Odelia Cremer

          Odelia Cremer, age 96, of Calmar, IA, died on Tuesday, December 22, 2015, at the Ossian Senior Hospice in Ossian, IA.      Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, December 28, 2015, at Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church, 2351 – County Road B32, Festina, IA, with Rev. Robert Gross presiding. Burial will be in the church cemetery.      Friends may call from 2:00-5:00 p.m., on Sunday, December 27, 2015, at Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church, 2351 – County Road B32, Festina, IA, and also after 9:00 a.m., at the church on Monday morning. There will be a rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a scripture service at 5:00 p.m., on Sunday at the church.       Memorials may be given in memory of Odelia to the Ossian Senior Hospice, 114 Fischer Street, Ossian, IA 52161 or to Winneshiek County Hospice, 907 Montgomery Street, Decorah, IA 52101.      Odelia Elizabeth Lechtenberg Cremer was born on June 24, 1919, the daughter of Herman and Catherine (Uhlenhake) Lechtenberg, on the Lechtenberg family farm near Festina, IA. Odelia attended St. Mary’s Catholic School in Festina and helped on the family farm. She was united in marriage to Leander “Lenny” Cremer on February 5, 1940, at Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Festina. Together they farmed the Cremer family farm until they retired in 1981. She enjoyed refinishing furniture, quilting, doing needlework and puzzles. Odelia enjoyed traveling and playing cards with her good friends and neighbors. She was a wonderful cook and was famous for her “Iowa Sweet Corn”, which is loved by her family. Odelia always was an avid Chicago Cubs and Iowa Hawkeye fan. Odelia was a member of Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church and the Rosary Society.      Odelia is survived by her three children: Jean (Tom) Choate, Madison, WI; Linus (Shari) Cremer, Frisco, TX; Charles (Margaret) Cremer, Albuquerque, NM. Six grandchildren: Kristine (Craig) Patterson, Kathryn (Michael LaVolpe) Choate, David (Anne) Choate, Randy Cremer, Juli (Darrell) Lindsey, Jacqueline (John) Grad, along with nine great grandchildren: Nick, Samantha and Jack Patterson, Ellie and Grace Choate, Gabriel and Jacob LaVolpe, Sydney and Michael Grad. One brother-in-law: Linus Bodensteiner, Decorah, IA, Two sisters-in-law: Marie Cremer, Bellevue, NE, and Phyllis Lechtenberg, Ossian, IA, along with many nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.    Odelia is preceded in death by her parents: Herman and Catherine (Uhlenhake) Lechtenberg. Her husband: Leander “Lenny” Cremer on January 20, 2015. Her siblings and their spouses: Edvina (Joe) Thuente, Bertha (John) Thuente, Joe (Caroline) Lechtenberg, Greg (Elizabeth) Lechtenberg, Julia (Andrew) Hemesath, Irenaeus Lechtenberg as a child, Bridget Lechtenberg, Theodore “Ted” Lechtenberg, Catherine (Art) Huber and Rita (Linus) Bodensteiner. Odelia’s father and mother-in-law: John and Mathilda (Holthaus) Cremer. Lenny’s siblings: Alfred (Rose) Cremer, Greg (Frances) Cremer, Victor (Teresa) Cremer, Francis (Georgene) Cremer, Paul (Dorothy) Cremer, Marie (Curt) Rothmeyer, Nora (Joe) Vondersitt, Rita Cremer, as a child, and Marcella Cremer as an infant.