Ethel Catherine Siemer was born August 18, 1915 on a farm near Ellsworth, MN, to Henry and Minnie (Nolte) Siemer. She attended country schools near the family farm and graduated from Adrian Public High School in 1932. After completing school, she lived and worked in Luverne, MN.

Later Ethel returned to the family farm and worked with her father and brother, Charles. Following the premature death of her sister-in-law in 1954, she became Charles' housekeeper and assisted in the responsibilities of raising her three nieces: Margaret Ann, Mary Jean, and Dorothy who was a 4-month old infant. In addition to her outside chores which included milking, she was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed fashioning clothes for the three girls.

In the mid-1970's, Ethel moved to Adrian, MN, where she was employed at several different jobs including a nursing home and a factory. She also continued her mother's tradition of providing childcare for the children of several nieces. After retiring, she maintained her home in an apartment in Adrian, living there independently until the age of 96. She was an avid walker year round on the streets of Adrian in the early morning hours.

Ethel was baptized and confirmed at Zion Presbyterian Church in Ellsworth, MN, and remained a life-long member.

In 2011, she moved to ParkView Manor in Ellsworth, MN, and passed away at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls, SD, on July 7, 2014. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Harold and Charles, and nephew Charles A. Birkett. Survivors are her sister Ruth Mae Birkett; nephew Miles Birkett; and nieces Pat Birkett, Mimi (Birkett) Schleusner, Margaret (Siemer) Shurr, Mary Jean (Siemer) Adams, and Dorothy (Siemer) Lipetzky. Other nieces and a nephew reside outside the local area.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.

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