NEW HAMPTON - Blanche Kobliska, 96, New Hampton, died Monday, Feb. 11, 2002 at Mercy Medical Center, New Hampton of natural causes.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 15 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, New Hampton with Reverend Carl Schmitt officiating. Sr. Lorraine Loecher will be the organist and will accompany the St. Joseph Resurrection Choir singing "Here I Am Lord", "Prayer of St. Francis", "Gift of Finest Wheat" and "On Eagle's Wings". Joyce Shatek will be the cantor. Lector will’ be Michelle Kobliska. Mass servers will be Kyle and Sara Kobliska. Robert and William Kobliska will present offertory gifts and Mike, Pat, Louis ana Harlan Kobliska will place the pall.

Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, New Hampton, with grandsons Alvin Eyga-broad, John Borchers, Jim Kobliska, Kevin Lechtenberg, Adam Hanson and Joseph Kobliska serving as casket bearers. Honorary casket bearers will be grandchildren.

Visitation was from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at Conway-Kolbet Funeral Home, New Hampton, with a 4 p.m. combined C D of A Rosary Society Rosary and 7 p.m. Scripture Service. Visitation will also be an hour prior to services at the church.

Blanche Eva Kobliska was born April 16, 1905 near North Washington, the daughter of John and Pauline (Zimmer) Burgart. She attended St. Mary's School in North Washington. Following her schooling she was united in marriage with Charles Kobliska on Nov. 15, 1925 at St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque. After their marriage the couple farmed in Deerfield Township between Colwell and North Washington until 1938 when they moved to New Hampton. While in New Hampton the couple continued farming in the New Hampton area. Sne was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church where she volunteered as a cook for funeral lunches for 15 years. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Joan of Arc # 388, where she had served as treasurer and the St. Joseph Rosary Society. She enjoyed gardening and cooking.

Survivors include five sons, Robert (Wilma), Dumont, Harlan (Wilma) and John, Waterloo, Michael and Louis (Kathy), New Hampton; three daughters, Mary (Merlyn) Borcriers, Garner, Patricia and Joan (Delbert) Lechtenberg, New. Hampton, 32, grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; two sisters, Rosella Bach, New Hampton and Lucille Hosek, Cresco and numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Charles, in 1978; two daughters, Charlotte Breckunitch and Rosemary, in infancy; a brother, Walter; eight sisters, Lillian Denner, Frances Weber, Victoria Smith, Teresa Pesek, Alice Bach, Olivia Sobolik, Laura Streff and Ramona Burgart.

Source: New Hampton Tribune; Feb. 15, 2002 Page 4
from Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee
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