Minnie Noeske, 91

Minnie Marie Noeske, 91, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2008, exactly one month shy of her 92nd birthday.

Minnie was born in Lehigh, Oklahoma to Antonio and Lucia Filippone and the family moved to Carlinville, Illinois in 1922. Minnie graduated from high school in Carlinville and then worked in the local hospital with various duties, ending up with the position of practical nurse. It was here she decided to pursue the nursing profession and in 1928 entered St. Francis School of Nursing in Peoria, Illinois and graduated in 1941.

Minnie then went to Chicago and was at Passavant Hospital and then at Grace Hospital in Detroit. It was at this time during World War II that she received many letters from the Red Cross regarding the need for nurses in the military. From 1943 to 1946 she served in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps as a 1st Lieutenant head nurse in surgical wards at Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin and Scott Field, Bellevue, Illinois.

After the war she entered St. Louis University and graduated in 1949 with a bachelor of science degree in public health nursing. This led to school nursing positions in Joliet and Monmouth, Illinois, where she was an officer in the Illinois State Nursing Association.

In 1951 Minnie moved to Alexandria and was the school nurse in the public schools, as well as teaching adult Red Cross classes.

In 1952 Minnie married Theodore C. Noeske and they had almost 40 years together. She was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and president of the Women’s Club of Alexandria in 1971-72. She was also a member of American Legion Post #87.

Minnie is survived by her stepdaughter, Marilyn (Wayne) Baldwin of Yakima, Washington; sister, Margaret Perino of Venice, Florida; three stepgrandchildren; and nieces and nephews from the Perino and Filippone families.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, January 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria with a reception immediately following the funeral Mass in the Great Hall. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service at the church and interment will be held at Lakeside Cemetery in Osakis later in the afternoon.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Douglas County Hospice.

Arrangements are with Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria; www.andersonfuneral.net.

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Tags: minnie, noeske