Elisabeth Lynch

Elisabeth 'Betty' Lynch age 94 of New Hampton died Monday, July 11, 2011, at the New Hampton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. A Memorial Mass will be held 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 16, 2011, at Holy Family Parish – St. Joseph Center, New Hampton with Rev. Mark Osterhaus celebrating the Mass. Friends may greet the family an hour prior to the Mass in the gathering space adjacent to the church. Inurnment to follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, New Hampton. Hugeback & Chenoweth Funeral Home, New Hampton is in charge of the arrangements. Elisabeth was born July 6, 1917, in Chariton, IA, the youngest daughter of Frank and Grace (Carter) Kestler. She graduated from Chariton High School. She attended Chariton Junior College and finished her college education at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. She taught three years in Waucoma, IA, at the public school and 17 years as a reading teacher at New Hampton Elementary School, retiring in 1982. In her retirement, she enjoyed traveling, reading, visiting with friends and family, and especially loved time with her grandchildren. On June 18, 1940, she was united in marriage to Harry Lynch at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waucoma, IA. To this union, five children were born. She was a member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Hampton, a Gold Star member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary, and a member of the Catholic Daughters of America. Survivors include three children, John (Margaret) Lynch of Sterling, IL, twin daughters, Jane (Henry) Howardson of Clark, SD, and Janice (James) Koenigsfeld of Ionia; 9 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 1978; a daughter, Gracemary; a son, Steven Lynch; two granddaughters, Amber Howardson, and Mary Beth Howardson; two brothers, Richard Kestler, and Hal Kestler; and a sister, Pauline Balk.