JANESVILLE - Velma Irene (Wall) Mittelstadt, 99, of Janesville, Minn., formerly of Fairmont, Minn., died Sunday, January 31, 2010, at the Janesville Nursing Home.

Services will be on Tuesday February 2, 2010, at 6 p.m. at the Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home, Janesville, Rev. Dr. Larry Griffin officiating. Interment will be at Lakeside Cemetery in Fairmont on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, at 10:30 a.m.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, from 4 p.m. until the hour of service at Arnoldt-McRaith Funeral Home in Janesville.

Velma Irene was born on December 14, 1910, to Edward and Iva (Thompson) Wall on the family farm in Calhoun County, Twin Lakes Township, near Rockwell City, Iowa. She was a twin, and the girls were so small that they slept in sewing machine drawers on the open door of the cook stove to keep them warm. Her twin sister, Thelma Ilene, died on January 7, 1911.

Velma attended rural school until her family moved to Blue Earth, Minn., in 1918 where she graduated from high school in 1928. She then attended Normal School in Blue Earth and Winona State Teacher's College, Winona, Minn. Velma taught in Arco, Minn., and Nicollet, Minn., until she married Frederick Julius Mittelstadt in Blue Earth on October 16, 1934, at the home of her parents in Blue Earth. She continued teaching in rural schools and substituting in the Blue Earth elementary school after her marriage.

Fred and Velma lived in Blue Earth where Fred worked at the Rosewall Clothing Store until 1944. They then moved to Fairmont so that Fred could manage the new store started there. He later owned and operated Fred's Clothing in the same location. Velma continued her teaching career by substitute teaching in the elementary schools in Fairmont. After her husband's death in 1982, she and her sister, Theo, traveled all over the United States by Greyhound and on bus tours. She was thrilled when three of her granddaughters (Cheryl, Nancy, and Susan) took her to London for her 90th birthday.

In 1997 Velma moved to Janesville to be closer to family. She especially liked getting together with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When she was alone, Velma liked to read, play Solitaire, and watch the Twins and Gophers on TV. She was currently a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Janesville.

After a fall which resulted in a broken hip in 2005, Velma lived for four years at North Point Senior Living in North Mankato. In August of 2009 another broken hip and other health problems brought her to the nursing home in Janesville for the rest of her 99 plus years.

Survivors include her daughter, Karen (Darwin) Lochner of Janesville; son, Charles (Beverly) Mittelstadt of Salt Lake City Utah; daughter-in-law Jenny Mittelstadt of Valencia, California, grandchildren: Alan (Janis) Lochner, Gary (Elizabeth) Lochner, Cheryl (Douglas) Lochner-Wright, Nancy (Christopher) Howard, Susan Lochner, Jon (Tia) Mittelstadt, Eric (Janette) Mittelstadt, Kirk (Jacki) Mittelstadt, David (Elaine Vuong) Mittelstadt, and Jackie Lindsay. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Alyssa Lochner, Kevin Lochner, Rachel Lochner, Sarah Lochner, Benjamin Lochner-Wright, Lucas Lochner-Wright, Emma Howard, Samuel Howard, Austin Mittelstadt, Jason Mittelstadt, Alex Mittelstadt, Cullen Mittelstadt, Ella Mittelstadt, Brandi Royer, Nathan Mittelstadt., Erin Mittelstadt, and Lauren Mittelstadt, and by nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Fred, (1982), her son, John (Jenny), (2002), by her sisters: Thelma, in infancy, Ivanette ( Henry)Wiles,(1991) and Theo Wall,(1992) and by her brother, Raymond (1988.)