The Funeral Service for Laurentina Pietz, 94, of Ipswich will be 10 a.m., Thursday, January 16, 2025, at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 208 Andrew Street, Roscoe. There will be a meal following the service with burial to follow at the Ipswich City Cemetery, Ipswich.
Visitation is 5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at Schriver Funeral Home, 720 N. 6th Street, Ipswich. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday.
Laurentina was born January 1, 1931, in rural Hosmer to Dorothea (Jenner) and Reinhold Graff. She was the oldest of six children and would often tell stories of helping her mom and dad on the farm, from milking cows to putting up hay, as well as babysitting for the neighbors' children.
She attended Kassel District #4 country school in McPherson County through the eighth grade. There she learned to speak English because her family spoke German at home. In the late 1940's and early 1950's, her family owned and operated "Newtown," a service station east of Eureka that bought and sold eggs, cream, gas, and groceries.
Laurentina was united in marriage to Marvin Pietz on October 27, 1953, at Neudorf Reformed Church in McPherson County. They made their home on a farm southwest of Roscoe before buying a farm northwest of Ipswich in 1956. Laurentina enjoyed farm life - raising chickens, planting a garden each year, and cooking wonderful, homemade, German meals.
When Marvin's health started to fail in 1993, they moved to Ipswich where they lived the remainder of their lives. She enjoyed her beautiful flower garden and feeding and watching the birds and squirrels. She was talented at embroidering, completing her most recent blanket just a few months ago. She took pride in giving baby blankets, dishtowels, and pillowcases to family and friends. She enjoyed BINGO, watching game shows, and putting puzzles together, often completing many puzzles each week. She loved getting out of the house to see the cows, calves, Donkey, and whatever other animals were around the farm that day. She was sharp, witty, tough, and sweet up until her last day. She never missed saying "thank you" and was always happy to share advice about life. She left a loving impression on everyone she met.
Laurentina passed away peacefully with family by her side on Monday, January 6, 2025, at Sanford Hospital, Aberdeen, at the age of 94.
Grateful for sharing Laurentina's life are her daughter Mariann (John) Schumacher of Ipswich; daughter-in-law Minnie Pietz of Hoven; granddaughter Fleura (Ryan) Wagemann, Fla.; grandsons, Ryan (Meredith) Schumacher of Ipswich, Brandon (Breanna) Pietz of Aberdeen, Michael Pietz of Roscoe; siblings, Doris Otten of Tea, Jack (Dianne) Graff of Minn., Robert Graff of Tea; great-grandchildren, Nevaeh and Gavin Wagemann, Brea Pietz, and Tye, Kearstin, Riley and Rayna Pietz; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father Reinhold (May 7, 1961), her mother Dorothea (November 16, 2001), husband Marvin (February 18, 2011), son David, brothers Willie Graff and Melvin Graff, brothers-in-law Dean Otten and Eugene Pietz, and sisters-in-law Darleen Graff, Peggy Graff, Jean Graff, Patty Graff, and Delores Pietz.
Schriver Funeral Home, Ipswich, is entrusted with the arrangements.
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