Ethel Boettcher, age 91, of Isanti died October 8, 2013 at Prairie Senior Cottages in Isanti. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, October 11th at St. John Lutheran Church in Weber with Rev. Kevin Zellers officiating. A visitation will be held 5:00 – 8:00 PM on Thursday, October 10th at Strike Funeral Home – Isanti Chapel and also one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Interment will be in St. John Lutheran Cemetery.
Ethel Dorothy Boettcher was born April 7, 1922 in North Branch Township to August and Ella (Meyer) Maaske. She was raised on the family farm on County Rd. 5. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Weber. Ethel, her brother Arthur, and her lifelong friend and classmate Dorothy Nyberg (Knutson) would walk together to the country grade school at Pierce’s Corner. Ethel graduated from North Branch High School, class of 1941. On July 27, 1941 she married Aaron Boettcher in an outdoor lawn wedding on the Maaske farm. Aaron had bought the family farm in rural Isanti in 1939 where they made their home. Ethel was a hard worker always helping with the farm chores and was also busy raising her family. She was a lifelong member of St. John Lutheran Church of Weber where she served in many capacities over the years. She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, and was a member of the Ladies Aid and LWML. Ethel was also active in the community as a 4-H leader, Homemakers Club, Co-op Club, Mother’s Club at Dist. #53 School, and the Cambridge chapter of the American Cancer Society. She enjoyed being an active member of the Isanti Senior Citizens Club.
After Aaron passed away Ethel moved into Assisted Living at Riverwood in Cambridge where she resided for six years. She enjoyed playing card games, bingo, dominoes, and other activities. Ethel had been living at Prairie Senior Cottages in Isanti for the last nine months and that is where she passed away on October 8, 2013 at the age of 91 years, 6 months and 1 day.
Besides her parents she was preceded in death by her husband Aaron, brother Arthur, grandsons Jeff and Shawn Boettcher, and daughter-in-law Nancy Boettcher. She is survived by one daughter, Donna (Loren) Stender of Andover; three sons, Dean (Sharon) of Isanti, Wayne (Lois) of Isanti, and Wade (Dawn) of North Branch; 8 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild; sisters-in-law, Alvera Lindstrom and Ione Schlipp of Cambridge, and Marjorie (Pete) Zimmer of St. Paul; and by many other relatives and friends.