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Irm Möller

Irm Möller (Irmgard Oettchen), who owned Draperies, Linens Unltd. in downtown Tama during the 70s and decorated many people’s homes and businesses with her custom window treatments, passed in the early morning of December 31st at her home in Miami.

Irm was born on January 29th, 1934 in Buchholz, Germany. Her childhood was marked by the turmoil of WW2 and she vowed to move to America, which she did in December, 1953, age 19. She embraced her new country wholeheartedly. When she died her copy of the Declaration of Independence was still on her bedstand, next to her Bible. She had received the booklet when she became a citizen in 1957.

She married Walter Oettchen of Gladbrook and raised a family on a farm near Lincoln. In 1966 they moved to Tama. Irm developed her innate artistic sense and sewing skills during these years, and supported by her entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic, began making custom draperies and shades first at Harrison Furniture and then at her own shop on Main Street in Tama. She moved to Texas in 1979 to be near her children, and finally Miami, Florida in 1989. She continued decorating for clients such as the country singer Willie Nelson, the Cullen oil family in Texas, and the film industry in Miami, including the shows Ballers, Burn Notice, I am Frankie, and Grand Hotel.

Miami was for Irm “Paradise on Earth” with its sunshine, beaches, and tropical flora and fauna. Her life was centered around her love for her children, her many pets and her tropical garden. She delighted in bright colors and unusual decorative pieces for her home. Friends remember her as always having a smile and a positive outlook, offering help and encouragement when they needed it most. She remained youthful, vibrant and young at heart her entire life, easily passing for 20 years younger. Her faith in God was very strong. When the cancer she had beaten in 1999 returned in 2016 she applied her characteristic German grit and determined to beat it again, God willing. In a way she won her long, hard battle, and was taken by cardiac arrest instead, instantly and painlessly, hours before she was to start a new and promising treatment. Irm never gave up and never gave in, and remains an inspiration to those who knew and loved her.

A memorial service was held in her home on January 29th, her 86th birthday, and the song “Honey” (Bobby Goldsboro) was played. Irm leaves her children, Mark Dane and Cynthia Ã-ttchen, both of Miami, a brother, Hans Walter Moeller of Tama, and a sister, Gisela Mohr in Germany, and their families. Her children wish to express their deep gratitude to those who gave support, prayer and encouragement during this time.