Ethel Winter

ETHEL WINTER was born on May 4, 1918 to Albert and Mary (Heffron) Frank in Pipestone, Minnesota. She was raised there along with six sisters: Gladys, Ellen, Ardath, Doris, Margaret and Maxine. She attended school in Pipestone and worked various jobs until she married. She was a lifelong resident of Pipestone until she passed away on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at Falls Landing Assisted Living at the age of 93 years, six months and six days.

On April 12, 1939, she married William (Bill) John Winter in Pipestone and would proceed to have four children, William, Dale, Janet and Michael. After her marriage, she was a homemaker and also helped with the family business (Winter Construction).Her greatest pride was raising her children. She greatly enjoyed attending their school and sporting events. She loved going to her grandchildren’s activities later in her life. She was very proud of all of them and all of their achievements.

Ethel was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Pipestone where she volunteered for various projects during her lifetime. She had hobbies which included bowling with her girlfriends at the Bole-Mor bowling alley on Monday afternoons, playing cards with her Tripoli card club and embroidering. She was a great sports fan and loved watching the Twins and Vikings. But the most important thing to Ethel was spending as much time as possible socializing with family and friends. Ethel was gracious and kind, frequently thinking of others and their needs first. With her sense of humor and great relationships with family and friends, her presence made life easier for everyone around her. She loved to be teased by her family, and we will always have her laughter to hold as a memory. For the final year and a half of her life, Ethel received loving care at Falls Landing in Pipestone. She often mentioned the special attention she received from Sue Kollmann as well as her staff at Falls Landing.

Ethel is lovingly remembered by her children: William (Marlys) Winter of Pipestone, Minnesota, Dale (Judy) Winter of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Janet (William) Stiehm of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Michael (Jean) Winter of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; and nine grandchildren, Sheri (Todd) Tinklenberg, Robert (Patty) Winter, Ryan (Tammy) Winter, Allison (Tim) Bakke, Justin Winter, Erik (Molly) Stiehm, Katie (Jesse) Sumstad, Jason Winter, Nathan Winter, and Joshua Winter; 17 great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren, two sisters-in-law, Delores Hammer of Flandreau, South Dakota, and Irene Seeman of Bloomington, Minnesota; and many nephews, nieces and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband (William), her parents, and her sisters.