Ingrid L. Schwiesow

Orange City, Iowa~Ingrid Lydia Schwiesow, 81, passed away suddenly on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at the Orange City Area Health System. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 27 at 11:00 am at the Associated Church in Hawarden, Iowa, with the Reverends Erma Wolf and Michael Hardeman officiating. Burial will be following the funeral at Grace Hill Cemetery in Hawarden, with the Porter Funeral Home assisting the family. A reception will follow at the Hawarden Community Center. Condolences may be sent to www.porterfuneralhomes.com.

Ingrid was born on June 16, 1935 in Berlin, Germany. She was adopted by her parents, Gustav and Martha Walter. Ingrid was a child when World War II broke out. She grew up in war-torn Berlin, spending two years outside the city to get away from it. She often told stories about the war, describing the fear they lived in on a daily basis. There were times, during the final push in 1945, when bombs were being lobbed into the city several times a day, and she and her mother had to make their way to the bomb shelter and safety. She told of the Russian invasion and the subsequent American liberation of Berlin. After the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, she feared that Russia would someday invade West Berlin. But she was thrilled on November 9, 1989, when the wall came down and the East German people were finally free. Ingrid was very proud of her German heritage. Her family would often tease her about her accent, which would become more pronounced the more she laughed…causing her family to make her laugh some more.

In 1957, she met Jim Schwiesow, a young American MP in the United States Army. They were married in Berlin on June 5, 1957. After Jim’s exit from the Army at the end of that same year, they left Berlin and moved to Gastonia, NC, where they lived for about a year. They then moved to Sioux City, IA in 1958, where Ingrid was a Draftsman for Tower Radio. In 1962, they moved to Hawarden, IA. While living in Hawarden, Ingrid was a homemaker, a Girl Scout leader, Room Parent for her three daughters several times, a member of the Women’s Circle and a Sunday School teacher at the Associated Church, where she was a member. She worked several different jobs. She was a salesperson at the Golden Lion, and an Administrative Assistant in a Dental Office and at the Hawarden Chamber of Commerce. In 1978, she and her husband moved to Orange City, IA, where Ingrid worked for the County Treasurer’s Office until her retirement.

Ingrid was a member of the American Reformed Church of Orange City, where she taught Sunday School and was involved in the Women’s Circle. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, and a Northwest Iowa German Club. She enjoyed volunteering at the food stands during Tulip Festival in Orange City for many years.

Ingrid’s pride and joy were her three daughters and her eight grandchildren. She was known to spoil her grandchildren when they visited her house, always ready with lots of food. She was often heard saying, “I’m the grandma. It’s my job to spoil my grandchildren”.

She is survived by her husband, Jim; 3 daughters, Rene Schwiesow of Marshfield, MA, Shelly and Corby Walde of Sergeant Bluff, IA, Dureen and Jeff Siebersma of San Antonio, TX; 8 grandchildren, Patrick and Chad McGuigan, Olivia and Mitchell Walde, and Jessica, Megan, Noah and Elijah Siebersma; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Heintz of Nevada, IA, a sister-in-law, Marcene and Les Ludwigs of Hawarden, IA, a brother-in-law, Mel Schwiesow of Ireton, IA, and a sister-in-law, Pam Schwiesow of LeMars, IA; many nieces and nephews, and their extended families.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Gustav and Martha Walter; her father and mother-in-law, Henry and Naomi Schwiesow; a sister-in-law, Patty Dick; a brother-in-law, Kent Schwiesow; and a brother-in-law, Max Heintz.

Funeral Service