Elsie Ida Sayler

Elsie Ida Sayler, died peacefully on January 28 after struggling with Alzheimer's Disease

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM, Saturday, January 31, 2015 at Grace Lutheran Church, Menno with Rev. Theresa Jacobson officiating. Burial will be in the Menno Cemetery. Visitations will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Arrangements are in the care of the Aisenbrey-Opsahl-Kostel Memorial Chapel, Menno.

Elsie Ida Ulmer was born February 17, 1925 to Caroline and Karl Ulmer of Menno. She joined older sisters, Agnes and Hertha, and later welcomed brother, Marvin into the family. Baptized as an infant, Elsie professed her faith with her confirmation here at Grace Lutheran Church. The Ulmers lived on their farm South and East of Menno. After graduating from Menno High School, Elsie married Leo Sayler, December 19, 1943, and took up residence with him and his mother, Sara. She lived happily on that farm which she and Leo loved until she became a resident at Oakview Terrace in Freeman where she died peacefully on January 28 after struggling with Alzheimer's Disease. She was almost 90.

Mom was a practical woman; she generally took stock of what options were available and then made the best use of her time and talents to make things happen. Always a bright student, she loved to read; she satisfied her creative bent with sewing, quilting and stitchery. An adept seamstress, she made virtually all our clothes when we were young. Mary would say, "if Mom could sew leather, we would have home-made shoes!" Church activities were always a priority and she participated as a Sunday School Teacher, singer in the choir and women's quartet, the Ladies Aid and a helper in general at Salem Reformed Church.

In her later years she enjoyed her friends and family most of all. She traveled some but spent most of her time marveling at the flurry of unusual birds who visited outside her picture window. She tended her roses and treasured the landscape surrounding the home she assembled on the farm. She loved to have conversations about topics that interested her and willingly shared her opinions. Oh, and she loved the Minnesota Twins, win or lose.

Elsie and Leo had a loving marriage which ended too soon with Leo's sudden death in 1985. Their daughters, Diana Martin (Merrel) of Benkelman and Mary Hertz (Tom) of Menno are left with the blessing of loving parents. Two granddaughters, Sara Wu (Greg) of Leawood, Kansas and Elizabeth Hertz of Sioux Falls were so very precious to Elsie. Great-Grandbaby Beatrice is an answer to Grandma Elsie's prayers. While not technically grandchildren, Elsie welcomed Heather, Ali, Nathan and Rebecca as though they were her own. In addition to Elsie's daughters, granddaughters, their spouses and baby Beatrice, Elsie is survived by brother, Marvin Ulmer and Betty, nieces and nephews and numerous friends. Special thanks to the loving staff at Oakview Terrace for the care and respect they shared with Mom.

Mom's unspoken motto may have been, "let's make the best of this." When faced with adversity, she relied on the faith in God which was instilled in her as a child and which she nurtured as an adult and shared throughout her life. Her worn Bible gives evidence to the time she spent in her review and study of God's Word. We will leave you with one of the last thoughts she voiced and it was this: "Well there is one thing I know. God is there at the beginning and at the end."

We are comforted knowing what she knew to be true.