Gertrude W. Arends, 88

Blue Earth — Gertrude W. Arends, age 88, of Blue Earth, died April 12, 2008, at St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center, Blue Earth. Memorial services will be held on May 9, 2008, at 11 a.m., at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Blue Earth, with Rev. Ron Jobe officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Blue Earth. Visitation time will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Thursday, May 8, 2008 at Patton Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 400 E. 14th Street, in Blue Earth.

She was born Sept. 14, 1919, in Blue Earth, the daughter of Gustave and Mary (Schneider) Keller.

Gertrude was raised and educated in Blue Earth where she was baptized at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Oct. 5, 1919 and was confirmed there on June 4, 1933. She graduated from Blue Earth High School and took normal training to teach in rural country schools for a time. She was married to Floyd F. Arends on Nov. 26, 1950 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Blue Earth. Gertrude was a lifetime member of her church and was active in church circle. She was a longtime secretary in the school superintendents’ office, working for Lee Pemberton and Ken Queensland. Although she worked as a secretary in the Forestry Office in Hibbing for a few years, she was a fixture in the Blue Earth school system, selling tickets in the school cafeteria and at countless athletic events. She retired May 30, 1986. Gertrude was also a volunteer with the Hospital Auxiliary and at St. Luke’s Lutheran Care Center.

She is survived by her brother-in-law, Eugene Uppena of Blue Earth, her sister-in-law, Irene Keller of Coral Springs, Fla., her nieces, Mary Uppena of Rochester, and Mary Elizabeth Keller of Tampa, Fla., her nephews, Thomas Keller of Coral Springs, and Jonathon Keller of Atlanta, Ga.

Gertrude was preceded in death by her parents, husband – Floyd in 1970, two brothers, Carl and Gerhardt Keller and a sister, Juliet Uppena in 2008.

Web tributes may be left at www.pattonfh.com