Grace P. Spilde

Grace P. Spilde, age 94, of Decorah, IA, died Sunday, May 12, 2013 at Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, May 16, 2013 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Burial will be in Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 P.M. at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah and on Thursday after 10:00 A.M., one hour before the service, at First Lutheran Church. Grace Pauline (Guttormson) Spilde was born December 28, 1918 in Decorah, Iowa, the daughter of Guttorm and Palma (Qualley) Guttormson. Grace grew up on a farm west of Decorah. She attended country schools close to the farm and then walked from the farm to the West Side Elementary School in Decorah. She graduated from Decorah High School with the class of 1937. She loved the farm and helped her dad, along with her sisters, with lots of the outside farm work. You could never take the farm out of Grace. It was where she learned what hard work was all about. Grace married Harold Paul Spilde on November 22, 1937 at First Lutheran Church Parsonage in Cedar Rapids by Rev. F.J. Carlson. They raised their children in Decorah, living on the West Side. Grace worked various places but will be remembered for being an at-home housewife who took great pleasure in providing for her husband, children and extended family. For many years, Harold and Grace ran Harold’s Auto Body Shop, where Grace was the office manager and the right-hand woman. She and Harold were longtime members of First Lutheran Church where she organized Lenten suppers and funeral lunches, assisted with Nordic Fest dinners, was a member of Women’s Circle and attended many Bible Studies through the years. She was a very faithful person and acted out her faith by witnessing goodness. Grace planned extended family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and potlucks through the years, which kept families connected. Grace had a keen interest in art and enjoyed painting whenever she had the opportunity. Grace also took great pleasure in entertaining anyone with a cup of coffee and a cookie, a great conversation and a smile. She and Harold loved to dance and listen to music in their younger years. Grace was such a fisherwoman and she caught her own crawlers through the years for Harold and her trips to the local trout streams, the Mississippi and the Sunset Resort in Minnesota. Another real enjoyment was being with brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles to play Pinochle and Euchre. Grace volunteered to play cards at the local nursing homes with residents and she and Harold delivered Meals on Wheels to shut-ins. Grace’s faith led her to believe that she would once again be reunited with her Savior Jesus Christ, her husband, Harold, and her many loved ones who preceded her in death. It was important to her through the years that her children and grandchildren had faith and practiced worship. After Harold died, Grace lived at their home until moving to the Oneota Village in Decorah when she had the opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the many activities and continue to enjoy her life. Her family is so appreciative of the staff at Oneota and for the kindness and care that they showed to her, the First Lutheran Church pastors and staff through the many years they were members. Our thanks to the medical profession in Decorah, from the doctors at Winneshiek Medical Center, the Eye Clinic, therapy, chiropractors and all of the nurses who support those services. Thank you to Aase Haugen Nursing Home and staff where Mother lived her last days. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 66 years, Harold, on October 20, 2003; her sisters, Helen Guttormson at the age of 12, Alice Larson, Leona Hilberg and Helen Kuntz; and a brother, Robert Guttormson. Grace is survived by her son and four daughters: Harold Jr. (Judy) Spilde of Great Falls, Montana, Jeanette (Bob) Berning of Woodridge, Illinois, Shirley (Marv) Simpson of Ankeny, Iowa, Cathy (Loren) Jansa of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Ellen (Galen) Klingsheim of Lime Springs; her grandchildren: Mike Simpson of Des Moines, Iowa, David Simpson of Shanghai, China, Kevin (Debi) Berning of Plainfield, Illinois, Mark Jansa, Wayzata, Minnesota, Keith (Christine) Berning, Jessup, Maryland, Lori Owens (Lee Sykes), Colfax, Iowa, Andrea (Jason) McVay, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Christina (Joe) Ashley, Golden Valley, Minnesota, Rachel (Ken) Decker, Stewartville, MN, Neil Klingsheim, Lime Springs, Iowa, Aaron (Maria) Klingsheim, Harmony, Minnesota, Paul (Teri) Spilde, Hopkins, Minnesota; her great-grandchildren: Grant Simpson, Emma Simpson, Travis, Chase and Paige Simpson, Trenton Owens, Madison and Lauren Berning, Erik and Kol Jansa, Sage and Finley McVay, Kadison, Kaileigh and Keegan Decker, Ben and Britta Spilde and Delaney Berning. Also surviving are Orval and Bernadean Spilde, brother- and sister-in-law of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Gavin and Esther Spilde, brother- and sister-in-law of Decorah. She had many nieces and nephews that she loved and thought about often as well. Grace dearly loved her families and treasured family reunions that she would help organize. As the years passed, she lived through her memories of her youth with parents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles and then, after she married, she developed more memories with Husband, children and grandchildren. Her sharp memory of family has filled many days with remembering all of those people and things that she loved. Memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church of Decorah, Aase Haugen Home or to the family for direction to other memorials. Thank you for all of the kindness that many of you have shown Mother through the years. We truly appreciate it so much.