Obituary of Florence Pfundstein

Florence May (Stern) Pfundstein was born on March 25th, 1925, the firstborn child of John Henry and Elizabeth (Duden) Stern. She passed from this earthly life at age 98, on Saturday, October 28th at 11:20 AM at Rock River Hospice and Home after a short illness. Until recently she still resided in her own home on Penrose Road, Sterling.

Florence grew up in the country north of Sterling. Her grandparents were German Immigrants and her parents farmed. She would often talk about gathering with her extended family and their German traditions. Her dad ran a threshing crew through the depression years moving from farm to farm in the area harvesting crops. Among her favorite memories of childhood were threshing, butchering, helping her dad on the farm and making soap and food from scratch. She was the first of her family to graduate from high school in 1943 at Sterling High School.

She and Donald Pfundstein went on many dates with friends often going to parks or roller skating before he went to the Army during the Korean War. When he returned they were married on February 22nd, 1948 at the West Jordan Church north of Sterling, Illinois. They loved to travel and camp, she and Don went on many trips together. While their children Dale and Shirley were growing up they also went on some long roadtrips. A favorite trip was their trip to Alaska where they outfitted a slide in camper into the back of their truck and drove all the way up through Canada and back. Her and Don spent many winters in Zephyr Hills, Florida in their goose-neck camper.

Throughout her life she had a passion for agriculture and growing things. If you went to Florence’s house she was always working on preserving and cooking food or gardening. She was famous for her pies and would often make 6 or more in a day. She loved to go to events for her grandchildren and would drive all over visiting friends and taking them to places. Not only did she enjoy making things, but she loved giving her handcrafted items and her time to others. She was involved in many organizations throughout her life including Whiteside County Cattlemen’s, Red Meat Connection, and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sterling. She enjoyed going to plays at Circa 21, bus trips, and theatres with friends. She was a long-time survivor of breast cancer and enjoyed being involved in Relay for Life and was the longest living survivor in several of their events.

In her later years she wrote an autobiography and genealogy for each of her grandchildren. She was very devoted to recording family history, attending reunions, and especially learning about German Immigrants. She would always say how important it was to ask the elder generations about their experiences and she respected how hard they worked in a time when many families struggled.

She is survived by her children son Dale Pfundstein, daughter Shirley (Greg) Turnbaugh, grandchildren Codee (Lyle) Miller, Tammy (Jason) King, Emily (Peter) Pratt, Holly Turnbaugh, Jared (Shelley) Turnbaugh, and Cliff (Katie) Pfundstein. Her great grand-children are Austin and Alyssa Miller, Madyson, Landon, and Lillian King, Charley and Miles Turnbaugh, Elinor, Declan, and Archer Pratt, and Amelia and Fiona Pfundstein. She is also survived by two sisters June Purvis and Lucille Beyer, and a sister-in-law Dianne Stern Miller. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Don Pfundstein, a brother Johnnie Stern, brothers-in-law Ray Purvis, Allan Beyer, and Lloyd Miller, and a daughter in law Pamela (Peterson) Pfundstein. 

She was blessed to have so many special friends, cousins and care givers that visited often and kept her in their prayers. Her family also wishes to thank Rock River Hospice in Sterling for her excellent care.     

Funeral service will be 3PM Friday November 3, 2023 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, with Reverend Makayla Dahleen, officiating. Visitation will be from 1:30PM-3PM two hours prior to the service at the church. Burial will take place at West Jordan Cemetery. 

A memorial has been established to ST. Paul Lutheran Church, Relay for Life, and Rock River Hospice & Home.

Condolences may be sent to www.schillingfuneralhome.com