Etta June Groenewold Schmerse, 1909-1998

SCHMERSE, GROENEWOLD, CRAMER, DERDALL, SCHROEDER, DUKES, STEIER, STARKE, FONLEY

Posted By: Sharon K Hesebeck (email)
Date: 1/25/2014 at 19:45:04

Etta June (Groenewold) Schmerse
September 9, 1909
January 2, 1998

Etta June Schmerse, 89, died Saturday, January 2, 1998 at St. Luke Lutheran Home in Spencer.

Funeral sercives will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 6, 1999 at Grace United Methodist Church, Spencer with the Rev. Shurmaine McAlpine officiating

Casket Bearers: Charles Elser, Bill Swart, Steve Eickhoff, Art Schueneman, Dale Kabrick, Don Durst, Larry Glaharty and Gary Grave

Honorary Casket Bearers: Duane Fonley, Steven Steier, Partick Derdall, Heffery Dukes, Eric Steier, James Derdall, Benjamin Dukes and Peter Dukes

Burial will be at North Lawn Memorial Park, Spencer

Etta June Schmerse, the daughter of Hilbert Jacob and Theresa (Cramer) Groenewold, was born September 9, 1909, in rural Spencer. She spenct her childhood years in Spencer, where she received her early education attending Prairie Queen Rural School in Summit Township. She later attended and graduated from Spencer High School in 1928 with a Norman Training Teacher's Certificate. Following a number of years teaching in the rural schools of Clay County, she attended and graduated from the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Monroe, Wisconsin in 1932. She took graduate courses at State College in Iowa, State University of Iowa and State University of South Dakota.

On February 24, 1935, she married Samuel E. Schmerse in Spencer. Following their marriage, the couple lived on a a dairy farm in Wisconsin. In 1937 they sold their farm and moved to a farm two miles north of Langdon. They then established a cattle and grain farming operation.

Following her husband's death in 1956, she continued to live on the farm. She returned to teaching public school and piano and attended Buena Vista College in Storm Lake receiving her bachelor's degree in 1950.

In January, 1966, she moved to an apartment in Spencer and in 1975 retired from teaching. She continued to maintain an active interst in all areas of agriculture and managed her own farms until failing health forced her to retire

She was a past member of the Langdon Methodist Church, where she was a Sunday School Teacher, Church Organist, counselor of Langdon Girls Society of Christian Service and Bible School Teacher. She was a current member of Grace United Methodist Church in Spencer and was also an active member of the Spencer Community. She served as township chairman of the Farm Bureau of Women, Clay County Chairman of Farm Bureau of Women Worthy Matron of the Eastern Star, Worthy High Priestess of the White Shrine and president of the Spencer BPW, where she was honored a BPW Women of the Year. She was a member of the Rebekah Lodge, 4-H and the Spencer Hospital Auxiliary. She received the Leopold Conservation Award from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

Mrs. Schmerse was preceded in death by her parents, and infant brother and her husband

She is survived by two daughters, Janet Derdall and her husband, John and Sandra Steier and her husband, Raymond, all of Western Sperings, Illinois, one sister, Gertie Schroeder of Spencer, five grandchildren, Jean Dukes and her husband Jeffery of Tokyo, Japan; James Dedall and his wife, Sandra of Ridgecrest, California, Lynn Anne Derdall of Metairie, Lousisana, Steven Steier and Eric Steier, both of Western Springs, Illinois, 10 great-grandchildren, Benjamin Dukes, Lauren Dukes, Peter Dukes, Joanna Dukes, Jennifer Dukes, Jacqueline Derdall, Patrick Derdall, Alexandra Derdall, Kendal Derdall and Samantha Steier, one sister-in-law, Wilma Starke and her husband Will of Juda, Wisconsin, one brother-in-law, Marvin Schmerse and his wife Ruth of Janesville, Wisconsin, one niece Mariam Fonley and her husband, Duane of Spencer and other friends.

Daily Reporter, 1-5-1999

Interment in North Lawn Memorial cemetery
 

Clay Obituaries maintained by Kris Meyer.
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