Mrs. Louis Lorsch, Sr.

Mrs. Louis Lorsch, Sr., died at Parkston, S.D., Thursday, Aug. 23, 1917, where she had gone with Mrs. Fritz Lorsch to visit Mr. and Mrs. John Klabunde.

Wilhelmena Mageskie was born in Germany Dec. 2, 1849, being 67 years, 8 months and 21 days old at the time of her death. When 18 years of age she came to America, and was married in Illinois to Louis Lorsch on Oct. 2, 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Lorsch came to Nebraska in 1880, living in Omaha several years, later removing to this vicinity, where they resided until their deaths, her husband preceding her to the Great Beyond but three months.

Surviving her are eight children: William of near Florence, Mrs. William Wolleson of Raymond, Wash., Mrs. Augusta Craig of Ericson, Nebr., and Mrs. August Klassen, Louis, Fritz, John and Carl of this vicinity. She also leaves twenty-three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Funeral services, which were largely attended, were conducted by Rev. Grahn, of Ponca Hill, at the Calhoun Presbyterian church Saturday afternoon, and the body laid to rest in the Fort Calhoun cemetery, beside her husband.

The bereaved family have the sympathy of the community in their loss of a loving mother.

Card of Thanks

We wish to than our many friends and neighbors for their kindness shown us during the illness and death of our beloved mother; also to the choir and for the beautiful floral offerings.

The Lorsch Family

Published in the Blair Democrat August 30, 1917

All women, who are mothers do not feel the same charm of motherhood. We have had women repine to us that life has been a burden with the care of only one, two, or three children to bring up. But here was a dear, German mother, never rich in worldly goods, always finding something for her hands to do, always patient and kind, and she told me years ago when I was trying to comfort her over the death of a married daughter, killed by lightening, the proud mother of fourteen children, and her only regret was that four of them she loved so much had passed to the other shore. In our boyhood we heard a minister say that a man and wife who had grown old together and loved each other as married people should, grew into each others likeness, and ever since we have been watching for just such people. Louis Lorsch, a hard toiler on the farm who died in May, and deceased were just such people. Had a stranger met one and then the other, he would have known they belonged together. For years we have remembered them by so near the same smile and friendly greeting in their home or abroad. And there was certainly deep regret when the news reached this neighborhood that she had passed away. She was born in Germany many over 67 years ago and married to Louis Lorsch in Illinois 47 years ago. They came to Omaha in 1880 and, after a few years, came to this county. She had gone to visit a daughter, Mrs. Klabunde in South Dakota less than two weeks ago and died their suddenly. Over two hundred people attended the funeral, Rev. Graham, of Ponca Creek, preached the funeral. Mrs. Chas. Rathjen and Mrs. Joe Bolin sang the anthems with Mrs. Elsie Cook at the Piano. The pall bearers were neighbors and friends who had known and esteemed her for years: John Burmeister, W. Newman, Martin Schlelmeiger, Peter Schmidt, Jr., Hans Schmidt, and Sheridan Craig. She left eight living children, twenty-one grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Among others present was Fred Wranch of Benson, Elmer Craig from Iowa and Mrs. John Hindricksen and to children of Plattsmouth.

H. W. Woods

Obituaries courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.