Mabel Witt

The funeral service for Mabel Witt, a resident of the Elders Home in New York Mills, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 5, at the Bethany Free Lutheran Church in Bluegrass. Friends may call at the church on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Mabel passed away on Monday, August 31, 2015, at the Elders Home in New York Mills, MN. Mabel Fern Pelzman was born May 2, 1925 at home in Oriska, ND, to Frank and Ida (Barz) Pelzman. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Oriska. She attended Oriska Public School and graduated after 8th grade. At the age of 16 she began working for Alfred and Alvina Sorenson of Valley City, ND. She took pride in her job as housekeeper, cook, and occasional employee of his paint and glass store in Valley City. On October 17, 1948 Mabel was united in marriage with Horst Frederick Witt at Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley City. They lived on a farm near Valley City until the spring of 1949 when they moved to a farm near Sebeka with Horst's mother and father. They worked together making a life on this farm until they retired and moved to Wadena, MN, in 1988. Horst and Mabel often worked side by side, milking cows and tending to crops. She was well known throughout the neighborhood as a wonderful cook and a welcoming hostess who loved to play cards and board games. Mabel was also very "crafty." She enjoyed creating things out of everyday materials that most people would throw away. Her egg carton Christmas trees are a special memory for many who knew her. She was a member of Bethany Free Lutheran Church in Bluegrass for many years and a member of South Meadow Extension for over 50 years. Mabel was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 64 years Horst, sisters Helen Jacobson and Dorothy Frank, and brothers John, Frank, Robert, and Ralph Pelzman. She leaves behind a sister, Rose (Cliff) Gronlund of Sebeka, brother Rudy (Margaret) Pelzman of Ada, MN, and sister-in-law Marie Pelzman of Fargo ND. She was also dearly loved by many nieces and nephews and will be remembered for teaching them to play Cribbage. Pallbearers will be Gary Burgau, Dale Robinson, Jacob Malone, John Keranen, Merle Bounds, and Bill Zondlo. She will be laid to rest, next to Horst, at Wadena Cemetery, Wadena, MN.

Mabel Witt

May 2, 1925 - August 31, 2015