3/11/2020 7:48:00 AM Funeral for Martha Boettcher March 19 at St. John's in Stewartville
The funeral service for Martha R. Boettcher, 99, a longtime Stewartville area resident, will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Stewartville with Rev. Lyle Fritsch officiating. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service with burial to follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Stewartville and lunch at the church. Mrs. Boettcher died Saturday, March 7, 2020 of natural causes at the Stewartville Care Center where she had been a resident for eight years. Martha Rebecca Ahrens was born March 19, 1920 in Goodhue County, Minnesota to John and Anna (Bremer) Ahrens. She was baptized and confirmed at Christ Lutheran Church in Zumbrota and grew up on the family farm just outside of the city. Martha attended White Willow country school through eighth grade. She met Harley Boettcher at a dance in Racine, and the two were married on Oct. 2, 1941 at her home church. The couple farmed in the Stewartville area before moving to their present farm west of Stewartville in 1950, where they raised their children and made their home for over 55 years. Martha was a farm wife and homemaker and was known for her cooking skills, especially her pies. She also was an avid gardener, canning fruits and vegetables each summer. She enjoyed volunteering at the Olmsted County Fair in the domestic arts department and had many crochet and hardanger projects entered at county and xtate fairs. She was a longtime member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Stewartville and active in many groups and projects, especially ladies aid. She was an active volunteer for Meals-On-Wheels in Stewartville and frequently assisted with resident activities at the Stewartville Care Center. Martha and Harley had a passion for dancing, especially "old tyme" dancing and could polka, waltz, foxtrot and schottische with the best of them. Martha also enjoyed visiting with friends, playing cards and dice, and cherished time spent with family, especially with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren The family would like to thank the Stewartville Care Center staff for their excellent care of Martha these last years and to Seasons Hospice for their help and support this past year and years prior. Martha is survived by her daughter, Fay (Bob) Goldstrand of Apple Valley; her son, Lee (Kathleen) Boettcher of Stewartville; four grandchildren, Scott (Amy) Boettcher of Stewartville, Jena (Erik) Osberg of Wadena, Jade (Jenni) Boettcher of Rochester, and Sara (Brandon Hutchinson) Goldstrand of Crystal; eight great-grandchildren, Bo and Blake Boettcher, Anna, Leah, and William Osberg, Kaitlyn Steffes, and Kennedy and Harper Boettcher; and her brother, Robert Ahrens of Fond-du-lac, Wis. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Harley; her sister, Marie and husband, Cliff Flotterud; sister-in-law, Jo Ahrens; brother-in-law, Elgar and wife, Leota Boettcher. The family suggests memorials to Seasons Hospice in Rochester, or St. John's Lutheran Church. Arrangements are with Griffin-Gray Funeral Home in Stewartville. Condolences and memories of Martha are welcome at www.griffin-gray.com
