Born May 23, 1924, in Sand Creek Township near Jordan, MN, to George Frank Kuechle and Susanna (Hommerding) Kuechle, Valeria passed away in her home at Praha Village in New Prague on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at the age of 95.
Valeria learned early on the true meaning of family and hard work, working alongside her father and siblings on their family farm near St. Joseph Parish and School in Sand Creek Township. Valeria attended country school within walking distance of the farm through the 8
th
grade, then stayed on the farm to help the family. She was raised mostly by her father and aunt, Regina. Her aunt moved in with the family after Susanna died when Valeria was four years old.
While attending a regular Saturday evening dance at the Mertz Hall in Jordan, Valeria met Ludwig (Louie) Michael Wolf. They were married at St. Joseph Parish on September 11, 1946, with reception on the farm and dance at Mertz Hall. Later in her life, whenever she drove through Jordan, Valeria would say to whomever she was with, "We had our wedding dance on the top floor," with a smile on her face and love in her voice. Valeria and Ludwig lived on a 120-acre farm outside of New Prague for 12 years before moving into town to continue raising their eight children.
Valeria loved music and dancing, especially polkas and waltzes, gardening, sewing clothes for all the kids and herself, quilting, embroidering, and cooking. She was always trying new recipes and found joy working in the kitchen at St. Wenceslaus School and later as Assistant Supervisor and Cook at the then Queen of Peace Hospital in New Prague. Every Saturday, at home, she would bake bread for the next week, listening to old time music and waltzing to "Beautiful Brown Eyes" when it came on over the radio.
Valeria made sure her children had time for fun, visiting cousins, traveling to parks and zoos, and taking short summer vacations to lake cabins. She loved card games like solitaire, Hearts, and 3-13 playing the games with family, guests, card clubs in retirement, or whomever stopped for a visit. Valeria enthusiastically passed on her love of card games to her grandchildren but never "let them win." She used to say, "
There are no friends in cards
." Decks of cards were never far from her reach and the games frequently became the centerpiece of any get-together, producing lots of conversation and laughter. The dining room table was quickly cleared after a family meal so card games could begin.
Valeria was very strong in her faith, was a regular church and chapel attendee, and prayed the rosary every day. She taught Wednesday night religion classes for St. Wenceslaus, attended CCW meetings, and sang in one of the church choirs on a regular basis.
She is survived by a large family which include her eight children – son David (Linda) of Northfield, daughter Kathleen (Charles) McKay of Shakopee, daughter Mary Lou (Harold) Tilstra of Prior Lake, son Richard (Annette) of St. Cloud, son Robert (Karen) of Henderson, daughter Marlene of Wall Township, NJ, daughter Judy (Jon) Kapinos of Rochester, and daughter Michele of St. Louis Park – 15 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and one sister-in-law, Helen Wolf of New Prague.
Valeria is preceded in death by her husband, Louie; her parents, George and Susanna; brothers Othmar, Walter, Albert, and Lambert Kuechle; and sisters Odelia Slinkard and Apollonia Gerold.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, September 4, 2020 at 11:00 AM at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in New Prague. The rosary will be said at 10:15 inside the church. Face masks are required in the church and guests must practice physical distancing. Mass will be live-streamed on http://npcatholic.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/newpraguecatholic/. Due to COVID restrictions, no formal gathering is planned after the service. A private family burial took place April 11, 2020 for immediate family at the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery in New Prague. Memorials in Valeria's name to St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in New Prague are appreciated.
