Louise Geraldine Dreher

Louise Geraldine Dreher, the daughter of Charles Arthur and Amy Rachel (Harris) Hetrick, was born August 5, 1922, in rural Pottawattamie County near Oakland, Iowa and died November 13, 2012, at the Friendship Home in Audubon, Iowa at the age of 90 years, 3months, and 8 days. Louise was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. She attended rural school in Pottawattamie County and graduated from the Oakland High School with the Class of 1942. She then taught school in the Oakland School district for a short time. On August 20, 1943, she was united in marriage to Warren Frederick Dreher in Omaha, Nebraska. Two sons Alan and Ronnie and two daughters Alice and Donna were born to this union. They moved to Ross, Iowa and Louise taught in the Audubon School District for several years. Later in 1953 when the Audubon County Memorial Hospital opened she started working there. Warren died on September 19, 1963. Louise continued to work at the hospital. She studied for and received her Licensed Practical Nurses diploma in 1964. She enjoyed caring for all the people but especially enjoyed caring for the newborn babies. Louise worked for the hospital for over 20 years until she retired in 1984. During retirement she enjoyed traveling to visit her family and many friends. She also baby sat for children, but especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Louise moved to the Friendship Village in 1990 and enjoyed driving other residents of the Village on errands. In 2007 Louise moved into the Friendship Home. Louise has been a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Audubon since 1948 where she taught Sunday school and was a member of the Lutheran Women’s Mission Guild. She also enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and watching her favorite programs on TV. Louise was preceded in death by her husband Warren; her parents Charles and Amy Hetrick; her brothers and sister Don and wife Betty Hetrick, Nadine and husband Kenneth Jensen, and Glen Hetrick. Survivors include her children Alan and wife Nan Dreher of Kimballton, Iowa and their children Max, Ellen, and Sam, Alice and husband Reggy Welfl of Kennard, Nebraska and their children Sue, Dawn, Reg, Bree, and Joe, Ronnie Dreher of Dresden, Ohio and his sons Rick and Eric; and Donna and husband Dick Cavanaugh of West Valley City, Utah and their children Scott, Tony, and Lon; her dear friend who was like a daughter Debra Swensen of Audubon, Iowa and her sons Nathan and Jesse; her brother-in-law Fendall and wife Anna Dreher of Des Moines, Iowa, her brother Gordis and wife Felicitis Hetrick of McAllen, Texas, her sister Norma Jean and husband Walter Baker of Stillwater, Minnesota, and her sister-in-law Marge Hetrick of Atlantic, Iowa; her great grandchildren; great great grandchildren; nieces; nephews other relatives and friends.

Cemetery:
Pastor Bradley Ketcham, of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Audubon, will conduct a private graveside service at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon, Iowa where Louise’s cremains will be interred.

Service:
Funeral services will be conducted by Reverend Mark Peterson, the Iowa Hospice Chaplain, on Wednesday, November 21, 2012, at 11:00 A.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa.