Melede Grace (Strehlow) Meinzen

Melede Grace Meinzen (nee Strehlow), age 63 of Germantown, WI joined the Kingdom of Heaven into the arms of Jesus Christ at 9:47 p.m. on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. She was surrounded by family at her residence. Having fought ALS valiantly, she was redeemed from the bounds of earth to celebrate her first Christmas in eternity.

Melede graduated from Plymouth High School in 1978. Melede maintained lifetime friends from her time in Plymouth. She was a natural mother with a sweet disposition and an active faith. Caring for her grandchildren was THE highlight of her life and gave her great joy. Known as a prayer warrior, she was loved and respected by those who knew her. She enjoyed sharing her faith, praying, being with family and friends and taking photos of all the things she loved. Her sense of empathy was so strong, and her beautiful smile helped her communicate her joy in the Lord.

She was preceded in death by her father, DeWayne Strehlow; her uncle and godfather, Ronald Strehlow; her uncle Paul Livingood; cousin, Brian Livingood; her husband’s parents Rev. Lawrence and Martha Meinzen; and a brother-in-law, Luke Meinzen.

Melede is survived by her spouse of forty-four years, Philip Meinzen; four children, Rachel (Evan) Janousky, Micah (Victoria-Hobson) Meinzen, Christa (AJ) Amling, and Matthew (Katie) Meinzen. She is further survived by eleven deeply loved grandchildren, Noah, Anna, Elias, Natalie, James, Mackenzie, Hailey, Jacob, Olivia, Leah, and Dayson.

She is also survived by her mother, Beverly (Beusch) Strehlow; two brothers, Stephen (Dawn) Strehlow, and Gregory (Kristin) Strehlow; beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. Two aunts and one uncle survive her, Janet Livingood and Grace (Ken) Ditter.

Melede is survived by her husband’s siblings: Grace (Doug) Dick, Joyce (Dan) Morlang, Steve (Faith) Meinzen, Kathy (Myron) Wiemers, Linda (Don) Wiemers, Timothy (Lisa) Meinzen, Sharon (Dave) Braasch, John (Lisa) Meinzen, David (Liz) Meinzen, plus numerous nieces and nephews who gave her much joy.

VISITATION: Melede’s family will greet relatives and friends on Saturday, December 16, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m., at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 809 S. 6th Avenue in West Bend.

FUNERAL SERVICE: A funeral service for Melede will follow visitation at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend David Nieman officiating the service with burial to occur at Washington County Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be sent to ‘St. John’s Lutheran Church,’ 809 S 6th Ave. West Bend, WI, 53095; ‘Lutherans for Life,’ 1101 5th St. Nevada, IA, 50201; ‘LCMS Missions,’ 1333 S Kirkwood Rd. St. Louis, MO 63122.

Myrhum-Patten Funeral and Cremation Service has been entrusted with Melede’s arrangements. Additional information and guest book can be found at www.myrhum-patten.com.