Luella L. Mahnke

    Luella Louise Marie (Anton) Mahnke, daughter of Feike and Louise Claudine (Witt) Anton, was born July 27, 1920 on a farm northwest of Botna, Iowa.  When she was seven months old, the family moved to a farm just west of Manning.  She attended school in Manning through the eleventh grade; then stayed at home to help her mother.

   On August 26, 1937, Luella was united in marriage to William Herman Mahnke at Zion Lutheran Church’s parsonage by The Reverend Ansorge.  Bill and Luella first lived on the Charlie Thiedeman farm northwest of Manning and then moved to the Herman Mahnke Homestead near the Three Mile House also northwest of Manning.  They had three children: Shannon, Ronald, and Beverly.  Luella was a homemaker and proudly raised a large garden, chickens, ducks and geese.  She loved to cook and bake and credits her mother for all her skills in the kitchen of which her husband was very proud.  Luella had been very active with the Ladies Aid of Zion Lutheran Church during these years on the farm.

   In 1964, Bill and Luella moved to Denison where Luella worked at the dime store, later selling Fuller Brush products for 25 years.  She also cared for her father in their home for part of these years.  She had also been involved in caring for her mother-in-law, and then Bill for a brief time after he suffered a massive stroke in 1992.  She was forever grateful to Fred and Charlene (Witt) Stoke of Omaha, Nebraska where she stayed while Bill was hospitalized until his death.  In 1994 Luella sold her home and moved to Oakwood Manor in Denison.  In 2006 she returned to her home town of Manning where she resided at Elm Crest Apartments until May of 2016 when she entered the Manning Plaza Nursing Home.

   Luella entered her eternal rest on Sunday, April 23, 2017 at the Manning Plaza Nursing Home. She was 96 years, 9 months and 27 days of age.

   Luella is preceded in death by her parents, husband, daughter Beverly who died at two years of age, son Reverend Ronald who passed away on July 18, 2016, and two brothers: Arthur G. Anton and Ivan H. Anton.

   She is survived by daughter Shannon (Charles) DeVoll of Edgerton, Wisconsin, daughter-in-law Barbara Mahnke of St. Cloud, Minnesota, eight grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, sister-in-law Inez Mahnke of Manning, and numerous nieces and nephews.

     The family wants to extend a huge thank you to Luella’s nephew Larry Mahnke for all his help, care, and concern for Luella during her final years in Manning; and a thank you to all the staff of the Manning Plaza for their wonderful care and love.  Many thanks also to the Pastors of Zion Lutheran Church for all the visits over the years and extraordinary pastoral care at the time of son Ron’s death; and to Ruth Ohde and the staff of Ohde Funeral Home for their exemplary services.

Reverend Jonathan Conner

Music

“How Great Thou Art”

”I Know That My Redeemer Lives”

“On Eagle’s Wings”

Timothy Conner, Accompanist

Interment

Manning Cemetery, Manning, Iowa