Kathleen Thiele

Kathleen Thiele age 92 of Elma, IA, died Thursday, February 6, 2025, at Colonial Manor in Elma.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 15, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Elma with Rev. Marcus Knecht and Rev. Telesphore Dusabe concelebrating the Mass.

Interment will be held at Calvary Cemetery, Elma with Patricia Thiele, Greg Thiele, Julie Duncan, Mary Ellen Larsen, Gerry Thiele, Neil Thiele, and Beverly Thiele Knoess serving as pallbearers.

Friends may greet the family from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 14, 2025, at Hugeback – Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in Elma where there will be a 4:00 p.m. Rosary and a 7:00 p.m. scripture service. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the church in Elma on Saturday.

Kathleen was born March 15 1932 on the family farm 2.5 miles north of Elma. She was the daughter of John and Josephine (Irvin) Regan. She was educated in country schools where her brother Gerald and sister Flores had each been her teacher at one time or another. She graduated in 1950 from Immaculate Conception Academy in Elma. As a student, she loved school and was a soloist for many masses and weddings, was a scorekeeper for the girls’  basketball team, and loved and excelled in Latin and writing. 

Kathleen and Harold Thiele were joined in Holy Matrimony at Immaculate Conception Church in  Elma on January 5, 1952, with Rev. Fr. Edmund O’Donnell officiating. To this union, the couple was blessed with seven children. They raised their family on Kathleen’s childhood farm, lived for 15  years in Powersville, IA, and retired back in Elma. They had a special knack for and loved fixing up each home with their unique touch, creating beautiful and loving homes perfect for large family gatherings, special parties, and dances, forming special bonds and lifelong friendships with neighbors. They enjoyed many evenings of loud laughter with family, friends, and neighbors over card games, potluck meals, and dancing. 

Kathleen was a strong, supportive, and loving mother and wife. Along with being an equal partner to Harold on the dairy farm and raising seven kids (and unflappable, never knowing how many neighbor kids at any one time), she maintained large vegetable and flower gardens canned countless jars of fruits and vegetables, sewed kids’ clothes and was a terrific baker! She prided herself in having home-baked goods at least two to three times a week when the kids were growing up. To this day, the kids and their friends often tell stories of being able to smell donuts, bread, pies, cinnamon rolls, etc when getting off the school bus  She always supported and encouraged the kids in their interests, spending countless hours driving to and from numerous school and local activities. 

Kathleen worked as a Nurse Aide in the Cresco Hospital, Colonial Manor in Elma, and Liebe  Care Center in Greene as well as a Home Health Aide in the Elma area. For a few months, she was even the cook for a college sorority, quickly becoming the honorary “Mom”, beloved by all the girls. Being an excellent seamstress and tailor, she sewed everything from doll clothes to formal gowns. She loved being on the costume committee in the Crestwood school plays and musicals, even sewing all the gowns for the women of the Simpson College Madrigal Choir. 

Having sung her entire life, she was a member of the IC choir in Elma since high school until she and Harold moved to Greene in 1984, where she sang with the choir in Greene. She was the go-to vocalist for almost every wedding and funeral in the Elma area and holiday services.  She sang in countless Memorial Day Programs, area concerts and cantatas, and in local theatre productions. Ever the entertainer, after moving into Colonial Manor, she amused residents and staff alike with funny ditties from her childhood and other favorite songs up to the last couple of months of her life. As in the days working there, she became an integral part of the nursing home, making close friends with residents and staff  She also worked literally hundreds of crossword puzzle books and had always been an avid reader. 

She loved to tell stories of her childhood on the farm, her family history, and Elma’s history. 

An incredible example of one who lived life by faith, hard work, compassion, and integrity,  Kathleen was active in Immaculate Conception Church in Elma, St Mary’s Church in Greene,  and again in Elma. Along with being a soloist and in the choir, she was a regular lector, taught  CCD, and was a member of the Rosary Society. She was also very active with the John Frahm  Post of the American Legion as a member of the Legion Auxiliary. 

Kathleen and Harold loved to travel. They enjoyed many wonderful family camping vacations,  as well as travels to Puerto Rico, Ireland, the Vatican, New York City, and many other places in the States. If trips weren’t with the kids, they were to visit them, including one special trip to  Washington, DC for the World War II Memorial Dedication Ceremony. Harold and Kathleen were avid bicycle riders, logging in hundreds of miles for many years. After moving back to  Elma, it was a regular and expected sight to see them biking all over Elma and on local the trail well into their 80s. 

Kathleen is survived by her seven children, Patricia Thiele of Everett, WA, Greg (Sharon) Thiele of Elma, Julie (Jeff) Duncan of Leland, Mary Ellen (Bryce) Larsen of Elma, Gerry (Rhonda) Thiel of Holland, MI, Neil Thiele of Saratoga, and Beverly Thiele (Bill Knoess) of Oradell, NJ. She leaves behind 12 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. 

She is preceded in death by her loving husband Harold in 2014, her parents, sister Flores  Womack Haugen and brother Lt. Gerald Regan who was killed in WWII, and two granddaughters in infancy.