Ardelle Leona Steimel

Ardelle Leona "Dell" Steimel, age 99, passed away at home with her family by her side on Saturday July 9, 2016 following a recent cancer diagnosis. She was born on the family farm in Graettinger, Iowa, on September 14, 1916, the fourth of six daughters to John and Emma (Larson) Reierson. The family moved to a farm in Windsor when Ardelle was five years old, where she proudly attended the Ella Wheeler Wilcox country school. Later, when the family moved to Madison, she attended Holy Cross Lutheran Elementary School and East High School. She met and married the love of her life, Wilbert J. Steimel, in 1937, and together they brought five children into their lives. Ardelle wasn't one to let life's opportunities pass her by. When their family was young, they went camping and fishing and enjoyed many picnics. In 1961, she'd saved all year so they could drive out to California with their two youngest, then teen daughters, to see their first grandchild, bringing him and their oldest daughter back home for a visit. Along the way, they camped at the Grand Canyon, visited Tijuana, Yosemite National Park and the giant redwoods; the trip back included visiting the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. Ardelle and Will had driven to Tennessee, Florida and Washington D.C. In 1968, they drove to Yellowstone National Park, meeting up with other family. They drove to the upper peninsula of Michigan regularly to visit Will's relatives. Following Will's sudden death in 1969, Ardelle's middle daughter came to her and said "Well, Mom, where should we go on vacation?" Most every year thereafter, it was "Westward Ho" with visits to many of our great national parks and ocean shores. Other family members joined in and, after a few years of tent camping, they began pulling a pop-up camper. She loved hiking and picking up souvenirs as memorabilia from her adventures. Ardelle credits her eldest daughter for getting her into hiking and introducing her to the Sierras. She was proud to be able to say, "I climbed Mt. Whitney!" –Accomplished when she was 59. She treasured the opportunity to travel and, when her oldest daughter invited her to join on a trip to Hong Kong- with a stop-over in Hawaii- in 1974, she went. When her church planned a trip to England and Norway in 1985, she went. When her church planned a trip in 1990 to France, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Germany, she went. She was thrilled to see the Eifel Tower, and many beautiful old churches, but especially the Oberammergau Passion Play and to bring home pieces of the Berlin Wall. Ardelle was very active throughout her life, waiting tables at Amato's Holiday House on Park Street for over 30 years. "Dell", as she was known to her devoted customers, was 75 when she retired. They closed the restaurant shortly after. She was a member of the Post Office Women's Auxiliary and for years had helped sort mail during the holiday rush season. She was president of her bowling league and, following retirement, bowled up to three times a week. She sold beeline clothes for several years, making many new friends along the way. She often helped deliver the Capital Times newspapers, a route her husband carried for several years. After Will's death, she also joined a knitting group and made more new friends. Ardelle remained a faithful daughter-in-law to Will's mother after his death, keeping up frequent visits and for many years drove her to the U.P. each summer to stay with her sister-in-law. Ardelle was an active member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and as a member of Ruth Circle, made items to sell at the annual fundraiser bazaar, from knitted items to her much-sought-after sunshine jam. Family gatherings usually included card games, dominos, dice or board games, and Ardelle was sharp. She liked working the crossword puzzle and the cryptoquote in the daily newspaper. She also spent many an evening working on jigsaw puzzles. She enjoyed reading and would often pass books or magazines on to others. Carrying over musical talents from her parents, Ardelle taught herself to play the piano, and later the organ. She loved to play hymns and Christmas carols. Ardelle enjoyed hosting gatherings at her home and always went out of her way to prepare delicious meals and desserts. Her gravy was famous among family members, as were her checkerboard birthday cakes, twisties, and graham cracker pie. At Christmas, she enjoyed making some of her Norwegian treats as well. Ardelle loved decorating her Christmas tree, which included memorabilia from places she'd visited, as well as treasures from friends and family. Her walls were filled with treasures and photos of many things she held dear. Ardelle liked to share her experiences with others, often digging out her cherished photo albums. She still did her own yardwork, lawn mowing and snow removal yet in her early 90's. She was a strong, independent woman and stayed in her tri-level home until she was 98, which was three years after she had fallen from her pier and broken her neck. She has often been referred to as the "Energizer Bunny". Ardelle is survived by her five children, Patricia (James) Wilson of Hindsville, Ark., Richard (Patricia) Steimel of Dane, Joan Steimel of Columbus Ohio, Barbara Snyder of Madison, and Mary (Gary) Ace of McFarland; grandchildren, Tim (Sandy) Wilson, Beverly Wilson, Jacqueline (Jamie) Steiger, Kimberley (Michael) Burmeister, Kenneth Littlefield, Dawn (Dennis) Phelan, Michael Elsner, and Jeffrey (Amy) Elsner; great grandchildren, Jacob Wilson, Kyle and Brandon Steiger, Melissa and Ryan Burmeister, Alexander, Jordan, and Tucker Elsner; and many nieces and nephews. Ardelle was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sisters, Jeanette Dorr, Thelma Newby, Esther Sullivan, Rose Blackmer, and June Woods; niece, Beverly Sullivan; sons-in-law, Robert Snyder and Charles Elsner. Funeral services will be held at HOLY CROSS LUTHERAN CHURCH, 2670 Milwaukee Street, Madison, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday July 13, 2016 with Pastor Bernt Tweit officiating. Burial will be held at Roselawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be held at the church, from 11 a.m. until the time of service on Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, or Home Health United Hospice, 2802 Walton Commons W, Madison WI, 53718. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at St. Mary's Hospital and the caregivers of Comfort Keepers for their kind and compassionate care, Home Health United Hospice for their wonderful assistance during the last stage of Ardelle's life, and the pastors of Holy Cross Lutheran Church for their devotion to her in this transition to meet her Lord and to be reunited with her husband. "Go gently to the other side, Mom. We will miss you, but you leave us with so many wonderful memories. You were always there for us and now we will carry you in our hearts forever."