Ipswich: Mass of Christian burial for Grace M. Engelhardt, 94, of Ipswich will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Ipswich.
Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Visitation begins at 5 p.m. Friday until the time of the liturgical wake service at 7 p.m., all at Holy Cross Catholic Church.
Grace was born on a farm north of Ipswich to William and Mary (Jones) Hawkins on Oct. 24, 1918. When she was 6 years old, the family moved to town, where she attended grade school and high school. Following graduation, she worked as a secretary for the H.E. Beebe Real Estate Company.
Grace married Lawrence Engelhardt in August 1928. They lived in Aberdeen for several years before returning to Ipswich. They then built a house, doing most of the work themselves. She lived in the house until moving to Golden Living Center in 2011.
When the children were all in school, she went to work for F.E.M Electric Association as a private secretary to the manager. After 28 years, she retired to travel with Lawrence and they toured most of the United States before deciding to spend their winters in Arizona. They were snow birds for 20 years, spending most of that time in Lake Havasu, Ariz.
During her life, she enjoyed playing the piano, and could play by ear any song she heard. She also enjoyed dancing, bowling, biking and playing cards with friends. She was an excellent cook as well as baker and, whenever her children came home for a visit, she always had their favorites waiting. She was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Altar Society and the Legion of Mary.
Grace died Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at Golden Living Center in Ipswich.
Grace is survived by one daughter, Myrle (John) Lake of Hemet, Calif.; two sons: Roger (Cheryl) Engelhardt of Black Hawk and Jim (Sharon) Engelhardt of Aurora, Colo. She had 10 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence; her parents, William and Mary Hawkins; two brothers: Albert and Francis (who died in infancy); and one sister, Blanche.
Funeral arrangements with Gramm Funeral Home of Ipswich.
grammfuneralhome.com