Margaretha "Grete" Mueller

Margaretha “Grete” Mueller, 93, of Bettendorf, passed away on Thursday, December 26, 2019 at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Bettendorf.  Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the church.  Memorials may be directed to The Vera French Foundation, NAMI of the Greater Mississippi Valley, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.  McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Grete, whose nickname was derived from her birth name, Margaretha, was born on April 18, 1926 in Oak Park, Illinois, the daughter of Gottfried and Maria (Heist) Kappel.  After graduating high school, she attended the University of Illinois and Marycrest College where she studied business and accounting.  During WW II, Grete worked as a nurse’s aide at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago.  Prior to her retirement in 1998, she was employed for 30 years at Riepe, Buchanan, and Piper.  Throughout her career in business administration, she also completed several seminars regarding pensions, insurance, income tax, and women in management.

On July 16, 1949, Grete married Vernon C. Mueller in Forest Park, Illinois.  Throughout her life she served in various roles on numerous committees including: past President of Tri-City Symphony Orchestra Association Auxillary and past Program Chairman of Parents Without Partners, Parents Teacher League, and Couples Club.  Grete was a member of P.E.O. Chapter, Chamber of Commerce – Women’s Bureau, and also a member and past Officer of the church choir.  She was active in countless community activities including fund drives and elections. Grete was a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Davenport before transferring to Our Savior Lutheran Church to be closer to home and to attend church with her family. Grete enjoyed playing Bridge and golf, and was an avid Chicago Cubs fan.

Those left to honor her memory are her daughter, Jane (James) McDougall of Sycamore, Illinois; sons, Thomas (Erin) Mueller of Davenport, John (Vicki) Mueller of LeClaire, Mark Mueller of Bettendorf; 10 grandchildren, Travis (Julie) Mueller of Fairfax, Iowa, Jessica (Field) Hudnall of Westport, Kentucky, Alicia (Jim) Lisafeld of Sycamore, Robert (Nozomi) Fagan of Osaka, Japan, Jessica (John) Petersen of Bartlett, Illinois, Nicholas (Sara) Fagan of Chicago, Illinois, Madeline McDougall of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kirk (Amanda) Mueller of Davenport, Dylan Mueller of Riverside, Iowa, Brant Mueller of Davenport; 8 great-grandchildren, Emma and Maddux Mueller, Knox and Kip Hudnall, Kaitlyn, Abigail, and Jordan Lisafeld, Madison Mueller; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon; and sisters and brothers-in-law, Maria “Mitzi” and Lieutenant Colonel  Earl Von Kaenel, USAF (Ret.), Helen and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Anderson, USAF (Ret.).