Obituary for Rhoda June Krause
Rhoda June Krause was born on June 11, 1930, to Herbert and Theodora (John) Lau in Watertown, SD, while her father was pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Goodwin, SD. She was reborn into the family of the Triune God when her father baptized her on June 29, 1930. Serving as witnesses at her baptism were Gertrude John, Theodora Lau, and Ethel Geziewski.
Upon completion of her father’s instruction in the basic truths of God’s Word from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Rhoda confirmed her faith at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, in Roscoe, SD, on April 2, 1944. Her confirmation verse was Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
me.” When Rhoda was still very young, the family moved to Aurora, SD, where she attended her first years of school. In 1939 the family moved to Roscoe, SD, where Rhoda completed her grade school years. From 1944 to 1948 she attended Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, SD. She went on to Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, to train to become a teacher in Lutheran schools, graduating on June 5, 1951.
Her first call was as teacher of middle-school grades at First Lutheran School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she also served as one of the church's organists. In 1951 her parents moved to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, where she was employed at various summer jobs. Some summers she spent working at restaurants in Denver, CO, and Rapid City, SD.
Rhoda’s next call was to teach at St. Stephen Lutheran School in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, during the school year from 1959-1960. In 1960 she made the decision to resign from teaching, and after a short period of training, she worked at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, IL. About this same time, she withdrew with several others from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod because of disagreement with its doctrinal position. She then became affiliated with the newly organized Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC). She joined Messiah Lutheran Church of Milwaukee, WI, often making a Sunday morning flight from O'Hare to Milwaukee to attend Messiah's church service. Gordon Krause of Racine, WI, was also a member of Messiah Lutheran Church, and Rhoda and Gordon became a couple. In 1961 Rhoda accepted a call to teach at the newly founded Luther Memorial School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Gordon also moved from Racine to Fond du Lac, where he found employment.
In the summer of 1962, Rhoda and Gordon were married. Towards the end of the 1962-63 school year, Rhoda stepped away from teaching to raise their children and help Gordon on their 10-acre farmstead just east of Fond du Lac, WI, which came to be known as Dismusbeeda Place – help which included many hours overseeing a large garden, and the resulting harvesting, canning, and freezing.
In November of 2015, Gordon and Rhoda sold the farm and moved to Watertown, SD, where they remained until the time of her death. For the last 50 or so years of her life, oftentimes debilitating disease and unpredictable illness were an ever-present part of Rhoda’s journey. But her faith in her Savior’s gracious goodness did not waver – she confessed along with the Apostle Paul (concerning his “thorn in the flesh”) 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Rhoda will long be remembered for her Christian spirit and smile, and the countless greeting cards and encouraging notes she would send to others, filling those envelopes with snippets of humor, sage wisdom, and thought-filled poetry, much by her own mother. (When her nieces and nephews were younger, they looked forward to the stick of gum she would send for their birthdays!) Rhoda also taught piano to young and old, lessons which were often connected with some farm activity or another. Her sunset years were also filled with hours doing latch hook and needlework.
She supported the CLC’s mission activity both with her prayers and finances, especially the work being done in the CLC-India. She became Jyothi Benjamin’s “American mother” while (and after!) he spent a couple years in the US as her son Paul’s roommate and fellow student at Immanuel Lutheran Seminary. At Luther Memorial Church in Fond du Lac, WI, she played piano for shut-in/nursing home services, and kept the front entrance case filled with attractive seasonal displays.
In His gracious mercy, which is beyond our human understanding, the Lord Jesus Christ took Rhoda out of this vale of tears to Himself in heaven on Friday, February 11, 2022, at her home, at the age of 91 years, 7 months, and 30 days.
Still in this time of grace Rhoda leaves behind her husband of 59 years, Gordon, her 3 children, Jeanette (Larry) LaFontaine, of Brooklyn Park, MN, Paul (Collette) Krause, of Watertown, SD, and Harry (Drew) Habermann-Krause of Gilbert, AZ; her 5 grandchildren, Alyssa (Seth) Hamblin, Dwight (Katie) Krause, Rebecca (Holden Buchert) Krause, Stephen Krause, and Dylan LaFontaine; her 2 great-grandchildren, Kayleigh and Khloe Krause; her brother, David (Sue) Lau, of Eau Claire, WI, sisters-in-law, Dorothy Lau, Cookie Krause, and Lois (Richard) Babish, and many other relatives and friends.
Rhoda was preceded in death by her sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Bill Muhleka, her brother, John Lau, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Marlene and Dick Clappier, her brother-in-law, Herb Krause, and her grandson, Nathaniel Krause.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1800 East Kemp Avenue, Watertown, SD, on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will begin one hour before the service at the church. After the service, a lunch will be served. Cremation burial will take place at a later time.
