Jacquelin "Jackie" Dittberner

June 15, 1932 - July 1, 2020

A funeral service for Jackie Dittberner of Parkers Prairie will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 11 at the New Life Church of God in Bertha. Visitation will be held Friday from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the New Life Church of God, and will resume on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Jacquelin Joyce (McKellep) Dittberner was born at home to Ad and Elsie McKellep, on her mother’s birthday, June 15, 1932 in Woodside Township, Otter Tail County, MN. She passed away at the age of 88, on July 1, 2020, at her Woodside home, a half mile from where she was born. Jackie’s schooling started at a one room rural District 100 Woodside setting and later high school in Parkers Prairie until eloping with Merle Dittberner to the Fargo-Moorhead area marrying on October 24, 1948. They were married for more than 71 years until Merle passed away earlier this year. In 1952 Jackie fell victim to the polio epidemic and suffered lifelong lower limb paralysis, but none in her family even thought of her as handicapped. With an always positive disposition and unending determination, yearly she spent daily hours in her huge garden planting, weeding, and harvesting. Then to get even busier she’d can and freeze that bounty. Her family, friends, and neighbors looked forward to visiting as they’d always be treated with a tasty bowl of berries or even a fully prepared meal with just-picked vegetables. Children and grandchildren alike looked forward to Christmas, not only for her wonderfully prepared meal, complete with appetizers of homemade cookies, fudge, and divinity, but also because they went home with several jars of Jackie’s dill pickles, salsa, sauerkraut, horseradish, jams and jellies. Being a farmer’s wife was another sense of pride for Jackie and for years she raked the hay getting it ready for baling. She also sent threshing crews home licking their lips from her fabulous meals completed with a big piece of fresh fruit pie and a scoop of ice cream. Sewing and quilting were favorite inside activities and for a number of years she sewed many of the clothes worn by her husband and children. As for community, Jackie and her mother operated the last version of the Woodside Store for several years. She also was secretary-treasurer for the Woodside Cemetery for many decades. Jackie was preceded in death by her husband Merle, grandson Travis Dittberner, sisters Zelda (Sig) Windheim and Ann (Guy) Shaw. She will be missed by son Ken (Lynette) of Hinckley, daughter Dawn (Gene) Captain from Bertha, and son John (Rhonda) of rural Parkers Prairie, 7 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Serving as pallbearers will be Jackie’s grandchildren Burial will be in Woodside Cemetery, Wrightstown, MN.