ETTA M. MATHER: MAY 21, 1943 – APRIL 21, 2022 Etta Mae (Crowell) Mather was born to Lincoln and Blanch (Messenbrink) Crowell in rural Windom, Minnesota on 5/21/1943. She grew up on the family farm in Great Bend Township attending country school and graduating in 1961 from Windom High School. Etta attended Mankato State University majoring in Home Economics and worked at Jackson County, MN Extension Office as well as being a seamstress. She married Gary Dale Mather on 12/28/1963 at Windom Methodist Church and the couple first set-up household in Dennison, Texas while Gary was stationed at Perrin Airforce Base. While in Texas, children Mark and Laurie were born and the family then moved back to Minnesota in 1967 settling initially in Apple Valley, and finally to their home in Eagan in 1971. Etta was active in the community as a Dakota County Extension volunteer canning expert, 4-H Leader for the Eagan Rangers, member of a county Homemakers group, and in the school district as a Bucket Brigade mentor for the Rahn Elementary school student reading program. Her skill with her early needle arts (crochet, Hardanger, needle point, sewing) culminated in a love for quilting and joining the Scrapbaggers Quilting group. Her quilt group affectionately named her "Ahab the Tent Maker" as most of her projects were bedspreads at the start. With a large cache of fabric and a desire to continue learning new quilting skills, smaller quilts, wall hangings, and household linens were finished in between the big quilts. Etta's artistic abilities were showcased in her beautiful textiles. Non-quilting interests were travelling (Quilt and Fabric stores may have been in the travel plans), camping, gardening, bowling (Bowling Stones team at Cedarvale Lanes), and wintering in Orange Beach, Alabama as a snowbird. Etta is survived by her husband Gary, son Mark, daughter Laurie (Kelly) Barr, granddaughter Shannon Barr, brother Earl (Vonnie) Crowell, Brother-in-laws Phil Mather, John (Ruthanna) Mather, Steve (Patty) Mather, Sister-in-laws Donna (Paul) Crowell, Julie (Leon) Crowell, Gloria Mather, and many nieces and nephews. Preceding Etta in death were her parents Lincoln and Blanch Crowell, father-in-law and mother-in-law Clement and Phyllis Mather, brothers Paul and Leon Crowell, niece Sherilyn Crowell, great niece Rachel Henderson, and nephew Alan Crowell. Thank you to HealthPartners Hospice and Palliative Care, Crescent Tide Cremation Services, and LaCanne Family Funeral Services.