Mrs. BENJAMIN L. (Gunda H. Johnson) MARTINDALE 1891-1974

GILBERTSON, JOHNSON, MARTINDALE, COOK, MICKEY, CAMPBELL, LARSON, STADSVOLD

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 4/23/2005 at 17:46:42

Mrs. BENJAMIN L. (Gunda H. Johnson) MARTINDALE

Funeral services were conducted Saturday, December 29, 1974 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church for Gunda Martindale who died December 26, 1974 at the home of her son Robert. The Rev. Norman Ullestad officiated.

Gunda Helena Johnson Martindale, the daughter of Robert Rasmus Johnson and Helena Gilbertson was born August 25, 1891 in Paint Creek Township, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed in the Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church.

On November 8, 1911 she was married to Benjamin Leland Martindale and to this union three children were born. Following their marriage they lived in South Dakota where her husband was employed with the telephone company.

They later returned to Iowa and from May 1921 through December 1922 she served as the sheriff of Allamakee County, fulfilling the term of her husband who died while in office. She was the first woman to serve as sheriff in the state of Iowa.

For 32 years she served as housekeeper for the late A. L. Peterson and for the past year has made her home with her son Donald and his family.

She was preceeded in death by her husband, her parents, three brothers, John, Helmer and Oscar and a sister Anna.

Surviving are her three children, Robert, Donald and Mrs. Burr (Helene) Cook, all of Postville; six grandchildren; three great grandchildren; four sisters, Belle Mickey of Postville; Hannah Christine Campbell of Easton, Washington; Ruth Larson and Helen Stadsvold and a brother Robert Johnson, all of Waukon.

Dale, Keith, Marlin, Dean, LaVern and Roger Johnson, all nephews, were casket bearers. Interment was in Evergreen Cemetery, near Rossville.

Postville Herald -contributed by Mary Durr