Cover photo for Irene Thiel's Obituary
Irene Thiel Profile Photo
1934 Irene 2021

Irene Thiel

December 29, 1934 — December 25, 2021

Irene Thiel, 86, of Wahpeton, ND, passed away on Saturday, December 25, 2021.  Visitation will be held at St. John’s Catholic Church in Wahpeton on Wednesday, December 29, 2021, at 4:00 PM, followed by a prayer service and rosary at 5:30 PM.  The family would like to invite everyone to join them at Texas Crossing in Tyler, ND, for drinks following the prayer service.  Visitation will continue at the church on Thursday, December 30, 2021, at 10:00 AM, followed by her Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM.  A live stream of her services will be available on her obituary page on the funeral home’s website.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Chahinkapa Zoo, Chahinkapa Park, or CHI Health at Home Hospice.  Arrangements have been entrusted to Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton.

Irene Louise Harth was born on December 29, 1934, to her parents, George and Amy (Sommerness) Harth, in Lehr, ND. She moved with her family to New England, ND, where she attended kindergarten through 8th grade. The family then moved to Rothsay, MN to take over the Hovland family farm. Irene graduated high school in Rothsay, then attended St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Fargo, ND, and became a registered nurse. She took great joy in maintaining her friendships with the nurses she worked with throughout her life.

Irene met, then married Gordon Herman Thiel on November 15, 1956. Together they lived on a farmstead outside of Wahpeton, where they had their four children, Tammy, Thomas, Kathryn, and William. They later moved into Wahpeton, where they lived together for 55 years. Irene enjoyed entertaining and hosted many parties at their lake and, later, in their backyard pool.

Irene retired from nursing in 1991, which allowed her to spend more time with her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her great-great-grandchildren. Irene loved caring for her family and was proudly “everyone’s grandma”.

Together with her husband, Gordie, Irene traveled extensively in the U.S. and Canada but also many countries abroad including most of Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and some South Pacific Islands. She was an active member of the VFW Auxiliary in support of her husband’s service as a Marine. She used her beautiful voice to cantor for St John’s Catholic Church and other local churches. Gordie talked her into planting flowers at the VFW Airplane Park since 1985, and she took great pleasure in seeing those flowers bloom.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon; sons, Tom Thiel and Bill Thiel; sister, Ida Volker; sister-in-law, Janice Harth; and brother-in-law, Arnie Domm.

Irene is survived by her daughters, Tammy (Patrick “Rusty”) Teehan and Kathy (Mike) Matejcek; 10 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandson; brother, Allyn Harth; sister-in-law, Muriel Domm; and several nieces and nephews.


To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Irene Thiel, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

4:00 - 5:30 pm (Central time)

St. John s Catholic Church (Wahpeton)

ND

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Prayer Service

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Starts at 5:30 pm (Central time)

St. John s Catholic Church (Wahpeton)

ND

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Mass of Christian Burial

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Starts at 11:00 am (Central time)

St. John s Catholic Church (Wahpeton)

ND

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Guestbook

Visits: 100

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree