In
Memoriam
26
WSU Currents
•
Winter 2012
1920
s
Virginia Anderson Soenke ’29
(
Salinas, Calif.) passed away on
November 2. She had celebrated her
104
th birthday only two weeks prior,
on October 16. After graduating from
Winona State, Virginia taught at a
one-room schoolhouse before earning
an advanced degree at the University
of Minnesota, graduating cum laude.
She worked as a librarian at Salinas
High School in California after World
War II. She was an avid bridge player,
golfer, walker, and lifelong learner.
1940
s
Alden Knatterud ’46
(
Fargo, N.D.) passed
away on October 26. He
earned his BS degrees
with honors in sociology
at Winona State and his
master’s in educational administration
at the University of Minnesota a year
later. He served in the U.S. Army Air
Corps during World War II, training
pilots. Alden was the principal of
several schools in southern Minnesota
before moving to Moorhead, where
he was principal of the senior high
school from 1956 to 1977. He then
taught philosophy of education and
supervised student teachers at Moor-
head State University. His brother,
Gerald ’54, who passed away in 2003,
was also a Winona State alumnus and
former member of the WSU Founda-
tion Board of Trustees.
Jeanette (Hovden) Almquist ’47
(
La Crosse, Wis.) passed away on April
6.
She earned her BS in education at
Winona State and taught kindergarten
in Iowa and Michigan before the birth
of her first daughter.
Kathleen (Hester) Crotty ’47
(
Great
Falls, Minn.), a retired kindergarten
teacher for the Santa Barbara School
District, died of natural causes on
December 23, 2011.
Mildred A. (Hoffman) Carlson ’48
(
Austin, Minn.) passed away on August
22.
After receiving her degree in
education, she taught in Harmony and
returned to teaching in 1960 following
her husband’s death. Mildred taught
English, social studies, and history for
26
years at Ellis Junior High School.
Irene A. Steffensmeier ’49
(
Flan-
dreau, S.D.) passed away on October
6.
She taught English at Flandreau
High School for more than 20 years,
taking a leave in 1980 to join her
daughter, who was teaching in
Germany. Irene soon was also teach-
ing at Kaiserslautern High School and
later working as librarian at Landstuhl
Elementary School. She retired in 1995
after a 35-year teaching career.
1950
s
Jeanne M. (Warmka) Fugle ’56
(
Shakopee Minn.) passed away on July
26.
She earned an education degree
and taught for several years before
becoming a mother and homemaker
in Easton.
Karl Yatooma ’57
(
Guild, Tenn.), a
retired teacher, passed away on June
22
at his home.
Leo J. Pronschinske ’59
(
New Berlin,
Wis.) passed away on November 1. He
earned his bachelor’s at Winona State
and master’s degree at Aurora Univer-
sity. Leo was a science instructor for 34
years in the East Troy schools.
He also avidly researched his family’s
genealogy and wrote a book on its
origins, as well as leading several trips
to its ancestral villages in Europe.
1960
s
Violet R. (Bittner) Baures ’65
(
Fountain City, Wis.) passed away on
August 9. She returned to WSU to
complete her teaching degree while
raising five boys and taught for more
than 20 years at Cochrane-Fountain
City School. Along with her husband,
she started Valley Herb Gardens which
contained more than 300 different
herbs and medicinal plants.
Adeline Longworth ’66
(
Austin,
Minn.) passed away on August 3. She
earned her BS in teaching, at the
same time commuting to teach in Lyle
and Glenville. Adeline was an educa-
tor for more than 30 years and was
instrumental in the lives of all those
she taught.
Robert J. “Bob” Maus ’67
(
Lexing-
ton, Ill.) passed away on October 27.
After graduating from WSU he earned
his PhD at Illinois State University. He
started his career as a social worker
and later worked in public and private
school administration.
1970
s
Josephine Magdalena (Beckwith)
Gerlach ’70
(
Winona) passed away
on September 4. She earned an MS
degree at Winona State and taught
at Dickinson State University in
North Dakota and then at Cochrane-
Fountain City High School until her
retirement. She had many interests,
including the AAUW, where she was
president and state officer, Daughters
of the American Revolution, and the
Winona County Historical Society.