ALLEY, Emma "Louanna" (GRIFFIN) HARGER CAMPBELL

GRIFFIN, HARGER, CAMPBELL, ALLEY, DRURY, BRUMMETT, ROWAN, CREES, RICHARDSON, MCNELEY

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 11/23/2016 at 23:53:53

Obituary ~ Emma "Louanna" (Griffin) Harger Campbell Alley
August 30, 1918 ~ August 14, 2016

Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa

Emma Louanna Griffin Harger Campbell Alley, age 97, of Leon, Iowa, was born in the sand hills of Yuma County, Colorado, about nine miles southeast of Yuma, Colorado, to James Arthur “Art” and Daisy Mary (Drury) Griffin, on August 30, 1918, the seventh and last child. She died at Westview Acres in Leon, Iowa on Sunday, August 14, 2016.

She was known by her middle name, Louanna. At the age of two years, the family moved in a covered wagon across Nebraska and Iowa to Missouri and in the fall of 1923, to southern Decatur County, Iowa. Louanna went through the eighth grade in a one-room schoolhouse. She graduated from Leon High School in 1935, with 52 classmates.

On February 12, 1937, she married Luke A. Harger in Leon, Iowa. Four fine sons, James Leroy, Charles David, Thomas Luke, and Daniel Paul Harger, blessed this union. Luke passed away on September 19, 1987, after a long illness.

Besides being a loving wife, mother, and homemaker, Louanna taught music. She taught private music lessons in her home for 33 ½ years. She never had a formal music lesson in her life, but in 1948, she began studying music seriously through correspondence school. She studied one instrument at a time until she had mastered it. She was able to play steel guitar, Spanish guitar, four and five string banjos, and the piano accordion.

In January 1953, when her youngest son was only three months old, she began teaching music lessons for 50 cents an hour. She always devoted an hour to each student’s lesson. In 1970, she was invited to teach guitar in the community college at Creston, Iowa. Although, she declined, Louanna always treasured this as one of her finest compliments. Louanna and Luke owned and operated, “Harger’s Music Shop” in Osceola, Iowa. They had 90 students and three active band groups every week for lessons. It was a very happy time in their life.

Louanna and Luke were baptized together into the Christian Church in 1945, at Osceola, Iowa. She worked with the youth until her sons were all grown. She continued as choir leader for many years. Her church and family always came first. She always was doing for others. In later years, she pursued hobbies of music, flowers, friends, poetry, and writing as long as she was able.

Louanna and Luke were married almost 51 years when he passed away.

She married Kenneth Campbell in 1988, and was widowed again after 10 years.

She married Claude Alley on January 15, 2000. He passed away in 2004, after four years of marriage.

She continued to work hard in the church as adult Sunday school class leader and as a certified lay speaker for 17 years, volunteered as a reader at the area nursing homes, and sewed many lap robes for the residents. She also carried food trays and drinks at the Leon meal site, always with a smile and a song on her lips. Keeping busy and doing for others was her goal in life.

Preceding her in death, were her parents; husbands, Luke Harger, Kenneth Campbell, and Claude Alley; sons, Daniel Harger in 1983, and James Harger in 1990; step daughter, Claudean Brummett; grandson, Jeffrey Harger in 1985; brothers and their wives, Bryan, Chester, Graydon & Katherine, and LeRoy & Ruth Griffin; sisters and their husbands, Inez & Robert Rowan and Margaret & Creal Crees; and all of Luke’s siblings and their spouses.

Survivors include her two sons and wives, David & Dorothy Harger and Thomas & Dianne Harger, all of Phoenix, Arizona; daughter-in-law, Diane Harger of Des Moines, Iowa; two step daughters, Linda & Donald Richardson of Derby, Iowa and Karen McNeley of Woodward, Iowa; 14 grandchildren; many great grandchildren; several great, great grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held at the Slade – O’Donnell Funeral Home in Leon, Iowa at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 21, 2016, with Pastor Rick Hawkins and Pastor Jim Harger officiating. Burial will be in the Van Wert Cemetery, Van Wert, Iowa next to her first husband, Luke Harger.

Memorials may be given to HCI, Mount Ayr, Iowa in her memory.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2016

Decatur Obituaries maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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