Evangeline Sophia Gieseke

EVANGELINE SOPHIA GIESEKE was born to Frank and Anna (Willert) Pottratz on June 2, 1921 near Ward, South Dakota. She was baptized on June 26, 1921 by Pastor Werr at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Verdi, Minnesota. She was confirmed on February 25, 1940 at the English Lutheran Church in Lake Benton, Minnesota by Rev. Vordale. She attended school in Verdi, Lake Benton, Pipestone, Minnesota, and Des Plaines, Illinois. On July 22, 1940, she was united in marriage to Clifford Luschen at Tyler, Minnesota by Rev. Vordale. Following their marriage, they lived in Lake Benton, Minneapolis, and Glencoe, Minnesota. After Clifford’s death on April 29, 1957, she worked at Strutwear in Glencoe and Tonka Toys in Mound, Minnesota. On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1967, she married Walter Gieseke at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glencoe by Pastor Bogel. Following their marriage, they lived in Glencoe. Walter passed away on January 22, 1974. After his death, Evangeline worked at Hands in Hutchinson, Minnesota until her retirement in 1983. In 1985, she moved to Lake Benton, Minnesota and resided there until May 2010, when she became a resident at the Good Samaritan Communities in Pipestone. In November 2010 Evangeline she moved closer to her family and became a resident at the Glencoe Regional Health Services Long Term Care in Glencoe, Minnesota, where on Saturday, October 20, 2012 she died peacefully at the age of 91 years, 4 months and 18 days.

Evangeline was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake Benton, Minnesota. She enjoyed spending her time sewing and doing ceramics.

She is survived by her stepdaughter, Donna Stepien and her husband Larry of Glencoe, Minnesota; her step-son-in-law, Jack Noga of Glencoe, Minnesota; seven step-grandchildren; ten step-great-grandchildren; four step-great-great-grandchildren; numerous cousins; and other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clifford Luschen; her husband Walter Gieseke; her step-daughter, Betty Noga; her parents; her stepfather, Henry Nybo; one stepsister, Deloris Jarzombek; and one stepbrother, Robert Nybo.