Irmgard Elizabeth Molkentin

Molkentin, Irmgard E. (nee Lawrenz) died on Friday December 1st, 2017 age 97 years. Beloved wife of the late Rev. Karl F. Molkentin. Loving mother of the late Theodore (the late Judy) Molkentin, Carol (Rev. Thomas) Knickelbein, James (Gail) Molkentin and Sharon (Rev. Thomas) Kneser. Grandmother of Jon (Angie) Molkentin, Dawn (Kevin) Clabots, Paul (Suzy) Knickelbein, Carrie (Rev. Christopher) Doerr, James (Kristin) Knickelbein, Kathryn (James) Carlovsky, Mark (Sara) Knickelbein, Nicklaus Molkentin, Lucas Molkentin, Sarah Molkentin, Jacob Molkentin, Joshua Kneser and Bethany (Matthew) Behm. Also survived by 34 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was born on May 18th, 1920 to Herman and Katharina Lawrenz in Lomira, Wisconsin as the youngest sister of Vera Lawrenz and Carl Lawrenz, growing up on the family farm east of town. She attended Grade School at St John’s Lutheran School in Lomira, High School at Winnebago Lutheran Academy in Fond du Lac, and College at Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Shortly thereafter she served teaching positions in Jackson, Wisconsin and Town Liberty in Valders, Wisconsin. During those years she met Karl and was married to him on September 9th, 1943. They immediately moved west with Karl beginning a trail of congregations that he served as pastor and her assisting in a myriad of ways, always together, in various cities and states such as: Casa Grande, Arizona, Mancos, Colorado, Valentine, Nebraska, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Tampa, Florida, and Van Dyne, Wisconsin. From there they retired to North Fort Meyers, Florida and eventually Greenfield, Wisconsin.
This backdrop of locations allowed her to enjoy and exercise many of the interests and talents that she loved; such as; either crafting Chrismons or teaching her grade school students to sing; either gardening long rows of vegetables or canning walls of peaches and tomatoes; either traveling to the east coast and out west with friends or tours in Europe and elsewhere; either translating German script in dusty church registers to reveal their past histories or speak, pray and sing in that same, homelearned German; either researching, cutting, and pasting family stories together in multitudes of albums or even better yet, spending time with those same people who made those stories, namely, the families. That is what she loved.
Visitation Monday December 4th from 9:30-11AM at ST. PAUL’S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 6881 S. 51st Street, Franklin. Followed by the funeral service at 11AM. Interment Arlington Park Cemetery.
If so desired memorials to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church or WELS Missions appreciated.