Freda M Flaig

Mankato Mortuary 1001 N. Riverfront Drive Mankato, MN 56001 (507) 388-2202 Freda Marie Flaig, a doting mother, brilliant cook and avid traveler, died peacefully Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, with her family at her side. She was 92. Freda was born in Proctor, Colo., on July 27, 1922, to Katherine and Jacob Lebsack. She shared a busy home on the family farm with nine brothers and sisters, who remained close throughout their lives. She met a young divinity student, Hugo Flaig, when he performed in a visiting choir at her church, and they were later married in Crook, Colo., on Aug. 22, 1943. They moved to Yankton, S.D., where Hugo received his bachelor of theology degree the following year. Hugo's service as a minister in the UCC took the young couple to Wisconsin, Illinois and South Dakota before settling in the late 1950s in Little Falls, Minn. In the mid-'60s, the family moved to New Brighton, Minn., where Hugo received advanced degrees in divinity. Along the way, Hugo and Freda had four children: Kenton, Linda, Susan and Cynthia. From 1966 to 1973, Freda and Hugo lived in Hastings, Neb., and from 1973 to 1980 in Scottsbluff, Neb. Their last church assignment took them to Kamp Kaleo, a UCC conference camp in Burwell, Neb., where they worked as managers and where Freda's sensational cooking and love of the outdoors made a mark on visitors from around the country. Hugo's retirement in 1987 gave the couple the opportunity to pursue their passions: traveling, camping and visiting friends around the country. Their home on Pine Mountain Lake in Backus, Minn., hosted many fond gatherings in summer months, and winters in McAllen, Texas, let Freda indulge her love of authentic Mexican food, bright flowers and beautiful songbirds. Freda was happiest on a long walk, bike ride or boat trip, and was a master quilter and seamstress. She loved singing and is fondly remembered as the only Flaig who could carry a tune. A marked-up Cryptoquip could always be found near her side. In recent years, failing health limited Hugo's ability to travel, and they settled in Mankato and lived at Old Main Village. After Hugo's death in 2004, Freda moved for a time to daughter Linda's home in Roca, Neb., before she made her last trip, to Cottagewood Senior Communities in Mankato in 2010. Freda is survived by one sister, Rachel Schuppe and family of Iliff, Colo.; son, Kenton and family, of Portville, N.Y.; daughters, Linda Amen and family of Roca, Neb.; Susan Lucks and family of Grand Junction, Colo.; and Cynthia Gaterud and family of Janesville, Minn.; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A private family memorial will be held later this year.