Lillian V. Kirkeby

Lillian V. Kirkeby, age 89, of Decorah, Iowa, died Saturday, February 2, 2008 at Barthell Eastern Star Nursing Home in Decorah of cancer. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah by Rev. Paul Jordahl with burial in Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah. Friends may call after 9:30 A.M. Tuesday, one hour before services, at First Lutheran Church. Lillian Viola Kirkeby was born May 4, 1918 at home in Glenwood Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa, the daughter of Henry T. and Emma (Berg) Kirkeby. She was baptized May 8, 1918 and confirmed June 18, 1933 at Pontoppidan Lutheran Church in rural Decorah, IA. Lillian attended the Baker School in Glenwood Township. Lillian was born and raised in Glenwood Township and lived there most of her life. Her two brothers, Thalmer and Kenniston, and her sister, Hazel, all lived together on the family farm. They worked together on the farm until they retired. They were the third generation on this farm and they all ran it together. When they retired they moved to Waukon and lived there for twelve years at which time they moved to Decorah where she has lived since 1988. Lillian was a member of the Pontoppidan Lutheran Church for many years, then St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon and, finally, First Lutheran Church in Decorah. She liked to crochet, quilt, sew and bake. She made a lot of afghans, doilies, table runners and quilts. Lillian became a resident of the Barthell Eastern Star Nursing Home on January 16, 2008. She was preceded in death by her parents; her two brothers, Thalmer, on February 15, 1988, and Kenniston, on March 2, 1998; and her sister, Hazel, on October 28, 1996. She is survived by her three cousins: Marjorie Peterson Dehning, Caryl (Dean) Larson and Iona Crawford, all of Decorah, IA.