Elsie Christine Muller

MULLER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 11/2/2010 at 21:09:38

Sioux City Journal
13 July 2010

SIOUX CITY -- Elsie Muller, 97, of Sioux City passed away Thursday, July 8, 2010, at a Sioux City hospital.

Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mark Lutheran Church, with the Rev. John Hagberg officiating. Burial will be in Wakefield City Cemetery, Wakefield, Neb. Visitation will be 9 a.m. until service time Wednesday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent online to www.christysmith.com.

Elsie Christine Muller was born Dec. 7, 1912, in Wakefield, Neb., to Fred and Sophie (Have Kost) Muller. She attended and graduated from Wakefield High School.

Elsie was highly influenced by her father to attend college. She was the only one of her siblings to do so. She received her bachelor of arts at Wayne State College. From there she went to the University of Michigan, where she received her masters. She continued her education at Iowa State, where she received her Ph.D. She went into mathematics, which at the time was primarily a man's field. Education was very important to Elsie.

She started her teaching career in a two-room country school, Myrtle Creek School, in Wakefield. After that, she taught in LaSalle, Ill., for a while. She also taught at the University of Michigan and Iowa State while she was working on her postgraduate degrees. In 1955, she moved to Sioux City and finished her teaching career at Morningside College as a professor of mathematics.

Elsie was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, American League of Woman Voters and a life member of Mathematical Association of America. She was chosen for outstanding faculty member of Morningside College in 1978. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, Sioux City Women's Club, Women of ELCA, American Inter Professional Institute, Duplicate Bridge Club of Sioux City and past member of Sirosis. She was saluted for Women of Excellence in 1996. She was awarded Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Morningside College. She was responsible for founding the Kappa Mu Society at Morningside College.

Elsie was the oldest member of St. Mark Lutheran Church.

She is survived by nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; stepmother, Nancy; and brothers and their wives, Marvin and Helen and Francis and Vivian.

Memorials may be directed to the Elsie Muller Scholarship for Math Students at Morningside College.