Funeral services will be held at 1:30 PM Friday, June 18, 2021, at St. John’s Lutheran Church-Crane Creek, rural Tripoli with Rev. Katie Rodriguez officiating. Burial will follow at the Church Cemetery. All are welcome to join the family at Panther Lanes in Tripoli following the Internment Service on Friday for a Celebration of Life. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 17th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Becker & Son Funeral Home in Tripoli and for one hour preceeding services at the Church on Friday. Memorials may be honored in Esther’s name to Tripoli Nursing & Rehab. Online condolences may be left at www.beckermilnesrettig.com.

Esther, daughter of Ernest and Martha (Banser) Jaschen was born December 20, 1922, at home, rural Klinger. She was baptized on December 31, 1922, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, rural Klinger and later confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church-Artesian, rural Waverly. Esther received her education at the Parochial School at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church-Artesian. She was proud of her achievement as Bremer County 8th Grade Spelling Bee Champion. Esther worked on the family farm during her adolescent years and her first job upon leaving home was as a server at a restaurant in Denver and later as a manager at the Hardware Store in Denver. On March 24, 1957, she was united in marriage with Werner Harmening at St. John’s Lutheran Church-Crane Creek. Esther was a homemaker and devoted wife and mother, always ensuring that her families needs were met before her own. She was a devout Christian, and long-time faithful and active member of St. John Lutheran Church-Crane Creek. Esther derived great pleasure in sitting on her deck listening to the melodies of the birds. Esther enjoyed gardening, raising her own vegetables for canning; she loved growing beautiful plants and flowers and had a green thumb like no other. Esther was very artistic and loved painting and crafts; she loved traveling with her husband and family, taking many trips across the country to visit family and friends and taking her children to see and learn about national monuments. Esther shared her husbands love of riding motorcycles and driving their Valiant convertible in many parades. She enjoyed going to the lakes of Minnesota to go fishing. Esther had a profound love of music and loved going to dances with her husband. She was an excellent cook, always making the kids homemade cookies, pizza and french fries. But most of all, Esther Loved celebrating holidays and birthdays with her children and grandchildren. It was an annual event for Esther and her son-in-law, Kevin, to celebrate their birthdays together at their favorite restaurant.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt Thank-You to the staff of Tripoli Nursing & Rehab for the wonderful and loving care their mother received.

Esther is survived by her two children, Darwin and his wife, Trish of Bertram and Pamela Janssen of Marshalltown; three grandchildren, Denise (Scott Gladwin) Willson of Cedar Rapids, Tammy (Perry Whitlach) Wiebold of Marion, and Dawn (Tim) Willson-Heying of McGregor; seven great-grandchildren, Nathan (Randi) VanSlyke of Cedar Rapids, Sabrina (Bethany) Brooks of Cedar Falls, and Michael and Austin Wiebold, both of Marion; Shane, Jace and TJ Hexom of McGregor; brother-in-law, Alfred Harmening.

In addition to her parents, Esther was preceded in death by her daughter, Kathleen on April 11, 1980; husband, Werner on January 9, 2002; son-in-law, Kevin Janssen on September 6, 2013; brother Arnold Jaschen; sister, Norma Mae in infancy; and three-sisters-in-law, Mildred Lahmann, Phyllis Jaschen and Lorna Harmening; and her cherished granddogs, Lily and Lucy.