Anna Grace Meier

Anna Grace, daughter of Stephen and Frances (Sturm) Billmeier, was born July 16, 1912 at Templeton, Iowa. She grew up on a farm near Templeton and always helped around the farm. She attended Sacred Heart Schools in Templeton and later Rural School District #9 Eden Township. In their spare time her family would attend barn dances and visited neighbors. On August 20, 1930, Anna was united in marriage with Joseph Felix Meier, whom she had met at a barn dance near Templeton. They eventually made their home on a farm near Templeton and were the parents of four children. In 1938 they moved to a farm south of Manning and became members of Sacred Heart Parish in Manning. Anna was a homemaker, cared for a large garden, helped with the chickens, gathering and selling eggs, and cows. She sewed her children's clothes, crocheted and was a leader of the Sacred Heart quilting group. The family enjoyed fishing and playing cards with the neighbors. Anna and Joseph traveled in the fall months, visiting the Grand Canyon, Black Hills and other sites around the United States often bringing along some of their grandchildren. After their retirement from farming, Anna and Joe continued to live on the farm. Late in 1989, Joe suffered a stroke and eventually moved to the Manning Plaza Nursing Home where he died on April 30, 1991. Anna continued to live on the farm with her son Laverne Butch'. When her health began to fail in the spring of 2006, she also became a resident of the Manning Plaza where she died on Friday, December 3, 2010, at the age of 98 years, 4 months and 17 days. Preceding Anna in death are her parents; husband; parents-in-law; son-in-law Leonard Gehling; two brothers in infancy and brothers Otto (Frances) Billmeier and Steven (Vivian) Billmeier; sister Frances (Ed) Steffes; half-brother Conrad (Grace) Danner; two great-grandchildren in infancy; and in-laws: John (Anna) Engelen, Henry (Clara) Engelen, Anna Engelen, Joe (Sophia) Testroet, Ben (Mary) Bluml, Ed (Rita) Meier, and Louie (Anna Lorraine) Meier. Survivors include her four children: Irma Gehling of Carroll; JoAnn and husband Harold Wittrock of Templeton; Melvin Meier and wife Arlene of Manning and Laverne Butch' Meier of Manning; 9 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; 16 great-great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Celebrants REV. ROBERT GRALAPP REV. JAMES MCALPIN Lector NANCY WITTROCK Eucharistic Minister ARLENE MEIER Gift Bearers DIANE BEBERNISS DENISE WEITL DOREEN LAPPE Mass Servers RYAN MEIER ROBERT TANK Music "AMAZING GRACE" "PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS" "PRECIOUS LORD, TAKE MY HAND" "ON EAGLE'S WINGS" SACRED HEART CHOIR PAT HEITHOFF, ORGANIST Casket Bearers DARRELL WITTROCK DARVIN WITTROCK STEVEN MEIER JAMES MEIER JEFFREY MEIER DUANE GEHLING