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- [S927] Obituary.
lizabeth Mettler, 93, passed away March 16, 2007, in Sacramento, Calif. A funeral mass celebration will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 25, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Patrick Schumacher officiating. Elizabeth and her husband, Bill, have been interred in Mandan Union Cemetery. Her final request of her sons was to return to her beloved Mandan, where she and her husband, Bill, will rest near her father and mother.
Elizabeth was born Nov. 28, 1913, to John and Frances (Boehm) Mook. Her parents immigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1911, as part of the immigration of the Black Sea German-Russians to the Great Plains. When Elizabeth was 2 years old, her parents moved to Mandan. John Mook was an apprentice carman on the Northern Pacific Railway and her mother started raising four more children, Magdalene (Justin) Mousel, Christian, Jacob and Katherine (Michael) Koppy.
Her father died in 1920, when Elizabeth was 7 years old. From that day on, she would say, "I was my mother's husband." As the eldest of five children, Elizabeth had to become a responsible influence for the family. At the age of 8, she started working as a maid outside of the home to help support the family.
Elizabeth attended school and church at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Grade School, in Mandan. She was a 1932 graduate of Mandan High School, where she excelled in the secretarial courses. Elizabeth married William "Bill" Mettler in Mandan, in 1940. She became mother to Bill's 10-year-old son, Allen Mettler, whose own mother, Loretta (Melhouse) Mettler, had died when Allen was 1 year old. Elizabeth and Bill had two sons, Larry and Lee. The family moved to Sacramento in 1958, where Bill worked as a postal employee and she was employed with the Federal Bureau of Reclamation as a Water Recourses specialist. Elizabeth retired in 1975.
She worked as a secretary/stenographer her entire career. Elizabeth was the first payroll employee of Standard Oil when the refinery was built north of Mandan, initially working at home and later her office was at the refinery.
Elizabeth's interests revolved around family and church. When she lived in North Dakota she was very active in the St. Joseph Parish and enjoyed her involvement in the extended family. After moving to Sacramento, Elizabeth and Bill joined and supported Our Lady of Assumption Parish, where she attended mass until her health became an issue this past fall.
Elizabeth's personality reflected her need to be very responsible at a very young age. She was proud of her German background, was quick-witted, quick of judgment, fearless, proud and a very good friend to her peers. She was an excellent matriarch, and was very important within the family her entire life. Her claim to fame was to be "independent" and she was noted for that until last Fall - 93 years of independence!
She is survived by two sons, Larry Mettler, Sacramento, and Lee and Marilyn Mettler, Modesto, Calif.; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and her sisters-in-law, Margaret (Haag) Mook, Sacramento, and Bonnie (Stein-Ehlis) Mook, Bismarck.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her stepson, Allen, in 1951; and her husband, Bill, in 1971.
The Family kindly requests any remembrances be directed to the benefit of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, in Mandan. (Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan)
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1913 - 2007 (93 years)