Edwin C. Eisele, 94

Edwin C. Eisele, age 94 of Fredericksburg, died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, at Linn Haven Rehab & Healthcare in New Hampton.
Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, at Peace United Church of Christ in Fredericksburg with burial in Rose Hill Cemetery with Randy Leach, David Speicher, Adam Speicher, Ron Brown, Richard Schoonover and Joe Speicher serving as pallbearers.
Friends greeted the family two hours prior to the service Thursday at the church.
Edwin was born on Jan. 27, 1926, to Christian and Bertha (Nuding) Eisele on a farm in rural Fredericksburg.
As a boy, he helped his parents on the farm — milking cows, tending chickens and pigs and working with his father in the fields — and he learned the value of an honest day’s work.
He was baptized and confirmed in the Evangelical Reform Church, and he attended country schools through the eighth grade before transferring to Fredericksburg High School, where he was a member of the Class of 1944.
He met the love of his life, Mildred Arne, in the 1940s, and the two were married on May 23, 1948. Although they had no children of their own, they were great with kids, especially their nieces and nephews.
Edwin farmed for the first 10 years of his marriage, but in 1958, he had an opportunity to buy into what became the Wesp, Murphy and Eisele International Farm Implement Business. He loved meeting with customers and helping them get the machinery they needed.
In the early 1960s, Edwin and Mildred moved off the farm and bought a home in Fredericksburg. The couple loved to fish, boat and snowmobile, and in later years, they were world travelers — visiting countries like Germany, Norway, Mexico and Canada, as well as traveling extensively in the United States.
Edwin was a community-minded person, and he believed in giving back to the city of Fredericksburg. He was a member of the Fredericksburg Fire Department, served on the City Council for 18 years and was a member of his church’s council.
He retired in 1984, but Edwin wasn’t a man who could sit still. He began sharpening saws and working on small engines; he was a man who could fix just about anything.
His beloved Mildred passed away on March 3, 2003, after almost 55 years of marriage, and in 2009, he moved into Linn Haven Nursing and Rehab in Mason City.
And while he is now reunited with the love of his life, Edwin will be missed by his family, friends and a community he served so well.
Edwin is survived by one brother Karl (Marjorie) Eisele of Sumner; two nieces, Nancy (Doug) Baker of Marion,  and Kathy (Lee) Selck of Fredericksburg; one sister-in-law, Bette Larsen of Florida; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Mildred Eisele on March 3, 2003; one sister, Helen in infancy; and one brother-in-law, Oren Larsen.