Thea Siebrecht, 91 of Lake Mills

Published 12:00 am Sunday, January 8, 2006

Thea L. Siebrecht, 91, formerly of Northwood and Thompson, Iowa, died Jan. 5, 2006 at the Lake Mills Care Center in Lake Mills, Iowa. Funeral services will be Monday, Jan. 9, 2006, at 1:30 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church, Northwood, with the Rev. Wayne Hagen officiating. Burial will be in the Sunset Rest Cemetery, Northwood. Visitation will be on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. at Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, Northwood, Iowa.

Thea Lila Rose Siebrecht was born April 23, 1914, in Norway Township, Winnebago County, Iowa, the daughter of Christopher G. and Tina K. (Egland) Lien. Thea was baptized in Salem Lutheran Church, Lake Mills, Iowa and confirmed in 1927 in Silver Lake Lutheran Church, Worth County. Thea was united in marriage to Palmer C. Siebrecht on Nov. 30, 1933. They lived and farmed with Palmer’s parents until the death of Palmer’s father, Fernie, in 1958. Palmer and Thea moved into Northwood where Thea worked for Esther Roberts. She also worked for Ron and Sherrie Sietsema at the drive-in resturant at the south end of Northwood. Palmer and Thea purchased &8220;Jumbo’s Cafe&8221; at the north end of town in 1959. They renamed it the Hiway Cafe but it was affectionately known as &8220;Ma’s&8221; by the &8220;kids&8221; that frequented the cafe. They sold the cafe in 1966. Thea was then employed as a cook at the Lutheran Retirement Home, Northwood, for a number of years until she retired.

After Palmer’s death in 1991, Thea lived with Pam in Northwood. Pam and Thea moved to Thompson in 1999. Thea became a resident of the Lake Mills Care Center after her health began to fail.

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Preceding Thea in death was her husband, Palmer; parents; brother Cyrus Lien; two sisters Gilma Belt and Carol Rugland.

Left to cherish her memory are four daughters, Darlene (Earl) Pedersen of Albert Lea; LaDonna Frye of Topeka, Kan.; Pam Williamson of Thompson; Francene (John) Lee of Forest City, Iowa; two foster daughters, Joan (Paul) Barber of Northwood and Betty Cichy of Bluffton, Minn.; five grandchildren, Brian (Maleah) Pedersen of Mapleton; Tim Pedersen of Albert Lea; Kathleen Holford of Topeka, Kan.; Sandra Arrett (Rex Swalve) of Thompson, Iowa and Kimberly (Jeff) Soost of Buffalo Center, Iowa; two stepgrandchildren, Monica (Scott) Lamoreux of Britt, Iowa and Debbie (Jeff) Marsh of Richmond Hill, Ga.; 14 great-grandchildren; 3 step-great-grandchildren; 6 great-great-grandchildren; plus nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.