Luella M. Schlueter

Hills, MN Luella M. Schlueter, age 98 of Hills, MN died Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 at the Sanford Hospital of Luverne, MN. Funeral service will be 10:30 AM, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills, MN with Rev. Mahlon Bekedam officiating. Burial will follow at Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery in Hills. Visitation will be Friday, Feb. 22, 2013 from 2:00 to 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Jurrens Funeral Home of Hills, MN. In Lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the Tuff Memorial Home of Hills. Luella Schlueter was born November 14, 1914 in Marion, South Dakota the fourth child of John and Ella (Heeren) Groepel. She graduated from Marion High School in 1932 before attending Eastern State Normal School earning her teaching certificate. The school is now Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota. She taught school in Hetland, South Dakota, Larchwood, Iowa and Canistota, South Dakota. It was while teaching in Canistota and living with a local family, as female teachers were required to do in those days, that she met George Schlueter. During WWII she served our country by teaching Morse Code at the Army Air base in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She married George on June 14, 1945 in Marion. George and Luella made their home from that time forward in Hills, where they owned and operated the Hills Crescent and Crescent Publishing Company. Luella wrote the local news column for most of those years and also broadcast the Hills News on KQAD radio in Luverne for over thirty years. Luella took great pride in Hills and was a member of the Hills Community Club. For many years, long after her own children had graduated from high school, she kept track of babies born in the HBC school district so shed know how many kindergarteners theyd have in five years. She was a devoted member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and taught Sunday School for many years. She was well known in Hills as she was commonly seen out walking around the town. She continued to ride her exercise bike daily until just months prior to her death. She never drove if she could walk somewhere. She enjoyed traveling and had visited Europe, Hawaii, the Holy Land and much of the USA. Luella is survived by her daughter, Bonnie (Brian) Olson of St. Paul, MN; her daughter-in-law, Sue Schlueter of Lake Park, MN; her son, Wayne (Barb) of Andover, KS; and her daughter, Laurie (John) Hynes of St. Louis Park, MN. Five grandchildren, Kris (Kelly) Schlueter of Roseville, MN; Kelli (Ryan) Lakeman of Plymouth, MN; Kari (Matt) Zizzo of Livermore, CA; and Gregory Hynes and Ellen Hynes of St. Louis Park, MN. She is also survived by five great-grandchildren, Shawn and Lauren Lakeman, Mason Schlueter and Allison and Jonathan Zizzo. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Ella Groepel; husband, George Schlueter; son, Gerry Schlueter; and siblings, Elmer, Mabel and Willard.