Minna Alma Bertha (Schultz) Kief

Minna Kief, of Montevideo, died on Friday, July 17, 1998 at the Luther Haven Nursing Home at the age of 97.

Funeral services will be conducted on Friday, July 24, 1998 at 10:00 A.M. at First Congregational Church in Montevideo with Rev. Jean Boese officiating.  Burial will be in the Sunset Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation will be Thursday afternoon and evening and with the family from 7 - 8 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home in Montevideo.

Minna Alma Bertha (Schultz) Kief was born on June 1, 1901 to Henry and Bertha (Schulke) Schultz at their home in Sparta Township.  She graduated from Montevideo High School in 1919 and graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in 1924 with a B.S. degree, graduate nurse degree and a public health nursing certificate. She was one of just 5 students who completed the five year nursing degree program, the first of its kind in the nation. She joined the faculty of the University of Iowa School of Nursing until awarded the Isabel Hampton Robb Scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York City.  Following her graduation there with a M.A. degree in 1926, she became a faculty member at the University of Minnesota, in conjunction with the Northern Pacific Hospital in St. Paul.  She also was a staff member of the Infant Welfare Society in Minneapolis.  On September 11, 1929 she was united in marriage to Paul G. Kief at the Minneapolis Girl Scout Camp near Buffalo, MN, by Rev. Richard Roberts. In 1932 they returned to Montevideo where they raised a family, and for 10 years she operated a nursery school in her home called Play School. After her children’s completing high school, she worked in public health nursing as County Nurse in Yellow Medicine Co. and later in Chippewa Co., until retiring in 1966.  She also worked as a part-time field worker for the Minnesota Poll.  She returned to work as Project Director and instructor for the Rural Health Aide Program in the tri-county area surrounding Montevideo for 3 years.  She was an avid traveler, visiting all 48 states before her marriage and later visiting both Alaska and Hawaii.  Following her retirement she started world traveling, reaching more than 90 countries in the next 8 years. Her other hobbies included flower gardening and birding.  She was a charter member and first President of the Montevideo Travel Club and of the American Association of University Women.  She was a member of the Women’s Federated Clubs, holding offices up to state vice-president.  She was a charter member and vice-president of the Montevideo Lioness Club.  She was the University of Minnesota Faculty member who organized the Alpha Tau Delta Society for nursing students with 5 year degrees. She was listed in national biographical books, including the first edition of “Who’s Who of American Women.”

She is survived by one son, Paul (Paky) Kief of Bemidji, MN; one daughter, Phyllis Youngren of Montevideo, MN; and one granddaughter, Juliet Youngren of Urbana, IL.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Paul G. Kief in 1963; one brother, William Schultz; and two sisters: Martha Smith and Helena Campbell.