LAWLER - Alice Matilda Whalen, 89, died Friday at her rural Lawler home due to a house fire.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Lawler, with Rev. Marvin Salz celebrating the Mass. Music for the service was provided by Ruth McKone as organist and Colleen Busta as vocalist. The pall was placed on the casket by her two children.

Interment was in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery with Paul Kuennen, John Reicks, Bill Reicks, Don Fisher, Robert Leo Smith and Earl Katz as pallbearers.

Visitation was held from 3 to 8 m. on Monday, Jan. 17 at Larkin-artin-Hugeback Funeral Home, Lawler, where there was a 4 p.m. Rosary and a 7 p.m. Parish Scripture Service.

Alice was born May 9, 1910 in Waukon, the daughter of John and Mabel (Johnston) Haugsted. She attended rural country school in the Waukon area. She left school at a young age to help care for her younger brothers and sisters and was like a second mother to them.

She married Maurice Edward Whalen on April 14, 1936 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler. The couple lived and farmed the Whalen farm where they both lived for the remainder of their lives. Alice mostly enjoyed farming and was very knowledgeable regarding weather, discussing it with her family and neighbors. She loved being on the farm and always had a large garden.

Survivors include one son, Jack Whalen (Helen), Lawler; one daughter, Loretta Whalen, Lawler; four grandchildren, Robert Whalen, Paula Barnett, Travis Whalen and Kathy Auchstetter; three great-grandchildren; two brothers, A1 Hausted, Lincoln, NE and Arvid Haugsted, West Plains, MO; and one sister, Jeanette Knut-son-Cresco.^

Preceding her in death were her husband, Maurice, on Feb.' 11, 1985; her parents; four brothers, Andy, Art, Leo and Arlo Haugsted; and a sister, Lillian, in infancy.

Source: New Hampton Tribune Jan. 18, 2000 from the Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee, Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the web by Bill Waters