Young, Luella Maria (Pfister) 1910 - 2018

YOUNG, PFISTER, BURMEISTER, GUTZKA, BERGE, BREVIG, OSMUNDSON

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 5/21/2018 at 12:09:00

Luella Maria Young, née Pfister, passed away early Saturday, March 31, 2018, at the age of 107 years, 8 months, 14 days, at Aase Haugen Senior Services, Decorah, Iowa.

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, April 5, 2018 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah with Pastor Nancy Solomonson officiating. Burial will be in Locust Cemetery in rural Decorah. She will be laid to rest next to her husband George.

Visitation will be on Thursday beginning at 12:00 p.m., one hour before the service, at Fjelstul Funeral Home.

Luella was born July 17, 1910, the daughter of Alwin and Caroline (Burmeister) Pfister of Locust, Highland Twp., Iowa. She was baptized Sept. 11, 1910, by Rev. Seehus at St. John’s Lutheran Church at Locust, and confirmed June 15, 1924, by Rev. Heltne. Luella attended Locust School; and graduated from Decorah High School in 1927. After high school, she attended St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, for one year; then transferred to Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa (now the University of Northern Iowa). Luella had a varied career following college, becoming a teacher for one year at Locust School and one-half year in Grundy County. But she decided that she liked interaction with more people, becoming a clerk with National Tea Co. food stores in Austin, St. Peter, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the next few years.

On October 25, 1942, Luella married George H. Young, Jr., son of George H. Young, Sr., and Mina Marie Gutzka, at St. John’s Lutheran, Locust, Rev. Losen pastor. She and George farmed in Hesper Township, Winneshiek Co., until his death in 1962 at age 56 of cancer. Luella and George had one daughter, Lorna. After George died, Luella sold the farm to Milo Headington in 1963; then she and Lorna moved to Mabel, Minnesota, where Luella worked as a clerk at Bensons’s Store. In 1965 she moved to Decorah, where she worked in the food service at Luther College until her retirement in 1975. While on the farm Luella was a member of the local school board in rural Winneshiek Co., serving as secretary for sixteen years. She was active at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Locust, serving as secretary of education for several years, active in her circle, giving Bible study every month for more than twenty years.

Remarkably, Luella lived alone in her own apartment until the age of 100. Visits came often from her caregiver Donna (Loving Touch); from family whenever they were in town—one remembering it as a highlight of their trips; from a niece and her children who went often to chat and play the games Luella loved; and from her many friends. She loved going to the Senior Center for lunch and activities, volunteering, often singing solos. Just after her 100th birthday her hip broke, requiring her to become a resident of the Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. In spite of that, she was happy to join the family at our reunion in 2014, and to go for a ride with a niece in her convertible at age 103!

Luella was blessed with many loving family and friends who have said how inspiring and what a joy she was to know. She loved singing, doing needlework and quilting, playing cards and games, and traveling, never allowing her severe loss of hearing to prevent her from participating in any activities; remaining active at the Senior Center and at Aase for as long as she was able. Luella will be laid to rest next to her husband George in Locust Cemetery, rural Decorah.

Luella is survived by her daughter Lorna Berge and life partner Leonard Smith of Phoenix, Arizona; her grandson Greg (Dana) Brevig of Prior Lake, Minnesota, her great-grandson Drew Brevig, also of Prior Lake, and great-granddaughter Devan Brevig, of Lakeville, Minnesota; her youngest brother Gordon (Barb) Pfister of West Union, Iowa; and many loving nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband George H. Young; her parents Alwin and Caroline Pfister; her sister Elsie Pfister Osmundson; and four brothers, Walter, Lester, George, and Norman Pfister.

Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database

Locust Cemetery
 

Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Bruce Kuennen.
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