Elfreda Ziniel

Elfreda Ziniel, 84, formerly of Mandan, died April 3, 2004, in Eugene, Ore. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 10, at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Al Leary officiating. Burial will be in Mandan Union Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, where a Catholic Daughters and Christian Mothers (Mandan and St. Anthony) rosary will be said at 1:30 p.m. and a parish rosary/vigil will be held at 6:30 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday.

Elfreda was born July 1, 1919, in Mandan, N.D., the daughter of Andrew and Anna (Schlinger) Miller. She was raised and educated in St. Anthony and graduated from Mandan High School and continued her education at Dickinson Teachers College, University of Mary and also at Aberdeen, S.D., where she earned her bachelor's and master's degree. On July 10, 1941, she married Edward Ziniel in Montana. Elfreda taught school for 42 years, of which 26 years were in rural schools at St. Anthony and Huff area and 16 years as a reading specialist in Mandan Public Schools. She tutored during the summer plus after her retirement. She received a special award "Teacher of the Year" of N.D. in 1972 and was also an outstanding volunteer for the Mandan Golden Age Services and did volunteer service to "Head Start" N.D. commission on the Status of women.

She was a member of the Homemakers, American Legion, Sorority Delta Kappa Gamma Catholic Daughters, South East Morton Rural Teachers Group, Missouri Valley Historical Society and Christian Mothers in St. Anthony and Mandan.

Elfreda wrote several books, her final book, "Little White School House's on the Prairie" was published in 1999. She was also very active in the Buckstop Junction Project.

She is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law, Ed and Lenora Ziniel, Mandan, Dennis and Linda Ziniel, Mandan, and Randy Ziniel, Bismarck; one daughter and son-in-law, Darlene and Tom Helbling, Kennewick, Wash.; 11 grandchildren, Val and Art Schafer, Bismarck, Heidi and Gregg Klein, Bismarck, Irene Ziniel, North Carolina, Jordan Ziniel, Mandan, Becky and Bart Auckland, Kennewick, Darrel and Mary Helbling, Seattle, Belinda and Ron McDermott, Seattle, Darren Helbling, Seattle, Dennis and Jonna Ziniel, Sturgis, Ky., Curt Ziniel, Riverside, Calif., and Chris Ziniel, Fargo; as well as 11 great-grandchildren. In addition she is survived by two brothers and sisters-in-law, Tony and Rose Miller, Yakima, Wash., and Clem and Ione Miller, St. Anthony; three sisters, Regina Bridle, Eugene, Ore., Katherine Messer, Yakima, and Johanna Maier, Minneapolis; one sister and brother-in-law, Sally and Vic Rutherford, Kennewick; three brothers and sisters-in-laws, Clearance and Iris Ziniel, Mandan, Clara and Lawrence Geiss, Fargo, and Irene and John Baer, Mandan; and three sisters-in-law, Alfreda Haider, Loraine Miska and Adeline Ziniel, all of Mandan.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Edward, who died Jan. 18, 1999; her brother, Joseph Miller; her brother, Bill Miller and his wife, Aggie; her sisters, Toni Brown and Theresa Miller-Clark; six brother-in-laws, Paul Messer, Henry Bridle, Pete Maier, Joseph Ziniel, Bill Ziniel and Ray Ziniel; two sister-in-laws, Katherine Olson and Frona Egyhazie; as well as one grandchild, Reed Ziniel.