Elaine V. Kriesel, age 88, of Princeton passed away peacefully August 19, 2020 at Ecumen in North Branch. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Monday, August 24th at Joy Lutheran Church in Cambridge. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in Atna Cemetery.
Elaine Victoria Kriesel was born Elaine Andera to Emil and Margaret (Thram) Andrea on October 24, 1931 in Chief Township in Mahnomen County. She attended the Sommer School, Dist. 17 and attended high school in Mahnomen, graduating in 1949. Elaine went on to Moorhead State College for 2 years. She began teaching in Rosholt, South Dakota in 1951, moving to Waubun, MN in 1952, then to Breckinridge, MN in 1959, and then Anoka district in 1965, where she met DeeLee through a teacher from Sand Creek who was married to a bricklayer in December 1965. She and DeeLee were married August 13, 1966. They built their home on Green Lake in 1968 and she began teaching in Isanti in 1969.
DeeLee taught Elaine to bird hunt, he was always active in hunting and trapping and encouraged her to go with. The two of them did a lot of traveling throughout the years; the only state they did not visit was Hawaii. Both of them enjoyed traveling, gardening, and flowers; a favorite outdoor past time. Elaine spent a lot of leisure time knitting, crocheting or reading.
Elaine did full time teaching in Isanti, ending the last few years with just subbing to be more available for traveling with DeeLee on his hunting trips to establish an extensive bird collection, which they donated to the Minnesota DNR to use as teaching tools.
Elaine taught Sunday School and Bible School at her home church, Bethlehem Lutheran in Mahnomen and also at Joy Lutheran in Cambridge, also serving as secretary of the church board of for a couple of years at Joy Lutheran.
Elaine passed away peacefully August 19, 2020 at Ecumen in North Branch at the age of 88 years. She is preceded in death by her parents and husband, DeeLee. She is survived by many extended family and friends.