Marie A. Maurer

Marie A. Maurer, 91 year old resident of Little Falls, MN passed away Saturday, May 30, 2015 at her home in Little Falls, MN. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, June 6, 2015 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Little Falls, MN with Father Joe Herzing officiating. Burial will be held at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, MN. A visitation will be held from 4-8 P.M. on Friday and from 9:30-10:30 A.M. on Saturday at the Shelley Funeral Chapel in Little Falls, MN. Parish prayers will prayed at 4:30 P.M. on Friday at the Funeral Home. Marie A. (Gau) Maurer was born February 25,1924 in St. Cloud, MN to Michael & Margaret (Meyer) Gau. She attended St. Francis High School, Little Falls, MN. To pay for her high school tuition Marie earned $.10 an hour cleaning, doing laundry and caring for children. After graduating Salutatorian of the Class of 1941, Marie attended Teachers Training School in St. Cloud, MN. Upon graduation she taught in the Genola, MN area in a "one room school house". She taught school for 4 years before being united in marriage to Leo Maurer on June 1, 1946 at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Pierz, MN. Together they raised 10 children. In 1960 Marie & Leo moved to Omaha, NE where Marie not only cared for her growing family but many of the neighborhood children as well. In 1963 they called Fairmont, MN home where Marie again cared for neighborhood children. Her pay was $.50 an hour...per family! In 1967 their final move was back to their roots in Little Falls, MN. Marie worked various jobs over the years to contribute to the cost of raising their 10 children to adulthood. One of her most fulfilling positions was working for the Little Falls School District as a PARA. She worked in that capacity from 1980–1993 where she touched the lives of countless children and developed many life-long friendships. Marie truly enjoyed children all of her life. She taught as a teacher/PARA in her profession as well as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother by example. As a small child, Marie's parents moved north to tend to their farm in Heisler, Alberta Canada. At the age of 6, Marie, her mother, and 3 younger siblings moved back to MN after the death of her father. For 8 years they lived with their Uncle Henry Meyer on his farm near Pierz, MN where Marie, along with her mother, siblings, her mother's sister Agnes, and cousin Reinie Meyer survived the Great Depression. Marie lost her mother at the age of 21. Because of the loss of her parents early in life, Marie highly valued her faith, the importance of extended family and friends, and being there for one another both in good times and in times of hardship and loss. Several times Marie and Leo took troubled teens into their home, changing the course of their lives for the better simply by the example of living every day in accordance with their faith and values. Marie will be remembered for her smile, her love of children, playing solitary, her loyalty to the MN Twins and last but by far not least, her strong Catholic faith. Marie is survived by her sons, Bob Maurer of Bovey MN; Chuck (Lisa) Maurer of St. Cloud, MN; Ken Maurer of St. Cloud, MN; Michael (Marj) Maurer of Atwater, MN; daughters, Mary (Ken) Frank of Cold Spring, MN; Susan (Tom) Frank of St. Nicholas, MN; Pat (John) Messer of Oak Grove, MN; Barb (Emery) Strack of Randall, MN; daughter-in-law Bobbi (Kenny) Killinger of Sauk Rapids, MN,; 34 Grandchildren and 37 Great-Grandchildren. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Helen Maurer and Caroline Maurer both of Little Falls, MN; Helen Maurer of Gig Harbor WA, Shirley Maurer of Hobe Sound, FL. and “Friend in Jesus” Sister Dorothy Ann Rudolph, OSF, Little Falls, MN. Marie was preceded in death by her parents; husband Leo (2008); sons Jim Maurer (1999) and John Maurer (2002); daughters-in-law Mary Maurer (2008) and Pam Zenner (2011); grandchildren Heidi Maurer-Zenner (1987) and Kelly Frank(1994); sister Lavern Schaefer (2002); and brothers Alvin (2000) and Lawrence Gau (2010). In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Little Falls, MN.

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Marie A. Maurer

February 25, 1924 - May 30, 2015