Thelma Marie Gakstatter Streifler
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
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She was born June 8, 1914, in Frankfort, to Henry and Hattie Emshoff. On Dec. 25, 1935, she married Paul Gakstatter, who died in 1971. In 1974, she married Josef Streifler, who died in 1987.
She grew up in Frankfort and graduated from Frankfort High School in 1932. While working as a cashier in Wheeler’s Restaurant, she met Paul Gakstatter, who was a linotype operator for the Frankfort Times. She and Paul married on Christmas Day and moved to Indianapolis. Their marriage produced four children: Charles (deceased), Jack, Jill and Art.
In the early years of their marriage, she was busy raising her children and being a homemaker. In 1950, the family moved to an 80-acre farm in Pike Township where she maintained a hive of bees for honey, raised collies and made butter from the cream of their Jersey cows.
She was very active in the Salem Lutheran Church in New Augusta, where she taught Sunday school, and was involved in youth activities. For many years at Christmas, she would make upwards of 100 pounds of fruitcake for gifts and members of the church who placed orders. She was a Girl Scout leader (known as Mrs. G) in Pike Township for 15 years, sometimes taking her girls camping, which was a rare activity for Girl Scout leaders in those days. She and her Scouts had many good times and fond memories of those camping trips.
When her children got older, she went to work at the Indiana University Medical Center, first in the personnel department and then for several years in the chaplain’s office as a secretary and office manager. She was also a part time bookkeeper and welfare investigator for Pike Township while her husband served as the township trustee.
The year after Paul's death, she moved to Bradenton, Fla., where she eventually met Josef Streifler, a retired cartographer for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. She and Josef traveled frequently to Germany to visit friends and relatives and, in her later years, she continued to travel extensively around the world, visiting more than 20 countries.
In 1995, at the age of 81, she decided to move from Florida back to Indiana to be closer to family. She selected her own retirement complex in Pike Township and made the move on her own. She lived at Robin Run until November 2002 before moving to Grace Village in Winona Lake to be near her youngest son, Art, and his family. She lived happily at Grace Village during her final years.
She is remembered as a kind and caring friend by all who knew her. She loved her children and grandchildren dearly and was very proud of each of them.
Survivors include two sons, Jack (and spouse Susanne), Portland, Ore., and Art (and spouse Cookie), Winona Lake; a daughter, Jill (and spouse Robert) Breton, West Jefferson, N.C.; 10 grandchildren, including Angie (and spouse Kyle) Tom and Andee (and spouse Ryan) Tilden, all of Warsaw; Allison (and spouse Jon) Martin, Noblesville; and Belinda (and spouse Bo) Rodgers, Vevay; 29 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Grace Village Retirement Community Chapel, Winona Lake, with Pastor Corinne Hodges of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Warsaw, officiating. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, at a later date.
Calling is from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Grace Village chapel.
Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw, is entrusted with arrangements.
*****
Memorials to Grace Village, 337 Grace Drive, Winona Lake, IN 46590; Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church, 424 W. Market St., Warsaw, IN 46580; or The Breakfast Optimist Club, 102 East Market St., Warsaw, IN 46580, c/o Scholarship Fund.
Condolences via www.titusfuneralhome.com[[In-content Ad]]
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She was born June 8, 1914, in Frankfort, to Henry and Hattie Emshoff. On Dec. 25, 1935, she married Paul Gakstatter, who died in 1971. In 1974, she married Josef Streifler, who died in 1987.
She grew up in Frankfort and graduated from Frankfort High School in 1932. While working as a cashier in Wheeler’s Restaurant, she met Paul Gakstatter, who was a linotype operator for the Frankfort Times. She and Paul married on Christmas Day and moved to Indianapolis. Their marriage produced four children: Charles (deceased), Jack, Jill and Art.
In the early years of their marriage, she was busy raising her children and being a homemaker. In 1950, the family moved to an 80-acre farm in Pike Township where she maintained a hive of bees for honey, raised collies and made butter from the cream of their Jersey cows.
She was very active in the Salem Lutheran Church in New Augusta, where she taught Sunday school, and was involved in youth activities. For many years at Christmas, she would make upwards of 100 pounds of fruitcake for gifts and members of the church who placed orders. She was a Girl Scout leader (known as Mrs. G) in Pike Township for 15 years, sometimes taking her girls camping, which was a rare activity for Girl Scout leaders in those days. She and her Scouts had many good times and fond memories of those camping trips.
When her children got older, she went to work at the Indiana University Medical Center, first in the personnel department and then for several years in the chaplain’s office as a secretary and office manager. She was also a part time bookkeeper and welfare investigator for Pike Township while her husband served as the township trustee.
The year after Paul's death, she moved to Bradenton, Fla., where she eventually met Josef Streifler, a retired cartographer for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. She and Josef traveled frequently to Germany to visit friends and relatives and, in her later years, she continued to travel extensively around the world, visiting more than 20 countries.
In 1995, at the age of 81, she decided to move from Florida back to Indiana to be closer to family. She selected her own retirement complex in Pike Township and made the move on her own. She lived at Robin Run until November 2002 before moving to Grace Village in Winona Lake to be near her youngest son, Art, and his family. She lived happily at Grace Village during her final years.
She is remembered as a kind and caring friend by all who knew her. She loved her children and grandchildren dearly and was very proud of each of them.
Survivors include two sons, Jack (and spouse Susanne), Portland, Ore., and Art (and spouse Cookie), Winona Lake; a daughter, Jill (and spouse Robert) Breton, West Jefferson, N.C.; 10 grandchildren, including Angie (and spouse Kyle) Tom and Andee (and spouse Ryan) Tilden, all of Warsaw; Allison (and spouse Jon) Martin, Noblesville; and Belinda (and spouse Bo) Rodgers, Vevay; 29 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Grace Village Retirement Community Chapel, Winona Lake, with Pastor Corinne Hodges of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Warsaw, officiating. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, at a later date.
Calling is from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Grace Village chapel.
Titus Funeral Home, Warsaw, is entrusted with arrangements.
*****
Memorials to Grace Village, 337 Grace Drive, Winona Lake, IN 46590; Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church, 424 W. Market St., Warsaw, IN 46580; or The Breakfast Optimist Club, 102 East Market St., Warsaw, IN 46580, c/o Scholarship Fund.
Condolences via www.titusfuneralhome.com[[In-content Ad]]
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