Viola Christina Marie Small

Viola Christina Marie Kleinschrodt was born November 30, 1916 to Ollie and Katherine Kleinschrodt in rural Martin County, Pleasant Prairie Township. She grew up on the farm with her brother LeRoy. She attended Granada High School, graduating in 1935. On June 4, 1939 she married Don Small in Fairmont. They lived in Oregon during military service time in the U.S. Army and then she returned to Fairmont where she resided for the last 63 years. Vi worked as a seamstress at Buttrey's and then joined the sales staff of J.C. Penney in the old downtown store and moved to the new mall to complete her 25 years of service, retiring in 1987. She was a member of the Methodist Church and the church circles and an avid J.C. Penney retiree participant. She entered the Lakeview Methodist Home in 2002 and spent her last years surrounded by family and friends. A heart of gold is silenced forever. She is survived by her son Vince and his wife Sharon, grand daughters Sheila and Laura, and great grandchildren Zachary, Briana, Angel, Dustin, Mariah and Morgan, all of Mankato, and sister in law, Clarice Kleinschrodt of Truman. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Don in 1998 and bother LeRoy in 2006. The family requests memorials be directed to either to the Lakeview Methodist Home or the Fairmont Methodist Church.