WILLIAM LEUI

SHIELD, LEUI, ORR, HILL, BEHRENS, STARR, KLUSS, SONNKALB

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 1/16/2003 at 14:48:56

WILLIAM LEUI

WILLIAM LEUI, TOWN PIONEER, BURIED THURSDAY

Funeral services were held last Thursday for William Leui at St. Paul's Lutheran Church with Rev. F. R. Ludwig officiating. Burial was in Postville Cemetery.

Mr. Leui passed away at Postville hospital April 3. He was one of the pioneer residents of this community having long been associated in the business and civic life of the town

On a Grand Meadow farm in Clayton county, William Leui was born September 5, 1856, son of Jacob Leui, native of Switzerland, and Suzanne Shield Leui, native of Alsace Lorraine, both pioneers of Iowa.

In early boyhood he was confirmed in St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Postville.

He learned to love the land as a boy on his father's farm, which furnished most of the activities and pleasures of his early years.

He attended Postville high school and later took a business course at Upper Iowa University at Fayette, and attended school for a short time at Iowa City.

His first business activity was in the general store of F. W. Roberts in Postville, as clerk.

Later, he and Frank M. Orr entered the hardware business here. While in this business, on October 27, 1885, he married Jennie Belle Orr, daughter of James and Margaret Ellison Orr, Iowa pioneers.

From this marriage there were two daughters -- Harriet Susan (Mrs. Louis Hill) and Helen Margaret (Mrs. Arbe Behrens) -- and one grandson, Louis Hill, Jr.

After selling his interest in the hardware business, Mr. Leui engaged in the farm implement business until he accepted the position of active president of the Postville State Bank.

After eight years in this position he was obliged to resign after a critical eye operation but remained a director until the time of his death, having served continuously for more than 41 years.

He was one of the original 28 stockholders of the Citizens State Bank of Postville, when it was organized June 18, 1891.

One of the organizers of the former Monona State Bank (now the Union State Bank) he served as a director in that institution for 42 years.

He carried his share of civic duties by serving on the board of directors of the Postville school for some years, and as a town councilman.

He was one of the organizers of the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization formerly having a chapter here, and was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge for a time.

In late years it gave him satisfaction to recall that he had done his bit in the up-building of his town by serving on committees that planned and supervised the building of such structures as Turner Hall (now Memorial Hall) and the present Postville State Bank building.

And he was one of two men delegated to buy land and establish an athletic field for the Postville school and town, by the bequest of the late J. F. Smith.

Preceding him in death were Mr. Leui's parents, two young sisters Louisa and Emma, two brothers August and John, and his sisters Kate (Mrs. Milton Starr), Caroline, and Mary (Mrs. John Kluss).

Surviving are his widow and two daughters and grandson, and two sisters, Anna Leui of Postville and Mrs. Elizabeth Sonnkalb of Parker, South Dakota.

Postville Herald newspaper clipping, undated, from my mother's obituary collection.