Elaine M. Klaustermeier

Obituary

Elaine M. Klaustermeier was born on March 19, 1925, in Benton Township, Carver County, MN. She was the daughter of Louis and Lillie (Williams) Honebrink. She became a child of God through Baptism on March 29, 1925, at Zion Lutheran Church, Benton Township, Cologne, MN, and was confirmed on April 2, 1939, at Zion Lutheran Church in Mayer, MN.

She received her education in Mayer from grades 1-6 and attended 7th and 8th grade at Zion Lutheran School in Mayer. She graduated from Waconia High School with the Class of 1943. After graduation, Elaine moved to the Twin Cities and worked as a secretary for Mutual of Omaha and then North American Life and Casualty Insurance Company. Elaine met her future husband Harold at a dance. They were married on October 26, 1947, at Zion Lutheran Church in Mayer. Elaine and Harold made their home in Lester Prairie and attended St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Their marriage was blessed with two sons, Daniel and Dale. They shared 46 years of marriage before Harold’s passing on November 19, 1993. Elaine and Harold loved to travel. They spent many winters in Harlingen, TX, and summers in Grand Marais, MN in their camper.

Throughout her years in Lester Prairie, Elaine had numerous jobs. They included a seamstress, a kitchen worker at a nursing home, an assessor for the village, a worker at Thiel’s Meat Market and at the local grocery store, and a secretary at Schwartz Manufacturing. Her last place of employment was at Prairie Drug, where she worked until 1987. After retirement, she continued to make quilts and take in sewing for others. She was a master at embroidering. She was deeply religious and was an active member of her church and LWML. She made over 100 quilts a year, layettes, and school kits for missions. She was involved in sending hundreds of packages of Bibles and Christian books to Ghana. She counted money for her church for 21 years and taught Sunday school for 5 years. She was very proud to sing in the church choir for over twenty years.

Elaine will be remembered for her amazing memory. She would tell you what you ordered for a meal at a certain restaurant 3 years ago and whether or not you liked it. She loved playing games, especially cards, with her family and friends.

She had a quick sense of humor. Towards the end, she had a hard time keeping her eyes open when her family was visiting. She informed them that even if her eyes were closed there was nothing wrong with her hearing and that she heard everything they said. One day when the nurses were putting their arms around her to help her stand, she started singing the song, “Put Your Arms Around Me Honey, Hold Me Tight”.

Elaine loved her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She cherished her time with them. She was one of a kind and will be missed so very much by all of her family and friends.

Blessed be her memory.

Elaine is survived by her:
Children, Dan (Mary) Klaustermeier of Ellsworth, WI,
                  Dale (Cindy) Klaustermeier of Lester Prairie, MN;
Grandchildren, Kristin Klaustermeier, Kari Klaustermeier, Lauren Klaustermeier and Logan Klaustermeier and Karla (Rick) Edin and Erin Norstedt;
Great Grandsons, Kason and Kelvin Norstedt;
Sisters-in-law, Melba Honebrink and Mabel Schmidt;
Brother-in-law, Lyle Winterfeldt;
Many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Elaine is preceded in death by her husband, Harold, parents Louis and Lillie Honebrink, her in-laws Herbert and Sybilla Klaustermeier, her brother Curtis and his wife, Arlys Honebrink and their daughter, Lori, her brother Louis Honebrink, her sister Eunice and her husband, Galen Kramin, brother-in-law Leo Schmidt, and sister-in-law Elaine Winterfeldt.