Willanna E. Klause

Willanna Veit Klause was born July 10, 1925 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.She died on April 9, 2015 at Madonna Towers in Rochester.Her parents, William H. Veit of Litchfield, IL and Frieda Rosina Quade of Sylvan Grove, KS raised Willanna and her three brothers - Evain, Melvin and Orville - on a farm in Lone Wolf, OK.The family struggled and endured the hardships of the Dust Bowl years.Willanna (Ann) remembered her mother Frieda picking cotton to earn enough so her daughter could attend college. Willanna attended rural and Lone Wolf schools, and thereafter, Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha.She earned her BS degree in 1946 and completed an internship in the Nutrition Dept. of Brooke General Hospital in SanAntonio, TX.Ann began her employment with Mayo Clinic in 1947 as a therapeutic dietician.Her career at Mayo spanned 43 years, retiring in 1990. On New Years Day 1949 she married William Klause at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rochester MN.They had an adventurous winter honeymoon driving in the drifting snow and bitter winds along the northern rim of the Great Lakes in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. She and William had two daughters.The elder, Kathryn Kate Montgomery, is a veterinarian in Alaska working on the Trans Alaska Pipeline.Jan, loyal and dedicated caregiver for both parents, is an active Trinity member and retired Mayo employee. Willanna joined Trinity Lutheran Church in 1948 after making Rochester her home.She participated in altar society, choir, church library, couples club, and frequently welcomed worshippers as a Sunday morning greeter. Ann will be remembered for her thoughtfulness, kindness, extensive vocabulary and gift of writing.She was a loving mother and spouse who always put the needs of others first, before her own.She had broad intellectual interests and facilitated her daughters scholastic efforts.Her brother Orville noted in his memoirs that she simultaneously completed the second and third grades and taught him to read.Ann was loyal and patient with Bill as he suffered from Alzheimers in his later years.She really lived the promise given in her wedding vows in sickness and health, better or worse, till death us do part. She is never to be forgotten and she will always be an angel among us.Her Christian example of unselfish giving to family and others will be an inspiration to those that survive her.She was preceded in death by William, her husband of 59 years, and three brothers.Survivors include her daughters Jan Klause of Rochester and Kate Montgomery (Robert) of Port Angeles, WA; nieces Anne (Veit) Nesbitt of Vernon Hills, IL, Lynn Marie Veit of Aurora, CO, Karma Warren of Wichita, KS, and nephews Dean Veit of Hunter, OK and Greg Veit of Enid, OK. Especially dear to Willanna is Virginia Schlemmer of Enid, OK whom she often described as her true sister rather than sister-in-law and Ruth (Orville) Veit of Sarasota, FL. Visitation will be at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes on Monday, April 13, 2015 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. and one hour prior to the service on Tuesday at Trinity Lutheran Church. Funeral Service will be at Trinity Lutheran Church on Tuesday April 14, 2015 at 11 a.m.Private graveside service will be at Oakwood Cemetery. At Anns request, in lieu of flowers, remembrances can be directed to Alzheimers Association or Trinity Lutheran Church Altar Society or Church Library.