Esthermae Strand

Esthermae L. Strand, 89, of rural Gilman, died Sunday evening at Country View assisted living home in North Liberty, Iowa, with loving family at her side. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 6th, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Visitation will take place from 12:30 p.m. until the service time. Memorials may be directed to her family. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com (phone 641-844-1234). Born Esthermae Loella Lafrenz on May 22, 1924, on the family farm in Laurel, Iowa, she was the daughter of Louis and Gertrude (Ehler) Lafrenz. She graduated from Laurel High School in 1942. On August 21, 1948, she was united in marriage to Virgil E. Strand at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. They made their home on the Strand family farm, Sunny Knoll Farm, near Newburg. Esthermae operated a comptometer at Whitwers Grocery, stocked shelves at McNally's Foods, and served as an accounting assistant at Miracle Recreation. She led detasseling crews in addition to helping Virgil farm and later raised sheep and goats on the acreage where she lived independently for 39 years. She was also an election poll worker and Avon representative. Esthermae taught preschool Sunday school classes for many years. She was a member of the Newburg U Go I Go Club and the Newburg American Legion Auxiliary. Mr. and Mrs. Strand served as secretary and treasurer, respectively, of the Newburg school system. Many will remember Esthermae for her love of family and cats, gardening, baking, sewing, playing clarinet, and playing basketball on her high school team as well as Newburg's recreational league team. Her sense of humor and generous heart will be dearly missed. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Joanne Rae (Robert, Jr.) Hansen and Janilu Fay (Michael) Titus; her son-in-law, Vincent Crawford; her grandchildren, Rina Strand Crawford, Laurel Strand Crawford, Robert Virgil (Jessie) Hansen, Douglas Andrew (Becka) Hansen, Timothy Strand Hansen, Krystal Strand Titus, and Nicole Maeva Titus; as well as a precious great-granddaughter, Olivia Belle Hansen. Also surviving are siblings Elgin Bud Lafrenz, Bettyann Allen, and Glenn "Pete" (Nancy) Lafrenz. Mrs. Strand was preceded in death by her beloved Virgil, daughter Judith Kay Crawford, parents, sister Bernice (Marvin) Ceaser, sister-in-law Marge Lafrenz, and brother-in-law Ernie Allen.