Marguerite Perschau, 96, of Glencoe

Marguerite Delores Perschau, 96, of Glencoe, died Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
Memorial services were held Saturday, Nov. 22, at Christ Lutheran Church in Glencoe with the Rev. Katherine Rood officiating. Peggy Hatlestad was the organist and Lou Ann Perschau was the lector.
Interment will be in the spring.
Marguerite was the second child of Fredrick and Ida Lewin, born May 31, 1918, in Minneapolis. She had one older sister, Dorothy, who died in 1968. Her family moved to Stewart when she was 9 months old. Her childhood years there were some of her fondest memories. Baptized by the Rev. C.H. Kowalske at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Stewart, she also was confirmed there by him on March 29, 1931.
Eager to go to elementary school, she insisted on starting first grade at age 5 and graduated from the Columbia School in Stewart on her 17th birthday, May 31, 1935. In 1937, she completed her two-year teaching certificate at St. Cloud Teachers College in St. Cloud. The first five years of her elementary teaching career took place in Emmons and Nicollet. In 1942, she joined the faculty of Glencoe Public Schools, where she taught elementary until 1946.
She married Vernon F. Perschau at her parents’ home in Stewart on July 8, 1943, while he was serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. In 1949, the Perschaus, with their 1-year-old son Daniel, moved into one of the first homes to be built in Glenview Woods, a residential area under development by Vernon Perschau since 1944. In 1951, the couple’s second son, David, was born. The family of four lived happily in “The Woods,” as it was known then, until Mr. Perschau’s untimely death in April 1957.
In 1959, Mrs. Perschau rejoined the faculty at Helen Baker Elementary School. While teaching there full time, she attended Mankato State College, completing her bachelor of science degree in elementary education by August 1963. She valued highly the privilege of giving her young students a meaningful learning experience. The lasting friendships she made with other faculty members also enriched her life. Mrs. Perschau retired in 1983 after 33 years as a public elementary educator, 28 years being in the Glencoe system.
In retirement, Mrs. Perschau enjoyed world travel and volunteering in the Glencoe community. She helped establish the first gift shop at the Glencoe hospital. Later, she knitted caps for the newborns at Glencoe Regional Health Services. For many years, she was an active member of Christ Lutheran Church, going back to 1958. She took pride in maintaining an attractive, well-kept home in the Glenview Woods section of Glencoe for 60 years, eventually becoming the last of the original adult settlers there. She had a talent for flower arranging that was always on display in her home. She especially enjoyed spending time in her kitchen and still read a wide range of books and articles well into her 90s.
Mrs. Perschau was grateful for the long and purposeful life she was given. She offered “praise and thanksgiving” for her happy childhood, the endearing love of her husband and two sons, the respect and friendship of her co-workers and neighbors, the success of her endeavors, and the everlasting strength of her Lutheran faith.
She is survived by her sons, Daniel F. Perschau and David A. Perschau and his wife, Lou Ann, all of Glencoe; stepgrandson, Brian Kottke and his wife, Jasmine, of Mankato; cousins, Henry and Kate Schrader, John Lewin and Richard Lewin, all of Prior Lake; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fredrick and Ida Lewin; husband, Vernon Perschau; and sister, Dorothy Ann Warnholtz.
Arrangements were by the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson. Online obituaries and guest book are available at www.hantge.
com.