Putzier, Berdina Mary Ludovissy

Berdina Mary Ludovissy Putzier, 92, a resident of The Meadows in Manchester, died Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014.

She was born Oct. 17, 1921, in Millville Township near Guttenberg in Clayton County, Iowa. Her parents were Leo Elzemus Ludovissy (1895-1971) and Eva Viola Smith Ludovissy (1898-1984). She graduated from Guttenberg High School in 1939 and attended Hawkeye Community College and Wartburg College. Berdina was a licensed nursing home administrator and served as assistant director of Bartels Lutheran Home in Waverly and director of the New Hampton and Allison care centers. She married Karl Fredrick Putzier (1919-1994) on Dec. 20, 1939.

Survivors include her three daughters, Dr. Marla Peterson (John), Knoxville, Tenn., Judith Connelly, Louisville, Ky., and Cozette Darby (John), Moorpark, Calif.; three grandsons, Eric Vorseth (Mary), Louisville, Ky., Matthew Peterson (Kathleen), Oakton, Va., and John (Jak) Darby, Moorpark, Calif.; five great-grandchildren, Chloé and Seth Vorseth, Louisville, Ky., and Andrew, Daniel and Thomas Peterson of Oakton, Va.; and her sister, Leanna Stewart, Manchester.

Berdina was preceded in death by her husband, Karl; son-in-law, Patrick Connelly; brother, Mervin Ludovissy; brothers-in-law, Dale Sylvester, Howard Putzier, William Cuneo and LeRoy Stewart; and sisters-in-law, Florence Cuneo and Mildred Corson.

Berdina was a loving caregiver for her husband, Karl, as he moved through various stages of Alzheimer's disease.

She loved her family and spent many hours documenting family history. On July 7, 2001, she was honored on her 85th birthday by the naming of the Berdina Ludovissy Putzier Family History Room at the Strawberry Point Public Library. She is the author of The Ludovissy Family: from Clemency, Capellen, Luxembourg to Clayton County, Iowa, United States of America. (Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-104705) published in 2000. One of the highlights of her life was traveling to Clemency, Luxembourg, to meet European cousins and gather genealogical data.

Contributions may be made to the Strawberry Point Lutheran Home Community, Strawberry Point Public Library or The Meadows: Good Neighbor Society, Manchester, Iowa.

Online condolences may be sent to www.leonard-mullerfh.com.

The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5, at Leonard-Muller Funeral Home in Strawberry Point and one hour before services at the church. Funeral Service: 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Strawberry Point, by the Rev. Lin Reichstadter and the Rev. Al Hock. Interment: Cass Township Cemetery, Strawberry Point. Lunch will follow in the Emanuel Lutheran Church Parish Hall.

Published Jan. 4, 2014 in The Gazette