Thelma I. Rattelmuller

Thelma I. Rattelmuller, 87, Browns Valley, MN, passed away Monday, December 7, 2015, at the Browns Valley Health Center.

Funeral services will be Thursday, December 10, at 11:00 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Browns Valley with Rev. Paul Warnier officiating. Music will be provided by organist Ginny Westbrock.

Burial will be in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, Harmon Township, SD. Pallbearers will be Todd Pistorius, Jeff Pistorius, Chad Pistorius and Jordan Olson.

Visitation will be Thursday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the church.

Thelma Irene was born May 28, 1928, to William and Clara (Stuhlmiller) Edwards in Summit, SD. Thelma grew up on Lake Traverse and attended school in rural Browns Valley. To help support the family, Thelma worked at various jobs in Sisseton and was also employed at the Browns Valley Hospital, the Traverse Café and the Browns Valley newspaper. Baptized into the Methodist faith on April 16, 1950, Thelma was a member of the Methodist church in Browns Valley where she taught Sunday school.

On April 7, 1961, Thelma married Reuben Rattelmuller at the Methodist church in Browns Valley. After their marriage, they made their home on the Rattelmuller family farm in Harmon Township, Roberts County, South Dakota. Thelma was a devoted wife to Reuben and mother to Marsha, his daughter. Thelma loved the farm life and enjoyed gardening, especially vegetable gardening, canning, cooking, sewing and was an excellent baker. Reuben passed away July 22, 1988, and Thelma moved into Sisseton. Later that year, Thelma was a liver transplant recipient and was one of the longest living survivors at 27 years. In her later years, she moved to the Edgewood Vista Assisted Living and recently made the Browns Valley Health Center her home.

Thelma was a faithful member of Zion Lutheran Church in Browns Valley. She enjoyed fishing, playing cards, especially whist, and visiting with her family, many friends, and neighbors. She will be missed by many.

Survivors include her daughter, Marsha (Bradley) Olson of Dell Rapids, SD; two brothers, Verlin (JoAnn) Edwards and Wayne (Diane) Edwards both of Kalamazoo, MI; two sisters, Betty Gaulrapp of Wheaton, MN, and Doris Cook of Browns Valley, MN; and many nieces and nephews.

Thelma was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Reuben; four brothers, William Richard, Myron, Jerry, and Harold; and four sisters, Della O'Brien, Donna Pederson, Shirley Gordon, and Linda Edwards.