Annie Louise Molgaard

A. Louise Molgaard, the daughter of William Harry and Edith Estelle Ary Searls, was born March 1, 1912, at her parents home in Hamlin Township, Audubon County, Iowa and died June 14, 2008, at the Friendship Home in Audubon, Iowa at the age of 96 years, 3 months, and 13 days.
      Louise was baptized April 20, 1924, and confirmed April 6, 1925, at the First Presbyterian Church in Audubon.  She attended rural school Hamlin No. 3, and then graduated from the Audubon High School with the Class of 1929.  Louise was employed as a clerk at the Ben Franklin Store in Audubon.
     On October 16, 1933, she was united in marriage to Theodore (Ted) Molgaard at the Methodist Church Parsonage in Papillion, Nebraska.  Five daughters were born to this union.  They lived in Hamlin for three years.  They moved four miles east of Hamlin where they farmed for about twelve years.  During this time Louise was a homemaker raising the children.  They moved near Viola Center where they farmed.  Louise later was a cook at the Viola School for many years.  They moved into Audubon in 1959.  Louise was the secretary at the Highway Implement in Audubon for several years, and then Ted and Louise managed the Highway Implement in Guthrie Center, IA. Ted and Louises daughter Lorraine Nickum died in 1979 and they raised her two children Brad and Linda. After retirement they did some traveling, baby-sat for many children and did a lot of volunteer work.  Ted died December 16, 2001.  Louise lived in her own home until November of 2007 when she lived with her daughter Jolene until she moved to the Friendship Home in Audubon on May 30, 2008.
     Louise was the oldest continuous member of the First Presbyterian Church in Audubon where she taught Sunday school.  She was the co-chairman of the chicken-noodle dinner at the church for many years.  Louise and Ted were charter members of the Mariners Club at the church.  Louise had been a 4-H leader for many years.  She has been a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for over 78 years and had served as the Worthy Matron three times. She also had been the Mother Advisor for Order of the Rainbow for Girls. She was a member of the Nishna Valley Shrine Auxiliary.
     Preceding her in death in addition to her husband and her daughter were her great-grandson Nickolas DuVall; her sons-in-law:  Richard Hansen and Russell Hansen; her parents; her brother Fred and wife Thelma Searls; her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Juletta and husband Hans Petersen; Sigurd and wife Lydia Molgaard; Mae and husband Herluf Jeppesen; Ruby and husband Elmer Jensen; Henry Walters; Maxine and husband Harvey Nelson, Jack Bobenmoyer, Russell Nelson, Norma Molgaard; grandsons-in-law:  Russell Ward and Jay Morris.
     Survivors include her children: Shirley and husband Floyd Small of Fremont, NE; Marilyn Hansen of Manning, IA; Kathleen Hansen of Ankeny, IA; and Jolene DuVall of Audubon, IA; 15 grandchildren; 42 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great-grandchildren; her sister and brother: Flay Walters of Audubon, IA and Kenneth Searls of Audubon, IA; her brother-in-law and sisters-in-law: Sylvia Bobenmoyer of Lake View, IA; Myrtle Nelson and Merlyn Molgaard, both of Elk Horn, IA;  many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Cemetery:
Interment will be in the Arlington Heights Cemetery in Audubon.

Visitation:
The family will meet friends Monday evening at 5:00 with an Eastern Star Service at 7:00 at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon.

Service:
Funeral services will be conducted by Pastor Kay E. Steddom on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, at 1:00 P.M. at the First Presbyterian Church in Audubon.