The funeral Ida Koepplin, Puyallup, WA formerly of Lehr, ND will be held Monday, March 26, 2018 at the United Methodist Church, Lehr, ND at 2:30 PM.  Burial Will be at the Lehr City Cemetery.

Ida (Zimmerman) Koepplin (103) passed away from shingles complications on March 5 at the Mi Casa Nursing Home in Mesa, Arizona. Ida was born in McIntosh County, North Dakota, on January 14, 1915 to Balthaser and Barbara (Wahl) Zimmerman. Her parents were early Swabian German Russian pioneers who emigrated from Russia (Moldavia), to the United States and North Dakota. Ida's father had been drafted into the Russian army and fought in the Russo-Japanese War.  Upon his discharge he declared that he did not want his sons to undergo the horrors he had experienced and he decided to immigrate to the United States.  Seven of Ida's siblings were born in Russia.  Ida was one of the three her father called his American children.  Raised on a farm about ten miles south and east of Lehr, Ida grew up speaking German in the home. She attended country school where she learned English and was a bright and diligent student who loved going to school.  She attended country school through the eighth grade where upon the death of her mother she was forced to leave school to assume the family household tasks.  Two of her brothers graduated from college and received advanced divinity degrees.  Her younger brother often said of Ida that she should have been the one to go to college as she was the smartest one in the family. But this was not the role of young German/Russian girls of the period.  Ida made sure her two daughters did not suffer the same fate as she helped to make sure they attended and graduated from college.

On September 17, 1934, Ida married Benjamin Koepplin.  They were married for sixty-four years.  Ida spent the first three years of marriage on a farm near Heaton, North Dakota. In 1937 she and Ben moved to a farm about nine miles south and east of Lehr.  There she raised her family and worked hard maintaining her household and helping in the farming activities.  In 1963 she and Ben left the farm and moved to Lehr where Ida worked in restaurants both in Lehr and in Wishek.  In 1969 she began working as a cook at the Lehr Public Schools.  She retired in 1980.

While living in Lehr she was a member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Baptist Ladies Aid, the Thimble Bee Club, and the Lehr Senior Citizens' Organization.  Ida was an avid reader and was well-known for her baking and cooking skills.  Each winter she and Ben came west to Washington State where they spent several months with their extended family.  Managing to visit both daughters and all five grandchildren, she prepared her chicken and dumplings, kuchen, and caramel rolls for all her families. In 1998 Ida's husband Ben passed away; she continued to live and maintain her home in Lehr until 2011. Her macular degeneration finally forced her to come west to Washington State and Arizona to be with her daughters full time.

In her latter years of life, Ida still kept an active schedule. She did light housekeeping, listened to books on CDs, attended church, and went to great grandchildren's athletic events and musical concerts. Her homemaker skills were still in high demand. With a little help she still made her German dishes.

Ida is survived by two daughters, Carol (Bill) Williams of Puyallup, Washington, and Mesa, Arizona, and Jann (Harold) Johnston of Mill Creek, Washington; five grandchildren W. Kelly Williams, Rebecca Duty, David Johnston, Pamela Williams, and Kristen Gibson, fourteen great grandchildren, and three great, great grandchildren.

Ida was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Ben, and her eight siblings. Ida was loved and cherished. Her work ethic, love of learning, perseverance, and devotion to family remain a model for all her family to follow.

In lieu of flowers the family has designated the University of Jamestown for memorial contributions.

Share memories and sign online guest book at www.dahlstromfuneralservice.com .  Dahlstrom Funeral Home, Wishek entrusted with arrangements.