DeLoris Ann (Hahn) Thaete

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DeLoris Hahn Thaete was born July 2, 1926, at the Twin Falls County Hospital. DeLoris began life as the oldest child and only daughter of Emil and Olga Hahn of Buhl, Idaho.  She was baptized into the Christian faith on July 6th.  From the time she was young to the present, DeLoris has always looked out for her four younger brothers.  The five children enjoyed life on the farm. Emil and Olga devised a clever plan for getting the house cleaned on Saturdays.  Emil took all of the kids to a cowboy movie such as “Roy Rogers.”  With the kids out of the way, Olga cleaned the house in record time.  DeLoris walked to a two-room rural, public school 1 ¼ miles away from home.  Grades 1-4 met in one room, and grades 5-8 met in the other room.  Christmas programs were held in the nearby Czech lodge because it had a stage.  One year, a Dutch bachelor made wooden shoes for the kids to wear in the program.  Following elementary school, DeLoris rode the bus to Buhl to attend high school.

Emil was one of the charter members when St. John Lutheran in Buhl was organized as a congregation.  He helped build the original church and school buildings, as well as the present church building. DeLoris started teaching Sunday School during the high school years at the mission in Buhl.  She also substituted as a church organist in the original church building.

DeLoris' pastor, as well as a school friend who talked of being a missionary, inspired her to attend college at Concordia, St. John's in Winfield, Kansas, where she earned a two-year associate teaching degree.  During the time DeLoris spent at college, her future husband was on active duty during WWII in the Philippines and Japan.  On arrival at St. John's, DeLoris found herself in a barracks with nine other freshmen women.  These women became life-long friends.  After graduation, they communicated through a round robin, an envelope containing a letter written during the past year from each of the roommates.  DeLoris would read the letters, remove her old letter, enclose a new letter, and send the packet to the next person.

Following college, DeLoris worked a couple of years as a parochial schoolteacher before returning to Twin Falls to take the job of society editor for the Times News.  She wrote wedding announcements, descriptions of wedding dresses and weddings, and covered the meetings of social clubs.

DeLoris met Lloyd Thaete at a Walther League roller-skating party.  They married February 19, 1950,  they moved to a farm south of Filer Idaho during which time the first two children were born.  Then, while farming in the Twin Falls area, the next three children were born. When Lloyd drew for a homestead northeast of Rupert, he began clearing sagebrush, digging ditches, and moving a house onto the land.  Meanwhile, DeLoris cared for her five toddlers and was pregnant with the sixth.  Lloyd was moving cattle to the new farm when DeLoris sent word to him that she was headed to the hospital.  They finally settled on the homestead in 1958 where four years later their youngest child was born in Rupert.

DeLoris always planted a large garden and canned both fruit and vegetables to provide for her growing brood.  She often had fresh cookies, bread, or sweet rolls waiting for the children when they came home from school.  DeLoris was active in the local PTA, secretary/treasurer of the Minidoka Library District Bookmobile, belonged to the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible Study and was a member of the Good Sam's Club. 

Christian education was so important to Lloyd and DeLoris that they sent six of their children to Concordia colleges in Portland and Nebraska.  Lloyd preceded DeLoris in death in 1997.

DeLoris is survived by a brother, Arvid Hahn, sisters-in-law, Gwen Hahn and Rose Hahn, and all seven children: Caroline (Leland) Snyder, Grace (Steve) Hauptman, Bernita (Tom) Krenzke, Mark Thaete, Arlene (Kevin) Smyer, Joy (Ron) Thomas, Gayle (Joe) Wollman. Also surviving DeLoris are many nephews, nieces, 14 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by: husband Lloyd Thaete, parents Emil and Olga Hahn brothers Earl, Dean, Raymond Hahn, and great-granddaughter Aimee Heinemann.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 12, 2022 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Rupert.  Private family burial services will be held on Friday, February 11, 2022.  Services are under the direction of Joel Heward Hansen Mortuary.

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