Sofia J. Kiihl Selchert, 104 and a half, of Estelline, passed away, Thursday, January 28, 2016 at the Estelline Care Center, in Estelline. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Monday, February 1, 2016 at Mt. Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Estelline. Visitation will be from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Sunday at Geise Funeral Home in Estelline.
Sofia Josephine Watland was born on July 19, 1911 in Tilden, NE, the daughter of Gabriel and Matilda (Stensrud) Watland. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. At the age of five, Sofia, her sister and brothers where sent on a train and were sent to an orphanage in Stoughton, WI. She lived there for two years until her mother remarried, and took the children to a new home on a farm near Menomonie, WI, where she attended country school. When she was 17, a pastor and his wife, stopped by the farm as they were moving to South Dakota and offered to take Sofia with them. She worked for a farm family and later worked in Brookings for a professor and his family at the college as a housekeeper. She met and was united in marriage to Frank W. Kiihl on February 15, 1931. To this union, they were blessed with one son, Jerome Kiihl, on December 8, 1938. Jerome passed away in 1962. She was a charter member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dempster, SD. Frank passed away on July 6, 1977. Sofia was later married to Richard Selchert on May 16, 1982. The couple spent their time traveling and visiting lots of family. Richard passed way August 7. 2001. She continued to live on the farm until March 16, 2010, when she moved into the Estelline Care Center.
She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, the ladies aide and the South of Town Birthday Club. On Sundays, she would rush home from church to play piano and sing hymns. She had a passion for gardening, growing both vegetables and flowers. She also enjoyed sewing and would sew coats, dresses and doll clothes for all of her grandchildren. Her grandchildren always felt that grandma could fix anything. She would often times try to show her grandchildren how to operate a triddle sewing machine. She cared for many people over her lifetime.
She is preceded in death by her two husbands, one son, Jerome, nine brothers and two sisters anda host of other relatives.
Sofia Josephine Watland was born on July 19, 1911 in Tilden, NE, the daughter of Gabriel and Matilda (Stensrud) Watland. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. At the age of five, Sofia, her sister and brothers where sent on a train and were sent to an orphanage in Stoughton, WI. She lived there for two years until her mother remarried, and took the children to a new home on a farm near Menomonie, WI, where she attended country school. When she was 17, a pastor and his wife, stopped by the farm as they were moving to South Dakota and offered to take Sofia with them. She worked for a farm family and later worked in Brookings for a professor and his family at the college as a housekeeper. She met and was united in marriage to Frank W. Kiihl on February 15, 1931. To this union, they were blessed with one son, Jerome Kiihl, on December 8, 1938. Jerome passed away in 1962. She was a charter member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dempster, SD. Frank passed away on July 6, 1977. Sofia was later married to Richard Selchert on May 16, 1982. The couple spent their time traveling and visiting lots of family. Richard passed way August 7. 2001. She continued to live on the farm until March 16, 2010, when she moved into the Estelline Care Center.
She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, the ladies aide and the South of Town Birthday Club. On Sundays, she would rush home from church to play piano and sing hymns. She had a passion for gardening, growing both vegetables and flowers. She also enjoyed sewing and would sew coats, dresses and doll clothes for all of her grandchildren. Her grandchildren always felt that grandma could fix anything. She would often times try to show her grandchildren how to operate a triddle sewing machine. She cared for many people over her lifetime.
She is preceded in death by her two husbands, one son, Jerome, nine brothers and two sisters anda host of other relatives.
Sofia J. Kiihl Selchert, 104 and a half, of Estelline, passed away, Thursday, January 28, 2016 at the Estelline Care Center, in Estelline. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Monday, February 1, 2016 at Mt. Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Estelline. Visitation will be from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Sunday at Geise Funeral Home in Estelline.
Sofia Josephine Watland was born on July 19, 1911 in Tilden, NE, the daughter of Gabriel and Matilda (Stensrud) Watland. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. At the age of five, Sofia, her sister and brothers where sent on a train and were sent to an orphanage in Stoughton, WI. She lived there for two years until her mother remarried, and took the children to a new home on a farm near Menomonie, WI, where she attended country school. When she was 17, a pastor and his wife, stopped by the farm as they were moving to South Dakota and offered to take Sofia with them. She worked for a farm family and later worked in Brookings for a professor and his family at the college as a housekeeper. She met and was united in marriage to Frank W. Kiihl on February 15, 1931. To this union, they were blessed with one son, Jerome Kiihl, on December 8, 1938. Jerome passed away in 1962. She was a charter member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dempster, SD. Frank passed away on July 6, 1977. Sofia was later married to Richard Selchert on May 16, 1982. The couple spent their time traveling and visiting lots of family. Richard passed way August 7. 2001. She continued to live on the farm until March 16, 2010, when she moved into the Estelline Care Center.
She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, the ladies aide and the South of Town Birthday Club. On Sundays, she would rush home from church to play piano and sing hymns. She had a passion for gardening, growing both vegetables and flowers. She also enjoyed sewing and would sew coats, dresses and doll clothes for all of her grandchildren. Her grandchildren always felt that grandma could fix anything. She would often times try to show her grandchildren how to operate a triddle sewing machine. She cared for many people over her lifetime.
She is preceded in death by her two husbands, one son, Jerome, nine brothers and two sisters anda host of other relatives.
Sofia Josephine Watland was born on July 19, 1911 in Tilden, NE, the daughter of Gabriel and Matilda (Stensrud) Watland. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. At the age of five, Sofia, her sister and brothers where sent on a train and were sent to an orphanage in Stoughton, WI. She lived there for two years until her mother remarried, and took the children to a new home on a farm near Menomonie, WI, where she attended country school. When she was 17, a pastor and his wife, stopped by the farm as they were moving to South Dakota and offered to take Sofia with them. She worked for a farm family and later worked in Brookings for a professor and his family at the college as a housekeeper. She met and was united in marriage to Frank W. Kiihl on February 15, 1931. To this union, they were blessed with one son, Jerome Kiihl, on December 8, 1938. Jerome passed away in 1962. She was a charter member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dempster, SD. Frank passed away on July 6, 1977. Sofia was later married to Richard Selchert on May 16, 1982. The couple spent their time traveling and visiting lots of family. Richard passed way August 7. 2001. She continued to live on the farm until March 16, 2010, when she moved into the Estelline Care Center.
She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, the ladies aide and the South of Town Birthday Club. On Sundays, she would rush home from church to play piano and sing hymns. She had a passion for gardening, growing both vegetables and flowers. She also enjoyed sewing and would sew coats, dresses and doll clothes for all of her grandchildren. Her grandchildren always felt that grandma could fix anything. She would often times try to show her grandchildren how to operate a triddle sewing machine. She cared for many people over her lifetime.
She is preceded in death by her two husbands, one son, Jerome, nine brothers and two sisters anda host of other relatives.
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