Lydia E. Dingfelder

Lydia E. Dingfelder, age 91, of Rochester, died on Friday, October 9, 2015 at her home. Funeral service will be at 2:00 p.m.on Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 2124 Viola Rd NE, Rochester, MN with Reverend Fred Rengstorf officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemtery in Stewartville, MN. Memorials are preferred to the family. Lydia Elenor Poppe was born on August 27, 1924 at the family farm home four miles north of the Little Brown Church in The Vale, Nashua, IA to Edmund and Wilhelmina (Sievers) Poppe. Lydia was baptized, confirmed, and married at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Nashua, IA. She attended Keasling, a one room country school. Lydia graduated from Nashua High School with normal school training during her senior year and summer classes at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA which qualified her to become a school teacher. She taught country schools between 1945-1949 in Butler County, IA and Owatonna, MN. On July 27, 1947, she married Vincent L. Dingfelder at St. John's Lutheran Church. They lived in Owatonna from 1947-1949 where Vincent was employed by the Owatonna People's Press, and New Hampton, IA from 1949-1955 where he worked for the New Hampton Tribune. They made their home in Rochester, where Vincent was a long time Linotype operator for the Rochester Post Bulletin. Lydia was passionately involved with Quilters for Lutheran World Relief and Child's Resource and Referral of Rochester. She was a charter member of the Highland Homemaker Neighborhood Club and was an active member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rochester. Lydia loved sewing and gardening. Lydia is survived by her daughter, Janice Burton of Zumbro Falls; sisters, Wilma (Garland) Morse of Decorah, IA and Myrtle Poppe of Yucaipa, CA; brothers, Wilbur (Yvonne) Poppe of Denton, TX and Harold (Audrey) Poppe of Decorah, IA; several nieces and nephews. Lydia was preceded in death by her husband, Vincent who died on December 28 1996; son, Drew Dingfelder; sisters, Caroline Menken and Melba Compton; and brother, Edmund Poppe.