Howard Niemeier

Howard William Niemeier died at the age of 80 on Friday, June 22, 2007, at Madelia Community Hospital. He was the son of Fred and Anna (Lupke) Niemeier, and was born on their farm near South Branch on September 21, 1926. He had a twin brother Harold who passed away shortly after birth. He grew up on the farm in South Branch. He served his country during World War II in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the South Pacific. After returning home, he farmed until the early part of 1955. On September 22, 1953, he married Violet Elna Nelson at Apostolic Faith Church in St. James and they spent the rest of their life together living in Grogan. He worked for the Watonwan County Highway Department from 1957 until his retirement in 1987. In 1989 he began working for Greenview at the Rest Area on Highway 60 near his home. He served as the crew leader in recent years until he retired from Greenview in early 2006. Howard was a member of the St. James VFW and the Lewisville American Legion. Howard was a very active member of The World of Pentecost in St. James and loved to serve God and praise and work for Him. He liked yard work, especially gardening and mowing the lawn, and cherished spending time and visiting with family and friends. He had a soft spot for animals and enjoyed taking care of many family pets throughout the years. Howard will be remembered as a loving and caring man, willing to help anyone. He is survived and remembered by his wife of 53 years, Violet; sons Jeffrey (Deanna) Niemeier, of Grogan, and Jason (Heather) Niemeier of Madison Lake, MN; daughters Julie Niemeier of St. James, and Jackie (Doug) Bristol of Mountain Lake, MN; granddaughters Shannon and Andrea Niemeier, and Dannelle and Allison Bristol; sister Berneil (Norman) Wiederhoeft of Truman, MN; sisters-in-law Lorraine Niemeier of St. James, Helen (Arthur) Thompson of Grogan; Dona (Melvin) Engelbrecht of St. James; brother-in-law Wallace Nelson of Madelia; and many nieces and nephews. Howard was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Raymond and Harold, and daughter Joy.