LAWLER — Ethel Mary Quirk, 103, Rochester, MN and formerly of the Lawler area, died Sunday, Dec. 26 at the Madonna Towers in Rochester of natural causes.

A Memorial Mass was held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler with Rev. Marvin Salz as celebrant. Ruth McKone was organist. Lector was her nephew, Tom Quirk and gift bearers were great-nieces and nephews, Penni Quirk Schneewind, Cathy Quirk, Dan Quirk and Tom D. Quirk.

Interment was in the church cemetery.

Ethel was born April 6, 1896 in Lawler, the daughter of Thomas and Margaret (McCarten) Quirk. She attended parochial school in Lawler and graduated from Upper Iowa University in Fayette. Initially she taught in country schools in this area. She then moved to Oskaloosa where she taught elementary school. During World War II she also worked for the U.S. government with the Atomic Energy Commission in the states of Washington and Kentucky. Ethel later moved to Topeka, KS where she taught in the

local parochial school. In 1985 she and her sister Alice, who had also taught school, moved to the Madonna Towers Apartments in Rochester. In 1995, Ethel moved to the skilled nursing unit in the Modonna Towers. Ethel enjoyed traveling and had made nine separate trips to Europe. She especially enjoyed Norway and Ireland. Ethel liked to play Bridge and was an active member of the American Association of University Women.

Surviving are five nephews, Lowell Quirk, Eden Prairie, MN, Tom Quirk, Fort Wayne, IN, Bob Quirk and William Quirk, Pequot Lakes, MN, Frank Quirk Burnsville, MN.

Preceding her in death were her brother, William Quirk and three sisters, Ann Saunders, Alice Quirk and Mabel Quirk in infancy.

There was no public reviewal. Larkin-Martin-Hugeback Funeral Home, Lawler, was in charge of arrangements.

Source: New Hampton Tribune Dec. 31, 1999 from the Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee, Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the web by Bill Waters