Bess Eglinton Niedfeldt, age 90 of La Crescent died Feb. 29, 2008 in Green Valley, Ariz. from complications of Valley Fever.

Bess was born on May 19, 1917 at the family farm house in Mound Prairie, Houston County, Minn. to Albert “Bud” and Mabel Eglinton. She attended the one room Mound Prairie school house for eight years and then the Houston High School for four years, graduating with the Class of 1936. In 1937, Bess married Grant W. Lee and they had three children. They were divorced in 1958. In 1961, Bess married Theodore Niedfeldt of La Crosse. Bess worked at the La Crosse Rubber Mills for thity years until she retired at age 60. They moved to Gold Bar, Wash. In late 1998, Ted’s health failed and they returned to La Crescent with Ted dying only five weeks later. She was a member of the Fern Bluff Grange #267, Sultan, Wash., the La Crescent United Methodist Church and La Crescent Eastern Star.

She is survived by her three children: Allen, La Crescent; Lucille “Sue” (Lauren) La Fleur, Houston; and Sharon (Clayton) Hauser, St. Petersburg, Fla.; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by an older brother, Billy Joe Eglinton; older sister, Esther Lynch and her husband, Ted.

A memorial service will be held at a later date and private family committal services will be held in the Mount Hope Cemetery, Hokah. The Dickinson Family Funeral Home, La Crosse, Wis. is assisting the family.