Barbara Anne Vatthauer
Barbara Anne Vatthauer, age 84 of Belle Plaine passed away April 8, 2026 at the Lutheran Home
in Belle Plaine. Funeral Service will be held 11:00AM Monday April 13, 2026 at Trinity
Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine. Visitation will be on Sunday afternoon from 3-6PM at Trinty
Lutheran Church and continue one our prior to the service at church. Rev. Martin Bentz will
officiate. Interment will be in the Lutheran Home Cemetery in Belle Plaine.
Barbara Ann Heidemann was born on December 27, 1941, in New Ulm, MN to Reinhardt and
Erna (Bode) Heidemann. She was received into God’s kingdom through Holy Baptism in
January 1942. Barb attended Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Nicollet, MN and was confirmed
in her faith on April 3, 1955.
Barb attended Dr. Martin Luther High School in New Ulm, Minnesota, graduating in 1959. It
was here she met her high school sweetheart, Winfred Vatthauer. She continued her education on
the same campus, attending Dr. Martin Luther College for two years. She spent her third year of
college as an emergency teacher in a one-room country school in Omro Township near Boyd,
MN. After summer school and Win’s graduation in 1962, Win and Barb were united in marriage
on July 29, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Nicollet, MN. Together they received teaching
calls to Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Belle Plaine, MN. Barb was assigned to teach 43
students in grades 1-3 in the church basement.
After one year, Barb left full-time teaching to begin raising their family. Win and Barb were
blessed with four children – Beth, Sue, Mike, and Shelly.
When returning to the work force, Barb’s occupations varied over the years and included piano
instructor, church secretary, waitress and associate manager at Emma Krumbee’s Restaurant, and
multiple jobs on The Lutheran Home Campus. Her 25 years of employment included working
closely with The Lutheran Home Women’s Auxiliary, public relations and marketing,
administrative assistant and manager of Human Resources, and Assistant Director of their Thrift
Store. After her retirement, she served as a volunteer accompanist for weekly chapel services.
Barb was a talented musician and often reminisced about accompanying the Children’s
Christmas Eve Service when she was in fifth grade.
She was a dedicated member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine and enjoyed using her
God-given music talents by serving Trinity for many years as a church organist and choir
accompanist. She played for many, many Trinity holidays, weddings and funerals. She was
involved in Ladies Aid, Girl Pioneers, and the TEL program.
Her hobbies and interests included music, reading, collecting Dept. 56 Snow Village, angels, and
snowmen, decorating for Christmas, tea parties, poking around in antique and gift shops, riding
bikes, weekend trips with Win to the river towns, and being a grandma and great grandma.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Win Vatthauer; daughter Beth (Bob) Schmidt of Belle
Plaine; daughter Susan Werth of Belle Plaine; son Michael (Noemi) Vatthauer of Owatonna,
MN; and daughter Shelly (Rob) Selly of Bovey, MN; fourteen grandchildren; twenty-one great-
grandchildren and one on the way; her sister Ronda Blackwell; and many nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her parents.
