Memorial services for Loretta Anna Oetjen, 94, of Albert Lea, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Thorne Crest. The Rev. John Holt will officiate. Interment will be at Graceland Cemetery. Friends may greet the family one hour prior to the service at Thorne Crest.

Loretta died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Thorne Crest Retirement Center.

Loretta Anna Oetjen was born on Sept. 7, 1913, to George and Lillie (Siekman) Oetjen in Blue Island, Ill. She graduated from Blue Island High School and from the University of Chicago. Loretta was confirmed in the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Blue Island and was a lifetime member of that church.

In 1943, she began her years of professional teaching at the elementary school in the Blue Island area. She also taught at Northpark Junior College, her last position before retirement was as librarian at Thornton Township High School for 19 years. Loretta retired in 1978. She was a member of several professional organizations in the educational field and enjoyed travel with friends during her teaching years. Her keen memory has enabled her to remember many of her students and the teachers with whom she taught. She also remembers her times when as a young girl her grandmother took her downtown to Chicago by train to theatre and musical programs. Loretta has loved books and reading all of her life and has been an inveterate reader of many books and magazines of finance. In 1998, she moved to Albert Lea and has been a resident of Thorne Crest Retirement Center.

Survivors include her brother and sister-in-law, George and Winifred Oetjen, also of Thorne Crest; nieces Christine Oetjen, Johnson City, Tenn., Penny Herickhoff, Mankato, Rebecca (Patrick) Keenan, Fridley, and Dr. Kathy Oetjen, Fond du Lac, Wis.; nephew, Eric (Chhaya Rao) Oetjen of Washinton D.C.; grand-nephews and a grand-niece.

Loretta was preceded in death by her parents; a cousin, Charles Oetjen; and nephew, Dr. Brian Oetjen.

Loretta&8217;s keen mind and gracious bearing drew people to her making her a special friend to many.