Shrewsbury- Erna (Neumann) Ketelsen, 99, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at Southgate Retirement Community in Shrewsbury. She leaves behind her brother Fred Meyer of Worcester, as well as many nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her husband Jack Ketelsen and her sister Amanda (Meyer) Kavanaugh.
Erna was born in Germany, daughter of the late Ferdinand Neumann and Ida (Guenther) Meyer. She attended grade school through high school in Germany. She moved to Clinton, MA with her family in 1952. In August of 1955, Erna married the love of her life Jacob "Jack" Ketelsen who was also from Germany. After marring Jack, they moved to Long Beach, California where she was a manager for numerous estates for 40 years. Erna moved to Southgate Retirement Community in Shrewsbury in 1992 shortly after Jack's passing. She lived there for the remainder of her long life.
A calling hour will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023 from 10:00-11:00AM at Nordgren Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln Street, Worcester. A funeral service will follow at 11am in the funeral home. Burial of ashes at Woodlawn Cemetery in Clinton will be at a later date. For directions or to leave an online condolence message, please click on the link.