Raeburn Newell Louscher

Raeburn Ardell (Voigt) Newell Louscher, 102, passed away peacefully June 7, 2026 at Keelson Harbor memory care. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, June 15, 2026 at 11:00am at the United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation will take place prior to the service from 10:00-11:00am at the church in Spirit Lake. Inurnment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorials to the Spirit Lake Community School Foundation or St. Croix Hospice. 

Raeburn was born February 26, 1924 in Spencer, SD to Karl and Emma (Engelcke) Voigt. She was the middle child between alder sister Dorcas and younger sister Karleton (Totty). Raeburn started school at the first kindergarten class in Sioux Falls when she was 4 ½ years old. In 1940 her family moved to Sioux City and she graduated from Sioux City East High School in 1942. At East High she took a business course and learned typing, shorthand and all the business machines at the time, including the Comptometer. Her family then moved to Estherville where she worked for attorney Clarence Matheson in Estherville and really enjoyed that job.

The next year Raeburn joined her sisters at Morningside College where she attended for one year. She and her sisters had a great time at Morningside. While in school, she got a job as Secretary for the Dean of Men. With the outbreak of World War II, things changed at Morningside and 400 US Army Air Corps trainees were brought to the campus and displaced the women in dorms. When the school year was over, she returned to Estherville and got a job at the Courthouse in Estherville working for the rationing board. Raeburn and her sisters enjoyed life in Estherville and often went to Arnold’s Park to attend dances and enjoy the nightlife. The summer of 1947, she met Burton Newell at the Peacock, and not wasting anytime they were engaged in September, and married on December 28, 1947, at her parent’s home in Estherville, IA.

Burton grew up in Spirit Lake and after returning from the war he was able to attend the University of lowa via the G.I. bill. She worked one year as secretary to the Dean of Philosophy and then she went to work for Drug Service and eventually became head secretary of Drug Service, Iowa City. She procured all drugs for University Hospitals. In 1950 their son, Craig, was born in Iowa City. In 1952, when Burton completed his degree, they moved to Spirit Lake. They lived in town just north of the football field and later moved to their home on Big Spirit Lake. In 1959 Jeff was born, nearly ten years after Craig.

Burton and Raeburn treasured time with family and friends and really enjoyed sharing their home and being hosts. When Burton retired, they wintered in Clearwater, FL. These were great times for both of them. Unfortunately, Burton passed away in 1992, and Raeburn spent several years alone until meeting John Louscher at Okoboji Vu Golf Course in the summer of 1995. They hit it off and got married that fall at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA. They had a great time together and also spent winters in Clearwater and had many good years until John’s death in 2009.

Raeburn was active in many organizations over the years: TTT (charter member), PEO, Methodist women, Methodist Church Sunday school teacher and bible school teacher, Eastern Star, Hospital Auxiliary, Pink Ball (hospital fundraiser), PTA, Cub Scouts, couples card clubs and women’s bridge club. She enjoyed playing in ladies’ day and couples golf leagues at Brooks and Okoboji View Golf Courses. She continued to play golf and drive a car into her early 90's. Spending time with her grandchildren was very dear to her and they all adored her in return.

At age 93 ½ upon the recommendation of a cardiologist, she moved from her home to Wel-Life assisted living in Spirit Lake. She immediately realized it was a positive move for her as she already knew several residents, the employees and food were great and she loved living there. As time passed, dementia began to make her life difficult and she was moved to Keelson Harbor memory care in 2025 at the age of 101. The Keelson Harbor staff and later, hospice staff were very good to her and helped her manage the best she could. She was very independent and always put everyone before herself. She was consistently the last person to sit down at the dinner table and the first up to get anything missing at the dinner table. She was a product of the Great Depression and WWII and never lost sight of where she came from.

She and her sisters could talk for hours, argue about anything and everything, and still be best friends afterward. They gave her a few nicknames as she was growing up: Raebean and Beanie. Later she was called Aunt Bertha by her sisters, because she was their self-appointed mother, advisor, and counselor.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Karl and Emma (Engelcke) Voigt, husband Burton Newell, husband John Louscher, sister Dorcas and her husband Bill Parks, sister Karleton (Totty) and husband Myron (Ike) Ziegler, grandson Ben Newell, in-laws Harry and Grace Newell, sister-in-law Harriett (Newell) Bain and husband Jim, brother-in-law Lloyd “Buster” Newell and his wife Marjorie, infant sister-in-law Eva, nephew Gary Bain, step daughter Lynda Louscher, step daughter-in-law Betty (Caviness) Louscher. She is survived by her two sons: Craig (Lynn) Newell of Arnold’s Park, |A, Jeff (Roxann) Newell of Mason City, IA, grandchildren: Barrett (Nate) Tritle, Alyssa (Aaron) Granquist, Brandon (Heather) Newell, Tyler (Jackie) Newell, Kayla (Chad) Helland and great-grandchildren: Sam, Layne, Sydney, Will, Alex, Kate, Harrison, Evelyn, Eloise (her middle name is Raeburn), Silas, and one more great-grandson due this fall. Stepchildren: David (Sue) Louscher, Larry (Mary) Louscher, John Jr. (Nancy) Louscher, and several step grandchildren.

Special thanks to the staff at Wel-Life assisted living, Keelson Harbor memory care, and St. Croix Hospice for the wonderful care they provided for her.