Charlene Krause
Charlene Odette Krause passed away May 21, 2020. She was born Dec. 20, 1925 in Ansley, Neb. to Corra and Charles H. F. Steinmeier.
After graduating with highest honors from high school, Charlene attended Nebraska Wesleyan University from 1943-1945, and Nebraska Christian College 1945-1947, graduating summa cum laude from both with 4.0 GPA and top honors. After 1970, she worked as manager at Beneficial Finance until her retirement.
On Dec. 23, 1945, Charlene married Robert Galen Mundhenk in Ansley and together they had three children - Melody, Kurt and Mona. After her husband’s passing in 1992, Charlene reconnected with an old friend from grade school, Wayne Reynolds Krause at their 50th high school reunion. They were married May 17, 1994 in Kimball by an old school chum who was a judge.
Charlene was a mother, homemaker, professional woman and volunteer long before the term “multi-tasking” was invented. She loved to write poetry and self-published many of her poems, plus annual calendars listing everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries, including memorials for lost loved ones. She enjoyed working with mosaic tile, collected owls, bells and roosters, sewed button murals, made seed plaques and loved working in the church library. She loved to play the piano, drive and read books.
Charlene was cheerful, intelligent, vivacious, dynamic and encouraging.
She could be counted on as a loving friend, with a sense of humor and faithful, dedicated Christian values.
Charlene was preceded in death by her first husband Galen; her parents; and her sister Imo Morrison.
She is survived by her husband Wayne Krause of Longview, Wash.; daughter Melody Bywater of Independence, Ore.; son Kurt Mundhenk of Puyallup, Wash.; daughter Mona Mundhenk of Maple Valley, Wash.; granddaughter Gwendolyn Bywater of Portland, Ore.; grandson Grahame Bywater of Independence, Ore.; step-sons Wayne Krause Jr. of Cabot, Ark., Dr. Fred Krause of Kearney, and Dr. Larry Krause of Wood River; and step-daughter Linda Dillon of Lincoln.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, July 11 at 1 p.m. at Longview Community Church in Longview, Wash. and will be live-streamed at www. longviewcommunitychurch.org.