Wenthe, Esther H. (Venter)

Esther H. (Venter) Wenthe, 95, of Waterloo, died Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, at Lakeview Landing, Waterloo. Services: 11 a.m. Saturday at Parrott and Wood Chapel of Memories, 965 Home Plaza, Waterloo, where visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight. Private burial: Fairview Cemetery, Waterloo.

She is survived by two daughters, Jeanne (John) Weingart of Bloomington, Minn., and Jane (Dan) Harbit of Iowa City; six grandchildren, Mike (Jody Reiter) Wenthe of Jesup, Brian Weingart of Bloomington, Minn., Katie (Joe) Lawrence of Savage, Minn., Justin Harbit of Fort Scott, Kan., and Allison Harbit and Kaybri Harbit, both of Iowa City; and five great-grandchildren, Koari (Greg) Shaw of Ames, Makaila and Kyllie Weingart of Bloomington, Minn., and Noah and Brody Lawrence of Savage, Minn.

Esther was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Arnold Venter; her husband, Don, on Sept. 25, 1990; and a son, Gordon in 1982.

Esther was the daughter of Carl and Amanda (Meyer) Venter and was born in Waterloo on Feb. 2, 1914. She attended school at Immanuel Lutheran School and East High School. Esther married Don Wenthe on May 30, 1938, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, following a very long courtship that dated back to when Esther was 13 years old. They were the proud parents of three children. Esther served as the matriarch of her family, caring for her children and other family members as the need arose.

She is fondly remembered as being an excellent cook and some of her favorite recipes cannot be duplicated. For Esther, family gatherings were a highlight. She was an excellent hostess and enjoyed entertaining. Esther and Don enjoyed worldwide travel but she also looked forward to annual fishing trips with her family and friends to Minnesota.

Following Don's death in 1990, Esther moved into Friendship Village in Waterloo, where she met new friends and enjoyed playing bridge, cards and dominoes. Friendship Village, Lakeview Lodge and Lakeview Landing truly became home for Esther. Esther was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Allen Hospital Auxiliary and Friendship Village Auxiliary, all of which she served in various leadership capacities.

The family extends a very sincere Thank You to the nurses and staff at Lakeview Landing for giving Esther excellent care.

As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be sent to Immanuel Lutheran Church or the Friendship Village Foundation.

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