Visitation will be at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm on Monday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., followed by the funeral. Burial will be next to her husband in St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery. Pastor Rob Guenther will officiate.

To leave an online condolence for her family, or sign the guestbook, go to: mvfh.org.

Erna leaves behind her daughters, Marley (Richard) Kuckhahn of New Ulm, Christine (Bruce) Heckmann of Menasha, Wisconsin; son, Ron (Joan) Zahn of Wrightstown, Wisconsin; daughter-in-law, Debbie Zahn of New Ulm; 24 grandchildren; 56 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Meilahn; sons, Richard, David and James Zahn; and daughters-in-law, Belle Zahn and Myrna Zahn.

Erna Zahn was born April 14, 1908, to Olga (Kloehn) and Henry Miller in Pickett, Wisconsin. She attended Pickett Grade School and graduated from Ripon High School and Oshkosh Business School. She worked as a stenographer for seven years. On July 27, 1935, she and Meilahn Zahn married. Before they arrived at (D)MLC, the Zahns served Jesus in the Christian education communities in Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and Menasha, Wisconsin, and Saginaw, Michigan. In New Ulm, Mrs. Zahn assisted in the office of the DMLHS president for nearly a decade. Erna served faithfully at St. John’s in New Ulm and was active in the Ladies Aid, Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society, and the (D)MLC Auxiliary. Her determined spirit and resourcefulness enabled her to stretch meals and sew most of the clothes for her family. Later, she reveled in travel to Europe and China. At home she daily walked her dogs, shoveled her own snow, and dreamed of riding horses again. But her life centered on her role as Christian mom and wife. She did not waver in her faith that the Lord would provide. She said, “I just said my prayers and went to sleep.” Join us in thanking God for enriching our lives with this remarkable woman. At the time of her death, she was the oldest Minnesotan, third-oldest American and the eighth-oldest person in the world. To God be the glory!

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorials to St. John’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Meilahn Zahn Music Scholarship at Martin Luther College or Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School.

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