Tillie (Mein) Gustafson was born to Gepke (Bunk) and Henry Mein on February 2, 1929 in Hancock County near Kanawha, Iowa and she passed away June 19, 2016 at Hawkeye Care Center in Bancroft, Iowa at the age of 87.

In March of 1937, the family moved to a farm northwest of Armstrong. Tillie received her early education in rural country schools in Hancock and Emmet County and then attended high school in Estherville. When Tillie was 13 years old and in the 8th grade, she won the Emmet County Spelling Contest and competed in and received a medal in the Iowa Spellers State Championship.

On August 9, 1948, she married Raymond Gustafson of Ledyard at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. They lived on the family farm in Grant Township their entire married life. Raymond passed away on October 5, 1984. Tillie remained on the farm until October of 2000 when she moved to Swea City. In 2014, she moved into Main Street Manor and later moved to Bancroft in January of 2016.

Tillie was baptized at the Christian Reformed Church near Kanawha. In April of 1949, she became a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Swea City. Tillie enjoyed embroidery, latch hook, cross-stitch, reading, and keeping up with local news.

Tillie is survived by her children, Dawn (John) Clark of Swea City, Iowa; Faith Gustafson of Sun City, Arizona; Mark (Sally) Gustafson of Chandler, Arizona; grandchildren, Angela, Kristen, Sonia, Risa, and Abe; great-grandchildren, Madeline, Landon, Gavyn and Ethan and sister-in-law, Marilyn "Jane" Mein of Gruver, Iowa. Tillie was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Raymond; brothers, Gerald, Abbo, George, Lucas, Dick; sisters, Ella Mein, Margaret Boomgarden and Dora Anderson.