Hanna Langholz

Hanna Marie Langholz (née Knappe), age 98 of Decorah, IA passed away on Friday, November 22, 2024, at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at Decorah Lutheran Church, 309 Winnebago St, in Decorah. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in Waverly, IA at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice. Hanna was born on October 1, 1926, in St. Sebald, Iowa (near Strawberry Point), to Marie Louise (née Kalusche) and Frederick Wilhelm Knappe. She was baptized by her father and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church. On September 3, 1946, she married Robert Langholz in Waverly, Iowa, with Pastor Otto Fangmeyer officiating. Together, the couple served Lutheran congregations in Winterset, Renwick, Fort Dodge, Monona, and Waterloo, Iowa. After raising their seven children, Hanna worked as a secretary for the Waterloo School District for 14 years. Hanna loved traveling with her husband, including trips to Germany to visit relatives, Japan and the Philippines for her son's wedding, and the Holy Land—a trip she funded by selling baked goods from her kitchen, particularly Swedish rye bread and cinnamon rolls. The family also enjoyed annual vacations to Lake Vermilion, Minnesota, where they fished for walleye and picked blueberries. Later in life, Hanna moved to Decorah, Iowa, to be near two of her sons after her husband’s passing. Hanna was a skilled seamstress and quilter, making a bed quilt for each of her children. She enjoyed hobbies such as metal detecting, Morel mushroom hunting and playing cards and board games, with a special passion for Scrabble. She continued winning games well into her nineties, playing with anyone willing to join her. Preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert; her sister, Adelheid Bauhs; her son, Timothy; her daughter, Gail Hudson; her son-in-law, John Hamilton; and her granddaughter, Laura Hudson. Survived by her daughter Rebecca Hamilton; her sons John Langholz (Flery), James Langholz (Jane), Paul Langholz (Anita), and Joel Langholz (Jocelyn); her daughter-in-law Annette Laitinen; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. The family extends heartfelt thanks to Aase Haugen Nursing Home and WinnMed Hospice for their compassionate care.