Elizabeth Zimmel

Funeral Mass for Elizabeth (Haider) Zimmel, 95, of Wheaton, Minnesota will be held Friday, January 7, 2011 at 11:00 A.M. at the Ave Maria Catholic Church in Wheaton, Minnesota with Fr. Joe Vandeberg celebrant. Pallbearers will be Elizabeths Grandchildren. Organist will be Cindy Sanasack with special music provided by Melissa Persing. Interment will be in Wildwood Cemetery. Visitation will be held Thursday, January 6th from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the Ranney Funeral Home in Wheaton. Visitation will continue Friday morning one hour prior to services at the church. The Ranney Funeral Home of Wheaton, Minnesota is in charge of arrangements. Elizabeth Zimmel was born on July 18, 1915 to John and Gertrude (Spaeth) Haider in Meire Grove, Minnesota. Elizabeth was the youngest of nine children. In 1916, Elizabeths family moved from Sterns County to the Mahnomen area where her parents purchased a farm. Elizabeth attended the Ahmann School through the eighth grade. She worked with her parents on their farm while growing up. She eventually met Clarence, who was a neighbor, and they married June 28, 1937 in Beaulieu, Minnesota. From this union five children were born: Clarence, Leonard, Mildred, Arnold and Loretta. In 1939 Clarence and Elizabeth moved to Wheaton where they were employed with Albert Heidelberger for four years. Clarence helped with the farming and Elizabeth worked with Joyce keeping up with all the daily chores around the farm. Later the couple bought their own farmstead near Wheaton. They farmed forty two years together until Clarences death in 1988. Elizabeth continued to farm with her son Leonard until she moved into Wheaton in 2005. Elizabeth was known for her good cooking and baking. She worked in the kitchen at the Traverse Care Center for thirteen years. She also helped her daughter, Loretta at the Wheaton Rec. Center for sixteen years. She enjoyed all the conversation with friends in the kitchen and working with the school kids. The kids all thought she was pretty cool . Music was a big part of her life, she loved to dance. Back at her home town of Mahnomen, the people would call her family the Dancing Haiders ! Elizabeth enjoyed quilting, embroidery and crocheting. She loved giving her handy work to her children and grandchildren. Elizabeth was proud of having her drivers license. The grandchildren called her Fast Grandma . She enjoyed mowing with her riding lawn mower at the farm up until she was ninety years old. She was a member of St. Peters Catholic Church in Dumont, Minnesota and later Ave Maria Catholic Church in Wheaton. She will always be remembered for the love she gave her children and grandchildren. She was a hard working woman all her life and will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Elizabeth passed away January 3, 2011 at the Traverse Care Center in Wheaton. Elizabeth is survived by five children: Clarence (Jean) Zimmel of Wheaton, Minnesota, Leonard (Diane) Zimmel of Wheaton, Minnesota, Mildred (John) Simonson of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Arnold (Bette) Zimmel of Waconia, Minnesota and Loretta (James) Neuman of Wadena, Minnesota, nine grandchildren: Tami Zimmel, Stacy Gerwin, Clarence L. Zimmel, Jeffrey Zimmel, Chad Zimmel, Brad Zimmel, Michael Best, Melissa Ortiz and Misti Kern, three step-grandchildren: Shelby Howe, Michael Ascher and Sara Pool, twenty-two great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband, three brothers: John, Andrew and Matt, and five sisters: Cecelia, Katherine, Ella, Rosella and Alma.