Grace Mueggenberg, age 95 of Sac City, IA, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. Grace Marie Pille was born on November 18, 1925, to parents Joseph and Julia (Goodman) Pille, on a farm near Haverhill, IA. She was baptized and confirmed in faith at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Haverhill. Grace attended elementary school at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Haverhill and graduated from high school in May of 1943 from public school in Laurel, IA. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business education from Briar Cliff College, graduating in May 1950. Grace went on to earn a master’s degree from Colorado State College of Education in Greely, CO. Having received a permanent professional teaching licensure from the State of Iowa, she taught business education from 1951 to 1960 in Lisbon, Monroe, and Sac City, all in Iowa.

   On July 10, 1956, Grace married the love of her life, Walter Mueggenberg at the Immaculate Conception Church back in her hometown of Haverhill. Together they farmed north of town (Sac City) with Grace serving as the consummate farm wife taking on duties of housekeeping, cooking, caring for a large garden, canning fruits and vegetables, and of course caring for their three children, Mary, Mark, and Merle. Grace was an excellent cook and baker who thoroughly enjoyed hosting holiday meals for her family. One of her specialties at Christmas was making peanut brittle. She handed it out to family and friends as Christmas gifts if she could keep it around long enough before Walter and the kids gobbled it up. Grace was famous for her homemade cookies too…the grandkids devoured them, even sneaking what she had ‘hidden away’ in the freezer.

   Grace loved her family and was always thankful to spend time with them. She would often play board games and dominoes with her grandchildren when they visited. In her and Walter’s rare spare time, they enjoyed playing cards, especially “500” when her siblings would come to visit. They played in several card clubs over the years together.

   Grace was a strong woman of faith who demonstrated her commitment to the Catholic Church by serving as the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, where she also taught catechism. She was a life-long member of St. Mary’s Guild and Catholic Daughters and always helped organize the annual soup supper at the church. She shared her love for music as a member of the church choir. Grace had a daily routine that always started out by saying the rosary, followed by prayer.

   She was an avid reader. Her children remember when they were quite young, their mom putting them to bed and then settling down to read for the night. Even in her later years, when her eyesight started failing, Grace did whatever she had to do to be able to read. She used a magnifying machine to see what she was reading, which took a lot of time to do as she had to go word by word, not being able to see a whole sentence at a time, but it never deterred her from doing it.

   Grace set such a great example for others of what having strong faith looks like and the peace that it can give oneself. She was never afraid to speak of her faith. Before she left her earthly life, she assured her children that she was indeed, ready to be with the Lord. She will be so dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.

   Those left to cherish her memory are her children, Mary (Doug) Stilwell of Urbandale, IA, and Merle Mueggenberg of Sac City, IA; grandchildren: Katie Stilwell, Megan (Trevor) Hamilton, Alondra Mueggenberg, and Alex Mueggenberg; and five great-grandchildren. Other survivors include her brother Ray Pille of Marshalltown, IA; brother-in-law Wilbur Manor of Perry, IA; sisters-in-law Delores Mueggenberg of Storm Lake, IA, and Berniece Mueggenberg of Sac City, IA; many nieces, nephews, other extended family members, and friends.

   Grace was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Mueggenberg; son Mark Mueggenberg; parents Joseph and Julia Pille; brothers: Frank, Vernon, Arthur, Ronald,  and Marvin Pille; sisters Alice Manor and Sr. Dolores Pille, OSF; parents-in-law Ben and Kathryn Mueggenberg; brothers-in-law Merlin Mueggenberg and LaVerne Mueggenberg; sisters-in-law Dorothy Cressler, Alvina Gesy, and Leona Alexa.