brother.

In the late 1920s, she spent a year in Roswell, N.M. and took care of her brother, Paul Etteldorf, who was ill.

She enjoyed traveling to Chicago to visit cousins and going to ballroom dances in her free time.

The Rt. Rev. Msgr, M. J. Thiltgen united her in marriage to Louis Suchan April 18, 1934 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. They moved to their first home near Decorah, where their first two children were born. The family then moved to the Amana Colonies where Louis Suchan was employed. Their third son was born in Cedar Rapids.

They then moved to Dubuque and lived there about nine years. During this time twins and two daughters were born.

Around 1950, they moved back to Ossian and resided on the Etteldorf Family Farm, where they lived until they retired in 1975 and moved into Ossian to a house across the street from the Catholic Church.

In 1988, Till Suchan moved into the Senior Hospice. Till Suchan was a hard working wife, mother and grandmother, who loved to be visited by her family.

She was a charter member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, a member of the St. Francis Rosary Society and a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church.

Throughout her active life, Till Suchan was an accomplished artist and musician in the field of fine arts, particularly oil painting, piano and ukulele. She was also skilled in needlework, culinary cooking and fine dining entertaining.

Survivors include her children: Gerald and Rebecca Suchan of Marshalltown; Philip and Krimhilde Suchan of Quincy, Mass.; Joseph and Mary Suchan of Robins, Iowa; James and Mary Jane Suchan of Cedar Rapids; Marilyn and Michael Ronan of Edina, Minn., and Kathy Suchan of Decorah; 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Till Bernedette Suchan was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Louis Suchan on July 5, 1976; a son, Eugene Suchan in 1996; three brothers, Paul Ettedorf, William Etteldorf and Louis Etteldorf and a sister, Adele Timp.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.