Laura Roeder

Laura Mae Roeder, age 95, of Ortonville, MN, died Wednesday morning, August 27, 2025, at Fairway View Neighborhoods in Ortonville.

A Graveside service will be held on Monday, September 8, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Mound Cemetery in Ortonville. A visitation will be held on Sunday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Mundwiler and Larson Funeral Home in Ortonville. Rev. Tim Rynearson will officiate the graveside service and a lunch at Trinity Lutheran Church will follow.

Laura Mae (Steltz) Roeder was born on January 5, 1930, at her home in Robert County, SD; the daughter of Henry and Irene (Ulrich) Steltz. She was raised in the Milbank, SD, area and the Odessa, MN, area attending country school through seventh grade. Laura then attended Ortonville High School and graduated with the Class of 1948.

Before her marriage to Edwin Roeder, Laura worked at the Big Stone Canning Factory. In her later years, she worked at Northridge Nursing Home in the Housekeeping Department. Laura loved her job, the residents, and the staff at the nursing home. On the farm, she milked the cows and had a big garden of produce of which she canned and froze.

Famous for her cooking and baking, Laura made everything from her apple bars, chocolate marshmallow cookies, and peppernuts to the best homemade bread and buns from scratch. When she made her bread and buns, she had her recipe memorized and did not write it down. Laura’s family has searched and searched and have been unsuccessful in locating it and she was unable to recite it from memory in recent years.

As an avid seamstress, Laura made many beautiful things including dresses for her daughters. She also made beautiful Afghans with her crocheting talents.

If anyone ever stopped in to visit Laura, they never left without at least a hot cup of coffee and a bar or a cookie. In her 72 years of marriage with Eddie, her name she had for him when she wanted his immediate attention was, “Eddie John”. Eddie always affectionately called her, “Sis”.

Left to cherish Laura Mae’s memory are her children: Shirley (Don) Folk of Corona, SD; Jeanette (Don) Felton of Odessa, MN; Donna (Brad) Howland of Battle Lake, MN; Greg Roeder of Ortonville, MN; and Richard (Diana) Roeder of Princeton, MN; nine grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; sisters: Ella Thompson of Madison, MN; and Charlene (Matt) Karels of Ortonville, MN; sisters-in-law: Donna Roeder of Ortonville, MN; Lin Roeder of Ortonville, MN; and Kaye Roeder of Ore City, TX; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Preceding her in death were her husband, Edwin Roeder; her parents: Henry Steltz and Irene Greenfield; brothers: James Steltz, Edward Steltz, and Henry Steltz, Jr.; and sister, Rosemary Stock.

Blessed be the memory of Laura Mae Roeder.