Ila Mihm

Ila Rose Mihm age 100, of New Hampton, IA, died Friday, October 27, 2023, at her home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at Holy Family Parish, New Hampton with Rev. James Goerend celebrating the Mass. Interment will be held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery, Lawler with Chris Douglas, Charlie Mihm, Connor Mihm, Adam Seiler, Sammy Seiler, and Lindsay Brown serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Katie Hanson, Shanna Savageau, Callie Hover, Amy Ries, Jesse Mihm, Lisa Abe, and the Catholic Daughters of the America's - Lawler. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Monday, November 6, 2023, at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the church on Tuesday. Ila Rose Mihm’s very full life began on June 29, 1923. She was born to Anthony John and Katherine Mary Elizabeth (Doerr) Einck in Charles City, Iowa. Ila attended school in Charles City until she was 8 years old when the family moved to a farm outside New Hampton where she attended a one-room school house. While she was working at Fliger's Bakery, Ila met Charlie Mihm (who loved sweet rolls) and they were married on Dec. 27, 1945, at St. Joseph’s Church in New Hampton. They raised their eight children Donna, Denny, Lorri, Jeanine, Charlie, John, Cheri, and Jan on an 80-acre farm outside Lawler. They attended Mount Carmel Church where Ila joined the Catholic Daughters of America 44 years ago. On the farm, Mom maintained a large garden, canned, baked bread and sewed clothes for her children. After Dad was in a serious car accident Mom took over managing the farm chores. The family worked together milking cows and raising pigs and chickens. In 1991 Mom moved to New Hampton and was able to remain in her own home with the loving care and support of her children along with the assistance of St. Croix Hospice Care for the last year and a half. Mom had a wide variety of things she loved: her family, cardinals, roses, the color pink, poetry, gardening, raising flowers, reading, traveling, and playing cards, especially Euchre. She played to win and if she did lose she called it a ‘pity win’ for her rivals (all in fun). She was a passionate fan of Paul Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, Barry Manilow, Gary Puckett, the Chicago Cubs, Tiger Woods and Bob Feller, the Royal Family, Zane Grey, and ‘Young and the Restless’. Mom loved children and had a special place in her heart for those she babysat in later years; sharing and teaching them an appreciation for the world around them just as she had done with her children. Her family and friends have described her as energetic, hard-working, fun-loving, always optimistic, youthful, loving, caring, welcoming and having a great sense of humor. Mom’s enthusiasm for life, her love of knowledge, and her curiosity about EVERYTHING made our Mother a joy to be around. Every day was an adventure and she was up for anything. Mom had an insatiable desire to travel. After 50 she traveled through most of the U.S. and several countries. She enjoyed her cruises too. She said ‘I was never on a trip I didn’t like’. (and collected rocks to prove it) In fact, at 99 she convinced us to roll her wheelchair down Main Street for RAGBRAI when it came through New Hampton in 2022. She said it was ‘the best day of her life’. She even made the RAGBRAI website! Mom always surprised us - she learned to like ice cream at 100. Mom touched the lives of all those who were lucky enough to know her and we feel very fortunate to have had her as a Mother. Living family members include her five daughters, Donna Mihm of Vancouver, Canada, Lorri (Dave) Brown of Cleveland, Wisconsin, Jeanine (Ken)Douglas of New Hampton, Cheri (Gary)Thomas of Mason City, and Jan Dickson of Anita; and three sons, Denny Mihm (Marilynn Anderson) of Mason City, Charlie(Shirley) Mihm of Denver, and John (Deb) Mihm of Lawler; her sister Helen Einck of Charles City and sister-In-law Marg Einck of Denver, along with 18 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Charlie L. Mihm in 1979; two brothers, Donald, and Wayne Einck; four sisters, Vera Schmitt, Oril Schmitt, Ardis Wiltse, and Dorothy Carr; brothers-in-law, Matt Schmitt, Bill Schmitt, Bob Wiltse, and Clarence Carr; sisters-in-law Margie Einck and Lea Einck; sons-in-law, Jerry Falck, Ken Jones, Tony Seiler, Dean Dickson; and daughter-in-law, Sharon (Nuehring) Mihm