Rose Zabel dies at 81

Rose Zabel, 81, of Sumner, died unexpectedly Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017, at Cobblestone Court Assisted Living in Sumner.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. Cheryl Szabo officiating. Burial will be held at New Hampton Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, August 4th at St. John Lutheran Church and for one hour preceding services at the church on Saturday. Memorials may be given to the family for designation at a later date. Online condolences may be left at www.beckermilnesrettig.com.
Rose Annabelle, daughter of Alvin and Dorma (Schneider) Wilhelms was born September 8, 1935, in New Hampton. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Hampton. Rose attended country schools for her early education prior to graduating from New Hampton High School in 1954. On June 5, 1954, she was united in marriage with Wilbert Zabel at St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Hampton. The couple farmed in Bremer and Chickasaw Counties prior to retiring in 1986. Wilbert’s death occurred April 23, 2001. Rose continued to live on the farm until moving to Sumner in 2005. She was a longtime member of St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner. Rose enjoyed gardening, flowers, cross-word puzzles and her cats.
Rose is survived by her son, Joseph (Diane) Freeman Zabel of Sumner; three granddaughters, Heather (James) Pettit of Cedar Rapids, Penny (Darick) Harness of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Melissa (Samuel) Johnson of Cedar Falls; five great-grandchildren, Myah, Timothy, and Miriam Pettit, and Alexis and Grace Johnson; and three sisters-in-law, Virginia Zabel of Cedar Rapids, Marcella Zabel of Fredericksburg, and Lorraine Wilhelms of Arizona.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a stillborn grandchild; two brothers, Harold who died in infancy, and Glen Wilhelms; four brothers-in-law, Alfred, Elmer, Paul, and Glen Zabel; and four sisters-in-law, Elsie, Frieda, Dorothy, and Esther.