Irene Mueller

In His loving kindness, our heavenly Father sent His holy angels to carry the soul of Irene Louise (Kuckkan) Mueller, to her heavenly home on Friday morning, October 22nd, 2021 at the age of 91 years old.  Irene’s love was serving her Lord and Savior in all aspects of her life; as a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  The love of God in Christ was the driving force in her life.

Irene Louise (Kuckkan) Mueller was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, on April 17, 1930, to Henry John Kuckkan and Frances Erna Bertha (Koplin) Kuckkan. She was made a child of God and an heir of eternal salvation through Holy Baptism on May 14, 1930, at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown, Wisconsin and on April 2, 1944, she confirmed her faith in the Triune God at St. Mark's. She graduated from St. Mark's School in 1944 and Northwestern Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin in June, 1948. When she graduated from Northwestern Preparatory School, she attended Dr. Martin Luther College, and studied to be a teacher. She studied one year, and at the end of the year was asked by then President Schweppe to become an emergency teacher because there was a severe shortage of teachers at that time. She was called to St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to teach fifty-six fourth graders. Some of them still corresponded with her. She also taught school (forty first-graders) at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran School in Jefferson, Wisconsin, and thirty first-graders at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistadt, Wisconsin.  For two years she served as the personal secretary to the President (G. E. Musebeck) of Health Spot Shoe Company in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

She was united in marriage to Richard William Mueller, Jr. on June 7, 1953. After her husband's graduation from the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin, her husband was ordained and installed as a pastor at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Crivitz, Wisconsin.

In 1956 her husband was called to serve as missionary in Central Africa. He served in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) from 1957 to 1962 and again in 1965 to 1972, He also served in Nyasaland (Malawi) from 1962 to 1965. They and three of their children returned to the States in 1972. The older three were attending our Lutheran Wisconsin Synod Preparatory Schools in the United States.

After their return to the United States, Irene's husband served as a teacher at Lakeside Lutheran High School for two years. He then served mission congregations in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and Elgin, Illinois, Waunakee, Wisconsin, and Weslaco, Texas. He retired from the full-time pastoral ministry in June of 1996.

All of her life she was a homemaker, devoting her life to her Lord, to her husband, and to their six children. She and her husband lived out their remaining years in Watertown, Wisconsin, where they first met in 1944.

She is survived by six children: Deborah (Glen) Wilson, Richard (Wanda) Mueller, Timothy (Susan) Mueller, Susan Weiland, Stephanie (Jeffrey) Heitsch, Steven (Melody) Mueller, two sisters, Doloris Funair and Janet Lee (David) DeVries, twenty grandchildren, fifty-three great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, her parents, Henry Kuckkan and Frances Erna Bertha (Koplin) Kuckkan, one brother, Henry John Kuckkan, Jr. one sister, Beatrice Nehls, one sister-in-law, Helen (Mueller) Kellberg, one son-in-law, James Weiland, three brothers-in-law, one grandchild and four great-grandchildren.

The Funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM Friday. October 29th, 2021 at St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church with her son Rev. Timothy Mueller officiating. Visitation will be at 9:00 AM until time of the service at the church. Interment will be in the Lutheran Cemetery immediately after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church and will be given to the Lutheran Church of Central Africa and Christian Education at St. John’s Lutheran (Watertown) and other Christian Education Ministries.