Alberta Louise (Wenndt) Thien

Alberta Louise Thien, 89, of Tipton, peacefully entered eternity, at Iowa City Mercy Hospital, early Monday morning, May 18, 2020, from complications of a stroke she was stricken with four days prior.

In lieu of flowers and in Alberta’s memory, the family has set up three memorial funds:

1) First United Church of Christ, Tipton, Iowa
2) NAMI- National Alliance on Mental Health (an organization that works to educate, advocate, listen and lead to improve the lives of people with mental illness and their loved ones)
3) Brain and Behavior Research Foundation  (mission is to award grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research of mental illness)

The family asks that all cards and memorials be mailed in c/o Greta O’Clair to 506 10th Ave. Clarence, Iowa 52216.

A private family funeral service will be at Tipton First United Church of Christ on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 10:30 am followed by a private graveside service at the Tipton Masonic Cemetery.

You are invited to share memories and online condolences at www.fryfuneralhome.com.

Alberta, daughter of Gerhard and Carolina “Lena” (Brunscheen) Wenndt, was born on Tuesday October 21, 1930, in Clarence, Iowa and graduated from Clarence High School with the Class of 1948. She was crowned the first and only “Dairy Queen” at the National Dairy Cattle Congress on October 3, 1949, and was awarded 1,000 pounds of butter. Alberta chose to auction off her gift of butter and used the $1,408 she earned to pay for her two year Elementary Teaching Certificate she received from Iowa State Teachers College (now UNI). After acquiring her certificate in 1950, she taught elementary school in the Lost Nation Consolidated School from 1950-1951. On June 10, 1951, in Lowden, Iowa, Alberta married Lloyd Robert Thien. Along with starting a family of six children, she was active in all phases of their farming operation. When their youngest child started school, Alberta taught five years (1968-1973) in Clarence Community School while also working for and attaining her BS degree in Elementary Education at the University of Iowa, in 1973. Alberta then taught for 16 years, in Muscatine Community Schools from 1974 until her retirement in 1990.

Alberta devoted her life to the three pillars of faith, hope and service to others. Her faith was observed through her enthusiasm to serve in the United Church of Christ; serving on the Executive Board of Women’s Fellowship, as deacon on the church council from 1993-1995 and serving as President of the Silver Star Circle of King’s Daughters from 1995-1997. She championed to give hope to the underprivileged and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by serving: on the Care Review Board of the ARC Group Home in Tipton, IA since 1993; as Coordinator for the Cedar- SHARE program from its inception in July 1993 until 2001; on Crossroads Board of Directors (2000-2004), Muscatine, Iowa; on various Mental Health Advisory Boards; and on the Margaret E. Dallas Scholarship Committee, whose goal is to help Cedar County residents defray the costs of higher education. Alberta also served on the Site Council and Activity Committee at the Tipton Senior Center from 1992-1994, was a member of the Muscatine Area Retired School Personnel Association and last, but not least, was an avid quilter with the Cedar County Piece Makers Quilt Guild in Tipton, Iowa.

Alberta is survived by five children, Gary (Carol) Thien of Council Bluffs, IA, Gwen Thien of Tipton, IA, Glenda Thien Morgan (Dan) of Ormond Beach, FL, Greta O'Clair (Dave) of Clarence, IA, Greg Thien (Michelle) of Tipton, IA, son-in-law, Craig(Gayla) Ellyson of Elkhart, IA; ten grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and one sister, Carolyn (Lorren) Voss of Winfield, KS.She is preceded in death by her parents, Gerhard and Carolina Wenndt; her husband, Lloyd Robert Thien; one daughter, Gayla (Craig) Ellyson, Elkhart, IA; and one sister, Veneta Kroemer formerly of Lowden, IA.

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