Elsie Caroline Mutzenberger

Elsie Caroline Mutzenberger, age 97, of Glendive, Montana, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at the Glendive Medical Center in Glendive. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, October 19, 2015 at Zion Lutheran Church in Glendive with Pastor Avis Anderson officiating. Interment will be held in the Dawson County Cemetery in Glendive. Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements. Elsie was born on December 27, 1917 in Mercer County, North Dakota, the second of seven children born to Andrew and Elizabeth (Baisch) Mutzenberger. The family moved to Montana in 1927 and farmed between Lindsay and Glendive. Like many rural students during the 1930's, when it came time for her to go to high school, she moved into Glendive and worked for her room and board. For two-and-a-half years she lived with and worked for Dr. Melville Danskin and his wife, Minnie. "It was a hard job," she always said. Following her graduation from Dawson County High School in 1937, she started work as a maid at the Northern Pacific Hospital. The superintendent of nursing at the hospital recognized her potential and encouraged her to pursue a nursing career. She took her on as the first nurses' aide at the hospital. In 1939, Elsie was able to go to nursing school in Rochester, Minnesota. Following her practice of always looking for a new challenge, she chose to do a special eight-month course in obstetrics and pediatrics in Chicago rather than settling for the shorter course offered in Rochester. After her training she returned to Glendive and worked as a surgical nurse at the NP Hospital. Elsie wanted to join the military, so she applied and waited for the letter telling her to report for a physical. That letter never came and Elsie could never figure out why. One day Elsie was in the office of the superintendent of nursing and noticed a letter with her name on it lying on the desk. When she asked the superintendent about it, the superintendent admitted the letter was from the military. She had received others and had been returning them with a note that Elsie was not available until the hospital could find a replacement for her. Elsie realized this ended any hope of a military career. The closest Elsie came to the dream of being in the military was the year she spent working in a Veterans Administration hospital in Wisconsin. Her nurse's training had not included much experience in communicable diseases and the VA hospital was set up for the patients with tuberculosis so Elsie thought that would give her experience she needed. Elsie returned to working in the VA hospital working as the superintendent. Along with her role as a superintendent, she taught in the hospital nursing program. Since it was a degree program and Elsie did not have a degree, the head of the school asked her to return to college to finish her bachelor's degree in nursing. Which she did. Elsie moved to Billings, Montana where she was the Operating Supervisor at Billings Deaconess Hospital for twenty-four years before health reasons forced her to retire. Elsie continued volunteering in the hospitals gift shop for another twenty-five years before returning back to Glendive in 2001. Elsie enjoyed traveling and often took trips with friends or by herself, visiting places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and Europe, making new friends and seeing many interesting things. Elsie was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Mutzenberger; sisters, Hertha DeBeaumont and Selma Mutzenberger and two brothers, Arthur and Edwin Mutzenberger. She is survived by her two sisters, Lorraine Guthrie of Spokane, Washington and Martha Hilger of Glendive; and ten nieces and nephews. Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at: www.silhafuneralhomes.com.

Elsie Caroline Mutzenberger

December 27, 1917 - October 13, 2015

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

Elsie Caroline Mutzenberger

December 27, 1917 - October 13, 2015

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support