Grienke, Blondina (1929-2015)

GRIENKE, BUNNEY, SHAW, STICKEN, WOOD, FAHR, LEDOUX, TEEGARDIN, GILMER, CARSTENS, HERSHBERGER, DEREMER, DIISCHER, DILOCKER, GRAVENISH, STIENEKE

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 6/25/2015 at 16:54:56

Blondina Grienke
August 7, 1929 - May 31, 2015

Blondina Grienke, age 85, of Alta, Iowa, died on Sunday, May 31, 2015, in Cherokee, Iowa.

Blondina Jean Bunney, a daughter of John and Beulah (Shaw) Bunney, was born on August 7, 1929, in Cherokee, Iowa. Baptized and confirmed at the Christian Church in Cherokee, she was raised on a farm near Cherokee and attended school in Cherokee and Larrabee. Because her father, John, was in the creamery business, she became a certified cream tester.

Blondina met the love of her life, James Grienke, at the Roller Rink and Cobblestone in Storm Lake. They married on November 30, 1947, in Cherokee. Subsequently, they were blessed with eight children: Jean, Ellen, Claudina, Julie, Christine, Becky, Nancy, and Debbie. As a family, they have made their home in Alta in 1952.

A member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Alta, Blondina enjoyed organizing the Easter breakfast. She, also, belonged to the Alta Firettes and TOPS Club.

Music played an important role in Blondina’s life. She loved yodeling, playing the piano, and singing. She was an excellent baker and an accomplished cook. She, also, enjoyed writing newspaper articles with the results of the auto races at the Buena Vista Speedway. Fond of country western music, cross-stitch, and watching wrestling on television, she treasured her family as well. Moreover, she took pride in managing the household while actively supporting her daughters in their church and school activities. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.

Those left to cherish her memory include her husband of sixty-seven years, James Grienke, of Alta, Iowa; her daughters: Jean Sticken, of Omaha, Nebraska, Ellen Wood, of Alta, Iowa, Claudina Grienke, of Alta, Iowa, Julie Fahr, of Pierce, Nebraska, Chris (Clem) Ledoux, of Alta, Iowa, Nancy (Scott) Teegardin, of Alta, Iowa, and Debbie Gilmer, of Friend, Nebraska; her grandchildren: Teri (Terry) Carstens; DuAnne (Curtis) Deremer; Allison (Ryan) Diischer; Jim Fahr; Joseph, Lukas, and Abigail Gilmer; Stacia (Steven) Hershberger; Denise (Bill) Pratt; Zachary and Adam Teegardin; and Michelle and Mike Wood; her great grandchildren: Tyra and Tyler Carstens; Brayton, Kamdyn, Korbyn, and Griffynn Diischer; Alec and Ethan Hershberger; Benjamin, Emily, and Thomas Pratt; and Chloe Wood; and her sister, June (Burdette) Dilocker, of Cherokee, Iowa; as well as extended family members and many friends.

Blondina was preceded in death by her parents, John and Beulah Bunney; her daughter, Becky Grienke; her son-in-law, Duane Fahr; her brother, Edwin Bunney; and two sisters, Lucille Gravenish and Beverly Stieneke.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 4, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Alta. Burial will follow in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Alta. Visitation will take place Wednesday, June 3, 2015, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

Copyright © 2015, Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes

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