Eveline Koehne

Born to help others. . .

EVELINE M. (HOBERG) KOEHNE was born November 16, 1916 at Dagmar, Montana, the daughter of Peter and Rosa (Schultz) Hoberg. She was baptized in the Methodist faith.

When she was three years old, the family moved to Minnesota. The family farmed northwest of Lake Benton and she attended rural School District #53. When she was about 8 she helped an ailing Grandparent near New Ulm. She then went to high school in Lake Benton and many years later, after raising four children and going to their graduations, she returned to school to achieve her G.E.D.

Eveline was a hard worker, as one of the oldest Hoberg family of eleven children. She worked in the field with the horses, cooked in the kitchen, and helped raise the younger children. All these lessons equipped her for her own adult life. While everyday life was hard, Eveline also spoke of the laughter, music and the warm times she had with her family. They were constantly playing jokes on each other, and the rug would be rolled up when her father brought out his fiddle and a brother his harmonica. Those times, too, were good examples for the years to come.

Eveline was united in marriage to Ben Koehne on September 28, 1935, at Brookings, SD. Eveline was confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake Benton by Rev. Paul Spaude in July of 1936. She and Ben farmed the Koehne home farm southeast of Lake Benton in Fountain Prairie Township. She was immediately immersed in family farm life. Eveline always had a huge garden, canned and froze food that was delicious and often had extra feet around the table. Relatives loved to visit at the Koehne’s – for Eveline was a great hostess. She raised chickens for the eggs and roosters for eating and could serve a full meal without a thought.

During this time, four children were born, Marlyn, Allen, Gayle and JaNeil. These were the Depression years and Eveline found ways to show them love and concern. Family games, puzzles, making pizza and popcorn were all memories of a family growing together. And as these children grew and married, she welcomed each grandchild with love – and made each one feel important. Over the years, Eveline often wrote poetry and articles about her family and what life was like when she was growing up. She also wrote about each of her grandchildren, and these written memories are now a treasure to her family members.

Ben and Eveline farmed together for 59 years and then in 1997 they moved to Lake Benton where they resided in the Hole in the Mountain Apartments, where work began to slow down for Eveline. Ben became ill in September of 2001, and died on October 13, 2001. Eveline moved to the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone in the fall of 2007. Eveline died there on Monday, February 19, 2018 at the age of 101 years, 3 months, and 3 days.

Eveline was an active member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and served on the Altar Guild and in the Dorcas Society. She was a member of the Neighborly Neighbor’s Club and the Grandmother’s Club. She enjoyed her family, loved to sew, wrote poetry and stories, and was so helpful to all around her. Eveline also truly loved spending time at events and with staff at the Good Samaritan Community. She was a true caregiver and a faithful servant of God. We all have been rewarded for having known and loved her.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ben; a son, Allen Koehne; a grandson, Travis; and her siblings, Dennis, Erma, Juanita, Mildred, Jorgen, Lester, Earl, Darrel, and Nina.

She is survived by her children; Marlyn and Joyce Koehne of Langdon, North Dakota; Gayle and Pete VanVooren of Minneota, Minnesota; JaNeil Peschon of Pipestone, Minnesota; her sister, LaDonna; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.