Memorial gifts may be given to CLC Missions, 501 Grover Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel is serving the family.
Upon completion of her father’s instruction in the basic truths of God’s Word from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Rhoda confirmed her faith at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, in Roscoe, SD, on April 2, 1944. Her confirmation verse was Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
me.” When Rhoda was still very young, the family moved to Aurora, SD, where she attended her first years of school. In 1939 the family moved to Roscoe, SD, where Rhoda completed her grade school years. From 1944 to 1948 she attended Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, SD. She went on to Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, to train to become a teacher in Lutheran schools, graduating on June 5, 1951.
Her first call was as teacher of middle-school grades at First Lutheran School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she also served as one of the church's organists. In 1951 her parents moved to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, where she was employed at various summer jobs. Some summers she spent working at restaurants in Denver, CO, and Rapid City, SD.
Rhoda’s next call was to teach at St. Stephen Lutheran School in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, during the school year from 1959-1960. In 1960 she made the decision to resign from teaching, and after a short period of training, she worked at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, IL. About this same time, she withdrew with several others from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod because of disagreement with its doctrinal position. She then became affiliated with the newly organized Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC). She joined Messiah Lutheran Church of Milwaukee, WI, often making a Sunday morning flight from O'Hare to Milwaukee to attend Messiah's church service. Gordon Krause of Racine, WI, was also a member of Messiah Lutheran Church, and Rhoda and Gordon became a couple. In 1961 Rhoda accepted a call to teach at the newly founded Luther Memorial School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Gordon also moved from Racine to Fond du Lac, where he found employment.
In the summer of 1962, Rhoda and Gordon were married. Towards the end of the 1962-63 school year, Rhoda stepped away from teaching to raise their children and help Gordon on their 10-acre farmstead just east of Fond du Lac, WI, which came to be known as Dismusbeeda Place – help which included many hours overseeing a large garden, and the resulting harvesting, canning, and freezing.
In November of 2015, Gordon and Rhoda sold the farm and moved to Watertown, SD, where they remained until the time of her death. For the last 50 or so years of her life, oftentimes debilitating disease and unpredictable illness were an ever-present part of Rhoda’s journey. But her faith in her Savior’s gracious goodness did not waver – she confessed along with the Apostle Paul (concerning his “thorn in the flesh”) 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Rhoda will long be remembered for her Christian spirit and smile, and the countless greeting cards and encouraging notes she would send to others, filling those envelopes with snippets of humor, sage wisdom, and thought-filled poetry, much by her own mother. (When her nieces and nephews were younger, they looked forward to the stick of gum she would send for their birthdays!) Rhoda also taught piano to young and old, lessons which were often connected with some farm activity or another. Her sunset years were also filled with hours doing latch hook and needlework.
She supported the CLC’s mission activity both with her prayers and finances, especially the work being done in the CLC-India. She became Jyothi Benjamin’s “American mother” while (and after!) he spent a couple years in the US as her son Paul’s roommate and fellow student at Immanuel Lutheran Seminary. At Luther Memorial Church in Fond du Lac, WI, she played piano for shut-in/nursing home services, and kept the front entrance case filled with attractive seasonal displays.
In His gracious mercy, which is beyond our human understanding, the Lord Jesus Christ took Rhoda out of this vale of tears to Himself in heaven on Friday, February 11, 2022, at her home, at the age of 91 years, 7 months, and 30 days.
Still in this time of grace Rhoda leaves behind her husband of 59 years, Gordon, her 3 children, Jeanette (Larry) LaFontaine, of Brooklyn Park, MN, Paul (Collette) Krause, of Watertown, SD, and Harry (Drew) Habermann-Krause of Gilbert, AZ; her 5 grandchildren, Alyssa (Seth) Hamblin, Dwight (Katie) Krause, Rebecca (Holden Buchert) Krause, Stephen Krause, and Dylan LaFontaine; her 2 great-grandchildren, Kayleigh and Khloe Krause; her brother, David (Sue) Lau, of Eau Claire, WI, sisters-in-law, Dorothy Lau, Cookie Krause, and Lois (Richard) Babish, and many other relatives and friends.
Rhoda was preceded in death by her sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Bill Muhleka, her brother, John Lau, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Marlene and Dick Clappier, her brother-in-law, Herb Krause, and her grandson, Nathaniel Krause.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1800 East Kemp Avenue, Watertown, SD, on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will begin one hour before the service at the church. After the service, a lunch will be served. Cremation burial will take place at a later time.
Memorial gifts may be given to CLC Missions, 501 Grover Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel is serving the family.