TONY GRENKO

GRENKO, RANES, KITCHEN, KING, JONES

Posted By: Alice & Wayne Daniels (email)
Date: 12/30/2002 at 19:29:12

HISTORY OF APPANOOSE COUNTY, IOWA, 1986....

Anton Grenko, later known as Tony, was born to Mike and Ludwicko Grenko in St. James, Austria, February 13, 1889. As a lad of 14 he and his mother boarded a ship in the harbor of LaHarve, France to come to America. They arrived in New York, April 13, 1903 and were transported by train to a coal camp in Appanoose County called Diamond, where he worked most of his life.

He was united in marriage to Stella Ranes and they lived on a farm in the Plano vicinity. Four children were born to this union: Anna married Ralph Kitchen now residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Carl of Champagne, Illinois; Ralph (deceased) and Earl, of Numa, Iowa who married Phyllis King.

Stella passed away in 1938 at the age of 42 and is buried in the Oakland cemetery in Centerville. In 1942 Tony married Bessie Jones and they had one daughter, Janice Kay. He then moved to Numa, Iowa where he resided until his death in September of 1979. He is also buried in the Oakland cemetery in Centerville.

Tony was well known in the county for his generosity toward youth in and around the Numa, Iowa vicinity and his patronage of the Numa Christian Church.