Florence Ziemann

Florence was born on May 19, 1921 in Saskatchewan, Canada. Her parents were Nicholas and Anna (Kunza) Fiedler. She was preceded in death by her five siblings: Joseph, Edward, Kathryn, Bernice (Hladek), and Anthony.

At age 4 or 5, the family moved from Canada to Ottertail County in Minnesota. She attended a Catholic school in Perham, and then later a country school after they moved to a farm near Long Lake.

On October 1, 1940, she married Herman Ziemann. They moved to a farm in Evergreen Township, Becker County, Minnesota, where she lived for more than 66 years. She had five children: Arlene (Feldt), Judy (Cottrell), Ann (Niemela), Art, and Paul. Her husband Herman died May 31, 2006, a few months prior to their 66th wedding anniversary. After Herman died, Florence moved to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Florence was a member of St Paul's Lutheran Church of Evergreen since 1940. Florence and Herman put in countless hours assisting with church dinners and many other functions.

She also did a variety of jobs, mainly helping others. She was the caretaker of a lady with multiple sclerosis and did babysitting for another family in her spare time.

Family was always a focal point of her life. In addition to her 5 children, the family expanded to 16 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild. Friends were always important too, with coffee and food a part of countless social engagements.

In 2015, at age 94, she started writing the ‘story of my life’ in a small notebook. She wrote:

1. Arlene was a worker; Judy was a talker; Ann was quiet; Art was busy; and Paul was quiet.
2. I raised the family as Herman farmed a few years, then went working on construction.
3. I, with the kids, milked the few cows (16), and did the chores and housework.
4. When the kids were in school, I walked to a neighbor’s farm and did housework for them.
5. I had a big garden, canned a lot, with the help of the kids. They all liked their veggies.
6. I did ceramics for 30 years. I learned a lot of new ceramic ideas, and I met many new ladies.

She lived many years without indoor plumbing, relying on an outhouse for the family. Yet, the only thing we didn’t hear was a complaint about how hard life was. She focused on people, the gifts and blessings that could be found in the moment, with a positive, optimistic expectation that the best in life was already happening. She enjoyed polka, square dancing, and old time gospel music.

She leaves behind 55 direct descendants. Countless experiences evolved over the years, but throughout it all, she cherished every person as if all that mattered was today, and the people in her life.

Florence died on November 23, 2020, leaving behind lots of memories, plenty of inspiration, and endless hope for tomorrow.

MEMORIAL SERVICE IS TO BE DETERMINED FOR SPRING/SUMMER 2021

Please visit the following links for A Loving Farewell Slideshow and Reflections by Florence

A Loving Farewell – Florence Ziemann

https://youtu.be/vCTPFlGkABA

Reflections by Florence Ziemann

https://youtu.be/K-2J-K2yhsE