Obituary Record

Margaretha Von Lanken
Died on 10/10/1972
Buried in Blair Cemetery

Enterprise 12 Oct. 1972

Margaret Von Lanken, Former Business Woman, Died Tuesday

Was The Last Of A Prominent Family Of Early Blair

Funeral services are being held this Thursday, October 12th at 2:00 p.m. at the Bendorf Funeral Home in Blair for Miss Margaretha Von Lanken, a long-time resident of Washington County and a former Blair business woman, who owned and operated the Von Lanken Apparel Shop in the building which is now the Harris Shoe Store.

Margaretha Von Lanken was born October 8th, 1884, in Arthur, Illinois, the daughter of Jurgen and Catharina Von Lanken. As a child she moved to Blair with her parents and as a young girl was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith.

She lived in Blair most of her life and during her young womanhood clerked in several of the stores in Blair, first in her father’s “Racket” store and later for her brother-in-law, Henry Bruse and the Sass Bros. store, finally going into business for herself.

She loved to travel and spent a number of winters in Texas. The last five years she has been a resident of the Good Shepherd Home where she passed away Tuesday morning, October 10th at the age of 88 years and two days. She was the last of a family of one brother and six sisters. Preceding her in death were the brother, George, and her five sisters, Emma; Martha (Mrs. Frank Linden); Anna (Mrs. Henry Lorenzen); Catharina (Mrs. Henry Bruse); and Christina (Mrs. Carl Kolterman, Sr.). She is survived by an adopted brother, James A. (Arlie) Debenham of El Paso, Texas and by seven nieces and nephews: Mrs. Anita Bruse Vahle of Denver, Colorado; Fred Kolterman, Wahoo, Nebraska; Carl Kolterman, Jr. of San Jose, California; Mrs. Margaret Linden Andersen, Bertrand Linden, Herbert Kolterman and Edward Lorenzen, all of Blair.

Services will be conducted by Rev. Robert Albers of First Lutheran Church. Pallbearers are Ernest Schmidt, Duane Harris, Everett Haynes, Don C. Anderson, Joel Kolterman and John E. Lorenzen.

Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clipping on file at the Blair Public Library.

Printed in the Washington County Enterprise on 10/23/1972


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