Schmidt, Mabel

God in His wisdom and mercy took to Himself the soul of Mabel Schmidt Dec. 13, 2010. She was born March 23, 1932, reborn through the waters of baptism, and carried into the arms of her loving Lord and Savior Monday evening.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 17, at Zion Lutheran Church, Hiawatha, with the Rev. Daniel Krueger officiating. Committal services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday at St. Stephen's Lutheran Cemetery, near Atkins. The family will process from the church at 9 a.m. Visitation also will be held at the church in Hiawatha from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Phillips Funeral Home in Vinton is in charge of arrangements.

Mabel Haerther was the daughter of Paul and Erma (Schminke) Haerther and graduated from Atkins High School. She then attended Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn., and later graduated from Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Ill., in 1958.

On August 2, 1959, she was united in marriage to the Rev. Lawrence (Larry) Schmidt at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Atkins. Mabel taught in several parochial schools in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland and Wisconsin. Her ministry of music was always an important part of her service to the church. She was a long time member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League serving as president of Iowa East L.W.M.L. 2006-2010.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by three daughters, Lisa Schmidt of Cedar Rapids, Gretchen (David) Brouch of Naperville, Ill., and Julie (Craig) Dueker of West Des Moines; three grandsons; three granddaughters; and sisters, Dorothy (Rudy) Ludwig of Roselle, Ill., and Marilyn Thiel of The Villages, Fla.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brother-in-law, John Thiel.

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