A Celebration of Life Service for Roberta Riebe, age 89, of Windom will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 17th at the First Presbyterian Church in Windom with Pastor Tim Olsen officiating. Burial will follow in the Lakeview Cemetery in Windom.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, June 17th from 9:30 AM until 11:00 AM at the First Presbyterian Church in Windom.
Roberta Riebe passed away on February 3, 2023, at the Good Samaritan Society-Sogge Memorial in Windom with her loving husband, Lyle, at her side.
Arrangements are under the care of the LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Windom. Condolences and memories of Roberta may be sent online to www.lacannefuneralhome.com. Â Â Roberta Mae Schneiter was born on March 6, 1933, in Litchfield, Minnesota. Roberta was the fifth of six children. She grew up on a dairy farm and attended a one-room schoolhouse in Meeker County through the eighth grade. In ninth grade she began to attend Litchfield High School, where she met Lyle Riebe in their English class. Lyle remembers being very disappointed when he was moved to the front row, because he and Roberta were talking too much. This was the beginning of a lifelong love.
After graduating from high school in 1951, Roberta attended Macalester College in St. Paul, while Lyle entered the Air Force. They were united in marriage on July 12, 1952, and Roberta joined Lyle in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he was stationed. Following their military years, they attended Huron College. In 1958, they moved to Windom, Minnesota where Roberta was a busy homemaker, raising their growing family which would eventually include four daughters and one son.
During her early years in Windom, Roberta worked as a part-time bookkeeper at the Windom Sales Barn, while Lyle was a business education teacher, track, and football coach, at the Windom High School. As summer supplemental income, Roberta and Lyle became co-owners of the Pine Inn Drive-In, briefly with Bob and Dorothy Hofflander, and for nearly 20 years with Jack and Marilyn Kelly. Roberta’s passion was teaching, and as her own children grew and left home, she took a job as a para educator for Windom Elementary Schools.
Although she was a busy wife and mother, Roberta also had time to focus on some hobbies. She enjoyed baking, sewing, and knitting. She also spent many hours refinishing furniture and learned to cane. She loved outdoor activities as well, including swimming, walking, and snow skiing. Roberta was an avid football and track fan. Her community activities were also numerous, including singing in Sweet Adelines, serving as a member and officer for PEO, and participating in Bridge Club and Sewing Club.
Roberta was a selfless volunteer, serving in many capacities for various organizations. The First Presbyterian Church was one focus of her volunteering. She taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, was a youth leader, and served as a deacon. Roberta led vacation Bible Schools, was active in PW Circle, and even served as a camp counselor at the Presbyterian Camp on Okoboji. Roberta particularly enjoyed working with children as they read to the horses at Reinbows, Inc. After retiring, Roberta, along with Lyle, decided to participate in Volunteers in Mission. Their first assignment was at Wasatch Academy in Utah. However, Roberta found her true calling at Heifer Project International (HPI) where she and Lyle volunteered about 6 months out of every year for 19 years. Roberta served as Visitor Center hostess as well as leading many small group and larger school tours, sharing the mission of Heifer.
Roberta also loved to travel and traveled all throughout the United States to visit friends and family. Some family trips took her to Germany and other parts of Europe. She and Lyle also had the opportunity to visit HPI mission projects both within the continental United States and internationally. They traveled to both Tanzania and Thailand, meeting people and viewing the work of Heifer first-hand.
On Friday, February 3, 2023, Roberta passed away peacefully at the age of 89 years and 11 months, with her loving husband, Lyle at her side. She is survived by her husband, Lyle; four daughters, Marty (Tim) Olsen of Luverne, MN, Carol Bennett of Mesa, Arizona, Kitty (Willy) Wilson of Avon, Indiana, and Jan Pryor of Canon City, Colorado; 10 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by 2 sisters, Jan Morris and Carol Marshall, both of Northfield, Minnesota; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Roberta was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Bernice Schneiter; her mother-in-law, Martha Riebe; her son, Randy; her brother, Harry Schneiter and his wife Jodie; her sisters, Betty Richter and her husband Erwin, Margaret Steinkraus and her husband Cliff; brothers-in-law, Richard Morris and George Marshall.
Blessed be the memory of Roberta Mae Riebe.
