Grace McMullen, age 84, of St. Ansgar, Iowa, died Friday, July 2, 2004, at home.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 7, at First Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar with the Rev. Robert Porisch officiating. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. today, July 6 at Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, St. Ansgar. Burial will be in St. Olaf Cemetery, New Richland, with graveside services at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Grace Harriet Dorothy McMullen was born at Geneseo, Ill., (Edford Township) Feb. 8, 1920, the daughter of Gustav and Anna (Menzenberg) Neumann. She received her education in the Geneseo school system.

She was united in marriage to Lawrence McMullen on Feb.14, 1941. He preceded her in death on May 6, 1979.

Most of her married life she lived in Minneapolis where her husband was in law enforcement. She was a beautician most of her life, and had various other jobs as a bookkeeper and in sales. She lived in New Richland for 16 years from 1973-1989, and for the last 15 years in St. Ansgar, Iowa. After moving to St. Ansgar, she worked at the Nissen Public Library until her full retirement in 2002.

Grace was a member of Order of Easter Star, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and a Senior Advocate for the Agency on Aging. She was a member of First Lutheran Church, St. Ansgar, and active in the Deborah Circle.

She had a zest for living life to its fullest and her philosophy was “Keep Learning as though you are going to live forever, and live as though you are going to die tomorrow!!”

Besides her husband, she also was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, two sisters and one grandson.

Left to cherish her memory are two daughters: Sharon (Mrs. Donald Deming) and Susan (Mrs. Merlyn Thorson); six grandchildren: Susan Boush, Rebecca Rumpf, Janice Whelan, Cory Thorson, Allison Thorson and Greg Thorson; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Gladys Vandersnick of Rock Falls, Ill.; and numerous neices and nephews.