On Thursday morning, March 5, 2015 at her home in Benson, MN, Lu Ann Flaspeter left her family suddenly, at the young age of 59.
A Celebration of Life Service will honor Lu Ann on Thursday, March 12, at 1 pm, with a time of gathering starting at 11:30 am, all at Redeemer Lutheran Church 14226 West 280 th , Henderson, MN. Pastor Diane Goulson will preside. Pall bearers will be her nephews, Josh Oldenburg, John Flaspeter, Bill Flaspeter, Mike Flaspeter, Terry Kader and Dustin Brabec. Lu Ann will be laid to rest at the Redeemer Cemetery, Henderson, MN.
On July 19, 1955, in St. Peter, MN, Lu Ann was born the second of three children to Lloyd Charles and Ethel JoAnn (Lurth) Oldenburg. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ in
Le Sueur, MN. Growing up on a farm meant long days and hard work. This experience, however, was her foundation that carried her through life and sculptured Lu Ann into being hardworking, dedicated and strong. She spent countless hours picking rock, walking the fields pulling weeds and tending to the sheep. Lu Ann especially enjoyed bottle feeding the babies, even if it meant a mama sheep getting upset a time or two. She graduated from Le Sueur High School in 1973. Lu Ann’s dream was to attend college to be an artist.
Lu Ann’s life became complete when she meet a handsome man named, Jerome Flaspeter. Attending a dance together and sharing a meal at Ann’s Café in Belle Plaine, well you could say the rest is history. Honoring her country’s 200 th Anniversary, Lu Ann had a centennial wedding of red, white and blue. She and Jerome were married on July 17, 1976 at Zion United Church of Christ. As a young girl, Lu Ann had Rheumatic Fever, which she was told she may never have any children. Lu Ann later became blessed to be a mother to a precious baby girl, Gina.
First settling down for two years in Belle Plaine, MN, Lu Ann, Jerome and Gina spent the next twenty years (1978-1998) living in Montana. She was very adventurous and courageous moving out to Montana. They lived in very rural areas and had to haul in their own drinking water from a local spring. Lu Ann again spent countless hours tending to the sheep. She made sure the babies were bottle feed, even if it meant well into the night and early morning hours. Lu Ann had a special gift with the wild deer too. She had this gentle and trustworthy spirit, empowering the deer to eat out of her hand. As a family, they enjoyed exploring ghost towns, driving through the mountains and picnics. In 1990, her family moved to Benson, MN, where there was plenty of fresh water! Lu Ann and her family continued to raise and nurture sheep and now included geese too.
For 25 years, Lu Ann took her craft of cooking serving the children in Benson School District and at the local nursing home. She was always exploring cook books for a new recipe. Some of Lu Ann’s experiments were mouthwatering and other not so much. She was very quiet in nature and easy going. Yet opened up around her brothers and their families. Lu Ann’s great passion was that being a devoted wife to Jerome and a mother to Gina.
Lu Ann’s legacy will continue on in the hearts of those she left behind, husband, Jerome; daughter, Gina Flaspeter; mother, JoAnn Oldenburg; brothers, Robert Oldenburg, Randy (Jane) Oldenburg; many nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.
There to welcome Lu Ann home in heaven was her father, Lloyd Oldenburg; nephew, William Oldenburg; and sister-in-law, Jeanne Oldenburg.
