Mrs. JOHN (Della May Stahl) PALMER

JUILLERET, STAHL, PALMER, DRESSER, BROOKS, WERHAN, BOLLMAN, BEALS

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 3/23/2003 at 21:26:20

Mrs. JOHN (Della May Stahl) PALMER

One Of State's Oldest Residents Dies In Postville

Della May Palmer, who had been one of the oldest residents of Iowa, died last Wednesday at the Good Samaritan Center here. The former Waukon resident was 105 years old on Feb. 14.

She was 3 years younger than the state's oldest citizen, Theresa Emanuel of Ottumwa, who is 108, the Iowa Commission on the Aging said. The Ottumwa woman is the only living Iowan known to have been born in 1877.

The office told The Herald 7 Iowans born in 1878 have survived, as have 14 of those born in 1879. There are 40 known to have been born in 1880.

Palmer, born in 1881, was the 73rd oldest Iowan alive, the Commission on Aging said.

The celebration of her Valentine's Day birthday had become something of an annual event at the Good Samaritan Home.

She was born Feb. 14, 1881 in Ludlow Township, the daughter of Myron and Mary Adeline (Juilleret) Stahl. She attended the Red School near Forest Mills and the Academy at Fayette. She taught for 2 years at the Cherry Valley School.

Jan. 8, 1903 she married John Palmer at the Forest Mills Church. They had 4 children.

The couple lived in Franklin Township until 1919, when they moved to Waukon. She began living with her daughter, Felicia, in 1968. She had lived at the Good Samaritan Center here for the last 3 years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, who died in 1965, and by 4 brothers, 2 of who died in infancy. The others were Frank and Charles. Also deceased are 4 sisters: Carrie Brooks, Sylvia Werhan, Elizabeth Bollman and Stella Beals.

Survivors include a son, Wilson, of Chillicothe, OH; 3 daughters, Felicia Dresser of Postville; Elinor of Fayetteville, AK, and Theresa of Arlington, TX; 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren.

She was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women in Waukon and a 50 year member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She served as treasurer of each group.

Services were held Monday at the Community Presbyterian Church here. They were conducted by Rev. Terrance Hennesy, assisted by Rev. Dean Shelley of Waukon.

Funeral arrangements were by the Schutte Funeral Service, Postville.

Casket bearers were Gerald Heck, Steve Turner, John Dresser, Donald Folsom, Dale Turner and Bernald Martins.

Burial was in the Odd Fellows Cemetery near Monona.

Postville Herald newspaper clipping, hand dated 1986, from my mother's obituary collection. Mother has also hand written in the margin "Died March 26, 1986".