Paula Kunkel

Paula Kunkel was born on April 2, 1888, at Dyersville, Iowa, the youngest of seven children born to Frank and Margaret (Gerken) Kunkel. Her siblings were William, Barbara, Anna, Amelia, Edward, and Margaret "Meta." Their aunt Sophia Gerken, Margaret's younger sister, joined the household, as Sophia, at age thirteen, had gone to live with the Kunkels to housekeep after Herman Gerken, Margaret's and Sophia's father, died in 1875. The family moved into Dyersville circa 1887. Margaret Kunkel died in 1896, and Sophia had continued on in the household, after having helped the family out during the illness that led to her sister's death. Subsequently, in 1900, Frank Kunkel married Sophia Gerken, and Sophia, who had been acting as a second mother for many years to the children, was now their stepmother.

Paula Kunkel was a housekeeper for the Rt. Rev. Msgr Michael J. Thiltgen for over 40 years, with many of those years being in Ossian, Iowa. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and the Martha Study Club.

Paula Kunkel dies.
Paula Kunkel died on Sunday, January 25, 1959, at 3:00 a.m. She was buried on Wednesday, January 28, at St. Francis Cemetery in Dyersville, Iowa.

© 2003 Tom Larson P.O. Box 141 Peosta, IA 52068-0141 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdlarson/gerken/kunkel/paula.htm Last revised February 15, 2003.