Anderson Funeral Home
Homeserving families for over 60 years
312 South Stone St.
Augusta, WI 54722
715-286-2222
Viola Lauterbach
Viola Lauterbach, 92, of rural Osseo, passed away suddenly Monday, January 16, 2017 at Dove Healthcare-Osseo, surrounded by her loving family.
Viola Mathilda Westphal, daughter of Otto and Pearl (Glenz) Westphal was born July 31, 1924, near Allen in Eau Claire County. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church near Clegehorn. She attended grade school in Allen and graduated from Lincoln Hills High School in Osseo. Viola went on to attend Eau Claire Normal Teacher’s College for her 2 year teaching degree and in 1963 she attained her bachelor’s degree in teaching. Her first teaching assignment was at the Shaw Country School near Eleva, where she taught for 2 years before transferring to Fall Creek Valley Country School, teaching there for 3 years. She had also taught at Plainview and Hales Corners Country Schools. Viola was united in marriage to Armin Lauterbach on August 8, 1948 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Foster. The couple farmed in the Foster area until 1964, when theymoved off the farm to the home they built just east of Foster, the home where Viola still resided. Viola went back to teaching full time in 1957 for the Eleva-Strum
School District, first at the Jensen School and later at Eleva Elementary School. She retired in 1984, after 33 years of teaching. After her retirement she and her husband wintered 15 years in Zephyr Hills, Florida. Armin passed away on May 10, 2003, and since that time Viola had remained in her home and had just recently entered the Dove Healthcare in Osseo for therapy. Through the years Viola loved traveling with her family and friends. She enjoyed seeing Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska and most of the U.S. states. Teaching geography to her 5th grade students was her favorite subject and looked forward to sharing her travels with them. She also loved camping up north with Bonnie’s family and especially when it involved fishing.
Spending time with her granddaughters and great grandsons meant the world to her and she never passed up on an opportunity to baby-sit. Her faith and involvement with St. Peter’s Lutheran Church was also an important part of her life. With the church she was an active member of it ladies society, a Sunday school and vacation bible school teacher, and attended as many Bible classes as offered. She was also a member of the Foster Homemakers Club, she belonged to the Trempealeau County Retired Teacher’s Association, worked on Clear Creek Township Election Board, and delivered Meals on Wheels. Sewing for family and friends had always been a passion of Viola’s, and she enjoyed spending time with her sewing clubs. After Armin passed away her sewing became almost like therapy for her. At this time she started sewing denim jackets which became so popular she ended up selling them. She never stopped learning and had taken technical classes in millinery, mechanics for women, microwave cooking and computer instruction, she also attended hardanger and rosemaling classes.
Viola will be dearly missed by her daughter, Bonnie and Spencer Andrus of Strum; two granddaughters, Michelle (Lance) Giebel of Whitehall, Dionne (Luke) Anderson of Osseo; 4 great grandsons, Brandon (Kelsie) Giebel and Tyler Giebel all of Whitehall, Sawyer and Spencer Anderson of Osseo; brother, George (Bernadine) Westphal of Strum; sister-in-law, Arlene Lauterbach of Eau Claire; several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband Armin, Viola was also preceded in death by her parents; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Philip and Loretta Lauterbach, Livia Lauterbach, Ted and Lucinda McCann, Arnold and Wanda Lauterbach, Edwin and Lillian Lauterbach and Oscar Lauterbach.
A visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Foster, where funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Burial will be in the church cemetery. The family is assisted by Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta.
