A Time to Weep

It's been a hard month for me. On September 8th my mom died, then on October 8th my father-in-law went as well. He was closer to me than my own dad.

I thought it appropriate to post their stories here, first my mom's:

Marjorie Lois Siedschlag Mielke

 

Marjorie Lois Siedschlag Mielke was born October 21, 1925, to Otto and Minnie Siedschlag of Fox Lake, Wisconsin, the fourth of five children. She attended a one-room school and then high school in Fox Lake where she graduated salutatorian of her class. She went to Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, for a year before heading to Chandler, AZ, for five years. She returned to Fox Lake and married Charles Mielke on October 4, 1950. She had five children: Mark (1953), Lizabeth (1955), Traci (1964), Amy (1966) and Christopher (1970).

                After her divorce, Marjorie returned to college where she earned her accounting degree. She worked for the State of Wisconsin as a payroll accountant until her retirement in 1988. She raised her four youngest in a trailer court, yet they were rich years. When she was forty-five she gave her life to Christ—it was the most significant event in her life. Though at times she struggled, she knew the love of Christ in a deep and personal way. She held to her faith and longed for the day she would be with Christ.

                In 1988, Marjorie moved with her daughter Beth to South Dakota. Here she helped raise Beth's two children. She was a member of First Evangelical Free Church and deeply enjoyed the teaching and fellowship she received there.

                She treasured her children. We had game nights, many camping trips and picnics, baking and cooking Saturday afternoons. She knew how to make a homey home and make meaningful traditions. She knitted, loved to sing with her family and at church, was a gifted artist and writer. She will be greatly missed, but we know we will see her again when we too go to the One who loves us most.