Thelma Ruth Klueter

May 11, 1929 - March 28, 2020

The Celebration of Life for Thelma Ruth Klueter will be held at Eden Church on May 11, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. with the Rev. John Roberts officiating. Friends and family may begin to gather at 6:30 following all COVID-19 protocols including face coverings and social distancing. A live stream of the service will be available at https://vimeo.com/542142181 Thelma died on March 28, 2020, at Liberty Court in Maryville, Illinois at the age of 90. Thelma was born May 11, 1929 the daughter of the late Charles and Nellie Koch Reiter. She married Edgar W. Wendel on September 8, 1956 at Eden Church. He passed away on October 16, 1978. She married Wilbur “Wib” Klueter on August 1, 1986 in a private garden ceremony. He passed away on September 2, 2000. To help her family, Thelma left school and became a salesclerk for Silverbloom’s and later for Madison Store both in downtown Edwardsville. After her children were of school-age, she returned to work at Ballweg’s Drug Store and then the Edwardsville National Bank. She retired from the bank in 1990 after it had merged into Mark Twain Bank. Thelma was a past member of the Edwardsville Business and Professional Women’s Club. She enjoyed dancing and pinochle with the Edwardsville Senior Citizens. She was a member of Eden Church and had been a Sunday School teacher, choir member, greeter, but most importantly to her, one of the first female ushers. Thelma is survived by a son and his wife, Kevin and Donna Wendel of Glen Carbon, and their son, Adam who is serving in the United States Air Force at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, and their daughter, Amanda and her fiancé Zach Burch and his children Olive and Ezra of Granite City; a daughter and her husband, Judy and Bob Parker of Glen Carbon, their sons Cody and his wife, Lauren, and their sons Landon and Gunner Parker of Troy, and Jacob Parker of Bismarck, Arkansas, and their daughter Stephanie and her husband Ryan Williams and their daughter Haley of Edwardsville. She is also survived by her brothers Rev. Allen (Lynn) Reiter of Hamel and Clyde Reiter of Edwardsville and a sister-in-law Ann Reiter of Ankeny, Iowa and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husbands and parents, Thelma was preceded in death by brothers LeRoy, Leonard, Chester, Kenneth, Dale, and Murl; and sisters Frances Neunaber and Eileen, who died in infancy, and a special friend William Stamper. A private graveside service was held April 1, 2020 at St. Paul Cemetery on Bluff Road, Edwardsville with the Rev. Allen Reiter officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association or to the Glen Ed Food Pantry.