Mabel Martha McEwen

Age 104, died peacefully Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at the Presbyterian Homes of Arden Hills, Arden Hills, Minnesota. Preceded in death by her parents, Benjamin and Martha (Schwalve) Prieve; husband, Clayton; grandson, Michael; great-grandson, Zachery; and 4 siblings. Survivors include her sons, Lowell (Nancy) and Duane (Alice); 6 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren. Born in 1905, Mabel saw many changes in her lifetime-from going to Hutchinson High School in her horse and buggy or in a horse-drawn sled on the Crow River to Jet Plane travel later on. After Normal training she taught Country School until she married Clayton. In those days, married women could not teach. After that strange law was changed she again taught one-room schools, braving the blizzards and bad roads in her Model A car. Former students were still sending her cards and letters last year. Mabel spent most of her life in Hutchinson. After retirement she was a substitute teacher and volunteered at the Thrift Store, her Church, and played piano at the VFW. The Auxiliary commended her for 55 years of service. She and Clayton tried farming but gave up in the Dust Bowl and Depression days. They moved to Portland, Oregon, for two years then returned to Hutchinson in 1936. Her final two years were at Presbyterian Care Centers in Arden Hills. Before that she was at the Scandia Shores Apartments for 10 years near son Duane and wife Alice in Shoreview. She and Clayton enjoyed traveling and visited son Lowell, wife Nancy, and family once or twice a year in Colorado. They also went to Disney World in Florida and the Worlds Fair in Seattle. They often visited relatives in Georgia, North Dakota, and the West Coast. They liked to drive on the North Shore with friends to see the colors every fall. Characterizing her life, she was given a snow shovel for Christmas in the 80's and lately she complained that her wheelchair was to slow. She was frustrated by poor hearing and vision in her last years but never lost her spirit. Funeral service 11AM Monday, September 21, 2009 at Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Visitation 10-11 AM Monday at the church. Burial at Oakland Cemetery in Hutchinson, Minnesota.

Tributes

Mabel Martha McEwen

July 26, 1905 - September 15, 2009

Tributes

Mabel Martha McEwen

July 26, 1905 - September 15, 2009

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