Irene Frieda Richter

Sibley, IA Irene F. Richter, age 90 of Ashton, IA died Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at Country View Manor in Sibley, IA. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM Saturday, December 15, 2012 at St. Marys Catholic Church in Ashton, with Father John Vakulskas as celebrant. Burial will follow in the St. Marys Catholic Cemetery in Ashton. Visitation will be Friday, December 14th from 2-8 PM with family present from 6-8 PM at St. Marys Catholic Church in Ashton. There will be a rosary at 4:00 PM and a vigil service at 7:00 PM Friday evening at the church. Irene Frieda Richter was born on March 1, 1922, the daughter of Frank and Anna (Schulte) Thiele, in Breda, Iowa. Her childhood years were spent growing up on a farm near Ashton, Iowa. In 1944 she was married to Bernard Richter, and to this union ten children were born. Bernard passed away in 1967, leaving Irene with the youngest children ranging in age from seventeen years to two months. She was the Ashton news correspondent for the Sibley Gazette, Catholic Globe, and Worthington Globe for many years. Irene was Ashton St. Marys organist for fifty-three years, and was choir director for the Mens Choir, Childrens Choir and Adult Combined Choir. She was well known in the area for the bands that she formed, including the Swingtones, Sound of Silver and Express 97. Irene also volunteered at area retirement homes entertaining the residents with her gift of music. She was the pianist for the American Legion Auxiliary, where she was a member for fifty-six years and formed the Legion Auxiliary group Vocal Expressions . She was also a fifty plus year member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Previously she was secretary of the DeBoer Grocery Museum and a member of St. Marys Guild. Leaving her children a lasting legacy of a deep faith in eternal life are: Sharon (Gary) Niichel, Rochester, MN, Karen (Gary) Trei, Sibley, IA, Callan Richter, Union Grove, WI, Colette (Stewart) McCollum, Indian Trail, NC, Bonnie (Terry) Gregg, Sibley, IA, Michael (Karen) Richter, Orange City, IA, Judy (Bill) Schierholz, Brandon, SD, Annette (Brad) Seivert, Dawson, MN and Jeffrey Richter, Spirit Lake, IA. Also surviving are twenty-five grandchildren and thirty-five great-grandchildren, her brother-in-law, Jim Streit, and three sisters-in-law, Zita Thiele, Kathleen Richter, and Marian Richter. Irene was preceded in death by her husband Bernard, their infant son, Perry, her parents, brothers and sisters, Ed, Mary, Hildegarde, Levine, Father Bob, Phyllis, Floyd and Augusta, also granddaughter, Shelly Niichel and a great-grandson, Adam Huls. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.