Stella Wiltse
WILTSE, WILTSIE, BALLUFF, KNIGHT, NACE, STRINGER, FUNK
Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 6/12/2011 at 20:26:28
Strawberry Point, Iowa - Mrs. Stella Wiltsie*, who lives on East Mission Street in Strawberry Point, was born Nov. 3, 1883, in the rock house located near the west entrance to Backbone State Park. She is 78 years of age and her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Victor Balluff. She is the last living member of a family of 11 girls and two boys.
Mrs. Wiltsie* attended school in Strawberry Point and as she was always interested in sewing, she took lessons while attending school from a dressmaker in Strawberry Point. After she received her chart in dressmaking, she worked for some time for Thomas Hogan who was a tailor here at the time. She was also employed by J.F. Nace and J.A. Stringer, the owners of the Franklin Hotel at that time, as a dining room girl.
On Feb. 6, 1907, she married Len Wiltsie* of Strawberry Point. They started farming on the "Ludy" farm southeast of town and lived there 25 years. When Mrs. Wiltsie* was 31, she had a severe case of pneumonia which left her with phlebitis. She remembers vividly how her husband and a neighbor, George Funk, carried her on a stretcher from her home to the railroad crossing near the Knight farm, where they had to stop the train so they could take her aboard to get her to the Prairie du Chien hospital as quickly as possible.
Mr. Wiltsie* died in 1930 and she and her family stayed on at their farm for two more years. Eventually she came to Strawberry Point where she cared for her sister until her death. From then on she has spent her life acting as a companion, or caring for the sick. She remained in one home for 10 years.
Mrs. Wiltsie* is the mother of three children, Mrs. Harold Knight, and Robert, both of Strawberry Point, and Donald of Freeport, Ill. She is a member of the Methodist church. Her hobbies are crocheting, making quilts and sewing in general. She enjoys her family and her home and loves to visit with friends.
~Oelwein Daily Register, "75-year Club" column, July 26, 1962
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*8/10/2017: In response to a correction posted by Ms. Hill, Stella's surname has been edited to Wiltse by the original contributor of the biography.
Edith Estella 'Stella' Balluff Wiltse died in 1963 and is buried in the Strawberry Point cemetery with her husband Leonard who died in 1930.
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