Obituary for Maria Mueller Haberer

Maria Mueller Haberer, Born February 17, 1947-Died February 13, 2023: A Life of Empathy and Service. 

Maria Mueller Haberer, age 75, of Coralville, Iowa, passed away Monday, February 13, 2023, at Brown Deer Place in Coralville. A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m., Friday, February 17, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1707 8th Street, Coralville.

Maria was born in Graz, Austria, to Karl and Sofie Mueller. Their family, refugees from Post WWII Europe, came to America as “displaced persons,” under sponsorship of the Lutheran Church. They settled in Northwest Iowa, and Maria attended school in Rock Rapids. Graduating from high school there, she attended the University of Northern Iowa, and was the first person in her family to earn a college degree and later, a master’s degree from The University of Iowa. She was a specialist in the teaching of science and reading.

Settling in Olds, Iowa, with husband Fredric, she taught elementary school in Brighton, Iowa, and upon the closing of that school, taught reading and math at St. James Catholic School and Stewart Elementary School in Washington, Iowa, before settling in to spend the rest of her professional career as a second-grade teacher at Stewart Elementary. Maria found ways to make lessons, and school itself, exciting. She turned her classroom into a child-centered activity room where every child could find a place. She often used her own money to buy or construct enhancements, including live animals for the children. Her classroom extended outside the school, with her young students planting and nurturing gardens. With great empathy, she made sure children had food to eat and provided parents with health-related equipment in their homes. She bought coats, mittens, boots, backpacks, and school supplies and discreetly gave them to students who needed them. 

Maria’s service went beyond the school. She led Campfire Girls and was a cabin mother for YWCA/Campfire Girls Camp at Lake Darling. She was a Sunday School teacher and church youth group leader. She supported her daughters' other activities in vocal and instrumental music, dance, and rowing, at times traveling great distances to other states. She developed flower gardens at church, volunteered at the Coralville Center for the Arts, and became a Master Gardener. She enjoyed caring for her grandchildren, providing them "Grandma and Grandpa Preschool" from birth to kindergarten. She was dedicated to preserving the natural world. She was a member of Alpha Phi Gamma Journalism Honorary, the League of Women Voters in Mount Pleasant, the Iowa State Education Association, a delegate to the National Education Association, and the Democratic Party.

Maria was preceded in death by her parents, sister Helene Reil, sister-in-law Karin Mueller, and a stillborn son. She is survived by daughters Michelle Maria (Kirill) Nourski of Iowa City and Sara Jean Haberer of North Liberty; grandchildren Maria Kira Nourski, Mikhail Kirillovich Nourski, Nadia Analise Haberer; sister Anne (Gernot) Heidinger of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; brother Pete Mueller of Black Hawk, South Dakota; brother Sigfried (Charlotte) Miller of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; brother-in-law Ron Reil; numerous nieces and nephews; and husband of 55 years, Fredric Haberer of Coralville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made through Fred to a memorial fund that will provide books and reading nooks to local classroom libraries.