Darlene Emilie Hulda Baedke

Darlene Emilie Hulda (Wolff) Baedke was born on February 7, 1931 to the late Julius and Martha (Fandrey) Wolff in Avery (Lincoln County), Oklahoma. Darlene was baptized March 1, 1931 and confirmed on May 20, 1945 in the Lutheran faith. She began picking cotton on the farm at an early age with her siblings, and in the process, learning multiplication tables, memorizing Bible verses and singing hymns. She graduated from high school in Cushing, Oklahoma. She continued her education at Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska. After two years of education, she began teaching at Enid Elementary School in Enid, Oklahoma.

On June 9, 1951, Darlene was united in marriage to Harold Baedke. The couple was blessed with three daughters. Upon their marriage, they farmed in northern Iowa until they moved to Waterloo in 1960. Then they moved to Denison where Darlene taught at Zion Lutheran School until she enrolled in Midwestern College in Denison to further her education. Following graduation, she taught at the Dow City School and Denison Community School before Darlene and Harold relocated to Fort Dodge. Darlene taught 2nd grade at St. Paul Lutheran school until they relocated to Council Bluffs. After moving to Council Bluffs, Darlene taught at a preschool. Her teaching career lasted 27 years until her retirement in 1993. In 2015, Darlene and Harold returned to Denison where they moved into the Eventide Lutheran Home.

Darlene had a sincere devotion to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, evidenced through her faithful worship and bible study attendance. She sang the hymns of the faith eagerly. She and Harold were founding members of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Denison and longtime members at Timothy Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs. She was an active member in Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and Stephen Ministries.

Darlene passed away Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at Eventide Lutheran Home attaining the age of eighty-nine years, ten months and twenty-nine days. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Harold; ten sisters, Hildegard “Hilda” Dahlke, Elizabeth Heisler Fisk, Amanda Baedke, Erna Fisk, Hertha Wyatt, Martha Bradley, Selma Wolff, Velma Brown, Ida Baedke and Norma Jacobs; and six brothers, Clemen Wolff, Alfred Wolff, Julius “Jack” Wolff, Herman Wolff, Darvin Wolff and an infant brother.

She is survived by her daughters, Connie and her husband Mark Press, Diane and her husband Chuck Ettleman and Cathy Eggers; grandchildren, Mindy (Jason), Sarah (Brian),Chad, Jeremy (Mario), Erin ( Nick), Nathan (Natalie), Brian (Amy); and nine great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Dorothy Wolff; other relatives and friends.

Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, January 8, 2021 at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison with visitation one hour prior to the service from 10:00-11:00 AM. Interment is in Crawford Heights Memory Gardens. Memorials may be directed to Mission Central, Lutherans for Life, Lutheran Hour or Eventide Lutheran Home.

Live streaming of the service will be available at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 8, 2021 at the "Huebner Funeral Home" facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/huebnerfuneralhome/