Elfriede P Graser

Mankato Mortuary
1001 North Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
507-388-2202

Elfriede Pauline Graser, age 92 of Mankato, died January 15, 2014 at Pathstone Living in Mankato.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday January 20, 2014 at Centenary United Methodist Church in Mankato with Pastor Michelle Hargrove officiating. Burial will be in Tivoli Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour before the service at the church on Monday. Mankato Mortuary in charge of arrangements.

Elfriede Graser was born July 12, 1921 in Buchenhagen, Kreis Militsch in Schlesien, Germany, (now Poland) to Reinhold and Pauline (Habisch) Weiss. She married Wilhelm R. Graser on March 21, 1944. They farmed until they settled in Letschin (Brandenburg) in East Germany and farmed again. They escaped from East Germany in March 1960 into West Germany and emigrated to the U.S. coming to Mankato, May 17, 1961.

After settling in Mankato, Elfriede worked together with her husband as custodians at Centenary United Church in Mankato. Elfriede also did house and office cleaning for several prominent families in Mankato. Elfriede was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church and the German Club. She enjoyed her work and was a good friend to those she worked for. Both Elfriede and Wilhelm loved this country and felt fortunate to have immigrated here.

Elfriede is survived by a son, Horst (Jan) Graser of Prior Lake; step-daughter, Elfriede (Earl) Gildemeister of North Mankato; four grandchildren, Valerie and Lisa Graser, Kristine (Glenn) Duerr, David (Sherrian) Gildemeister; four great-grandchildren, Jessica, Michael, Trevor and Elizabeth; niece, Karen Weiss and her son, Ryan (Erica). She preceded in death by her parents; her husband; an infant son, Helmut; stepson, Alfred; three brothers, Paul (Frieda) Halbisch, Alfred (Erna) Weiss, Karl (Martha) Weiss and their daughter, Ilse.

The family would like to thank Pathstone Living for their kind and loving care.