We lovingly remember Elfriede Mueller of St. James, New York, who passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 82. Wife of the late Maximilian Joseph Mueller, she was the mother of Maxine, Stephanie and Glen, and grandmother of Alyssa, Richie, Christian, Joseph, Nico, Brittany, and Sarah.

Elfriede Mueller was born on February 29th,1940 in Northern Germany. She was raised in a loving family of 5 brothers and 5 sisters in the small town of Oppeln.   Elfriede was brave and traveled by herself when she was 18 years old on a 12-day journey by boat to come to America.  She stayed with her Tanta Anna and Uncle Henry in Queens, New York to start a new life and worked as a seamstress.  Her sisters, Trudie and Katie, came to America  shortly after and they lived together in Queens along with her brother William.

Elfie loved to dance and at a German club dance she met her husband Maximilian Joseph Mueller.  Shortly after meeting,  Max was shipped out to Korea for the Korean War. He was not deterred -  he wrote love letters to Elfriede for over 2 years while he was away. They fell in love through these letters and upon his return they were married.  They Honeymooned in Florida and settled shortly thereafter in a small little cottage in East Northport.

While in the little cottage they had three children, Maxine, Stephanie, and Glen.  Max's construction business took off, so Max with the help of his family and friends transformed the cottage into a beautiful large custom home where they would raise their family. With three children born in four years, to say she had a lot on her plate is an understatement.  She was a stay-at-home mom who loved her family and created a beautiful life for them.

As the children got older, they left home to start lives of their own.   All three children were married within one year.    Then came the beautiful grandchildren that she loved so dearly.  Maxine and Joe gave her three grandchildren, Alyssa, Joseph, and  Sarah.  Stephanie and Richard gave her two grandchildren, Richie, and Brittany. Glen and Theresa gave her two grandchildren, Christian and Nico.  Max and Elfriede would take all 7 grandkids in their minivan to Heckscher State Park, which was one of their favorite places to visit.  Her grandkids were the highlight of her life.  She loved them so deeply and truly enjoyed every moment with them.

She had great courage in getting through her own battle with breast cancer, the Leukemia diagnosis of her son, and the Alzheimer diagnosis of Max.  Life was not easy for her family with all the health struggles, but she faced these difficulties head on and is the strongest woman we have all ever known. She truly was a model of courage, grace, and love.

Elfriede could entertain 60 to 70 pp in her backyard for a party and act like it was dinner for 4. She loved fashion and her passion reflected that in her life.   She was always impeccably dressed was always fashionable in all the things she did.

If you had some struggles you were facing, some difficulties in life, you could spend about a half hour with this wonderful woman and suddenly the sun would shine yet again.  Everyone who has come to know Elfriede will agree that she was loved by all and truly a blessing to have in your life.

She will be missed deeply by her children, grandchildren, family, and friends.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.