Marvel Seaver

Marvel Wilhelmina (Minnie) Seaver (April 27, 1922 - March 10, 2011) Marvel M. Seaver, age 88, of Le Sueur died on March 10, 2011, at the Mn Valley Memorial Hospital in Le Sueur. Memorial service will be 11:00 am on Friday, March 25th at St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Henderson. Rev. Brigit Stevens will officiate the services. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services at the church. Interment will be at Oakwood Cemetery, Belle Plaine, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Henderson. Marvel was born at home on the farm in the German Settlement, south of Belle Plaine, to Henry and Wilhelmina (Griesbach) Rau on April 27, 1922. She was baptized in the German language. She went to grade school grades 1-3 in Henderson and grades 4-8 in Hamburg and graduated from Glencoe High School in 1939 at the age of 17. She was confirmed in 1936 at Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hamburg. While in high school she was in the marching band and also played the saxophone in a band two nights a week in her dad's band - Henie (Henry) Rau's Little German Band. They played in Brownton, St. Cloud, Hamburg, Norwood, and Waconia. At Christmas of 1941 to April 1942 she went to St. Cloud with her sister Dorene sponsored by the National Youth Administration to train for factory work. In April 1942 they took the train to Seattle, Wa. to work in the Boeing factory to support the war effort. One of her jobs was to install tail guns on B-17 bombers. During WWII her work was symbolized as a cultural icon with "Rosie the Riveter" and the motto of "We can do it" representing the American women who worked in factories during WWII replacing the male workers who were in the military. She stayed in Seattle until the death of her father in February 1943 when she returned to Norwood, MN to take care of her younger sister. The family later moved back to Henderson. She got a job with Pagen Hill in Shakopee and operated a machine to make pre-fab houses. She also made wooden beer cases. She met her future husband, Ivan Seaver, at Pagen Hill and they were married in January 1946 in the Lutheran church in Shakopee and lived in Belle Plaine. After her children were grown she worked at the Norwesco Plastic plant in Belle Plaine and later for Rosemount Ski Boots in Belle Plaine. They lived in Belle Plaine for over 50 years before moving to Le Sueur in 2001. In 2006 she entered Gardenview Nursing home in Le Sueur after the death of her husband and the breaking of her hip. She is survived by her children, sons, Eugene (Elaine) Seaver of Arvada, CO., Gary (Roxanne) Seaver of Winsted, MN, Gail (Karen) Seaver of Brooklyn Park, MN; daughters, Sharon Seaver of Tyler, TX and Mavis (Chuck) Higdon of Redding, CA; grandchildren, Carey Seaver, Jamie Midkiff, Jason Midkiff, Janell Midkiff, Brenda Dittrich and Jennifer Swanson as well as 6 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Rolan Seaver. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Ivan in 2006, brother, Wilbur Rau and sisters, Dorene Gordon and Lois Beseke; brother and sister-in-laws, Alice Rau, Richard Gordon and Margaret Seaver.