Elaine Flaig Pechtel, 90, of New Ulm, passed away on Friday, October 1, 2021, at the Sleepy Eye Care Center, Sleepy Eye, Minn., after a brief illness.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Ulm. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. at St. Raphael’s Catholic Cemetery in Springfield.
Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Monday, October 4, 2021, at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home – NORTH CHAPEL in New Ulm. Visitation will continue from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Ulm.
Livestreaming of the Mass will start at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 5, 2021, on Minnesota Valley Funeral Home’s Facebook page.
To leave an online condolence for the family, or to sign the guestbook, please visit: www.mvfh.org.
Elaine Helget was born to Emil and Elsie Helget on October 23, 1930. The family farmed in the Hanska area and later near Sanborn. Elaine graduated from Sanborn High School in 1948. She married Francis Flaig in 1949, and they farmed on the Flaig family farm north of Sanborn where they raised five children. The family lived in Olivia, Minn., from 1969-1979, and then moved to Courtland, Minn. Francis passed away in 1987. In 1991, Elaine married Denny Pechtel and the couple has lived in New Ulm since 1994.
In addition to raising her family, Elaine held several different jobs over the years, from retail positions to serving as a teacher’s aide at St. Aloysius Catholic elementary school in Olivia. She still talked about some of the kids she worked with back then and said she enjoyed working with those who needed the most help. She was proud and supportive of the various education and career paths her own children and grandchildren followed.
Elaine had an appreciation of music, which she passed on to her kids in various forms. Her Catholic faith was a stronghold in her life, and she was a member of St. Mary’s Church at the time of her passing. She enjoyed travel and took several trips to Europe, numerous trips to Alaska where her eldest daughter lives, and for 23 years she and Denny spent winters in Cape Coral, Fla.
Known as a good cook, a hard worker, and a loyal, gentle soul, Elaine will be missed by those who survive her, including her husband Denny of New Ulm, her children Rosemary (Bob) Bird of Kenai, Alaska, Peggy of St. Paul, Minn., Bonnie (Mike) Prinsen of Rushford, Minn,m and Brian of Albia, Iowa; her sister Darlene Wersal of Marshall, Minn.; 12 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, and Denny’s four children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Francis, her daughter Carol (Bob) Brown, sisters Joyce Krzmarzick and Delores Alt, and brother Ken Helget.
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