Mavis Thielen

Mavis “Mae” Thielen of Granite Falls, passed away on Monday September 14, 2020 at Carris Health Rice Memorial in Willmar at the age of 82.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 18, 2020 at 11:00 AM at Granite Falls Lutheran Church in Granite Falls.  Burial will be in the Granite Falls Cemetery.  The service will be livestreamed on Mae’s obituary page.   An outdoor reception will be held for family and friends following the funeral.

Visitation with the family will be on Thursday, September 17, 2020 from 4 to 7PM at Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home in Granite Falls. Masks and social distancing will be required at the visitation and funeral.

Mavis Mae (Kramer) Thielen was born in Section 12 of Wang Township, Renville County on May 10, 1938 to Henry and Della (Reyer) Kramer.  She was baptized at Bethany Reformed Church in Clara City.  She grew up on the family farm near Sacred Heart and attended school in Sacred Heart, graduating in 1956.  She married her life-long partner, Howard Thielen on February 21, 1956 prior to Howard going to boot camp.  While Howard was in boot camp Mavis lived with her in-laws in Sacred Heart and worked at Warner Manufacturing.  When Howard completed boot camp Mavis moved to Arkansas where Howard was stationed and began their married life together.  From there they moved to Fort Hood in Texas and then to Sacred Heart and finally to Granite Falls.  

Mae worked as a receptionist for Great Plains Gas and secretary at Granite Falls High School before she became a Financial Worker for Yellow Medicine County Family Services where she worked for over 20 years.  She retired from Yellow Medicine County Family Services in 2000.    Needing to keep herself busy, Mae worked part-time jobs after retirement including:  Front Desk Clerk at Super 8, Detox Driver for Project Turnabout, Para at Bert Raney Elementary, and Sales Associate at Second Time Around.

Mae was a member of Granite Falls Lutheran Church having been confirmed on April 7th, 1963.  She served as Sunday School Superintendent and on various church committees most recently the Outreach Committee.   Mae’s pastime love was reading mysteries and romances and she would have two to three books going at a time.  She loved the summer months enjoying sitting outside in the sun reading.  Mae and Howard took up golfing in their retirement years and enjoyed golfing together, with their granddaughters, and with her friends at the Granite Falls Golf Club.  Mae and Howard enjoyed the trips they went on and family remembers their stories from their trips to Wyoming, Texas and vacations at Lake Mary in Alexandria.

Mavis is survived by her husband of 64 years, Howard, and their children: Rick (Laurie) Thielen, Deb (Dan) Agre, Lori Knutson, Larry (Jackie) Thielen; grandchildren: Chase (Jenna) Thielen, Nicki (Jerod) Jakel, Ryan (Jess) Dambroten, Kayla (Chris) Dambroten; Joseph (Brooke) Dambroten; Rachel (Jeremy) Steenerson, Lacey (Kurtis) Knutson, Gunnar Knutson, Claressa (Mike) Kent; Cassie (Cody) Speh; great-grandchildren: McCoy, McKinlee, EmmyLou, Remington, Wyatt, Weston, Rowdy, Ruger, Riverly, Buck, Bennett, Brynley, Reagen, Harper, Mason; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sharon and Jerry Kremer as well as extended family.

Mavis is preceded in death by her parents; brother, Jerry Kramer; sister, Shirley (John) Giese; father and mother-in-law: Howard Sr. and Dorothy Thielen; son-in-law: Sam Knutson and special friend, Russ Knutson.