Leonard Arthur "Art" Walden

WALDEN, POFF, TABBUT, WILSON, HUTCHCROFT

Posted By: Lisa Joan Walden (email)
Date: 3/31/2021 at 23:31:02

Leonard Arthur Walden was born October 18, 1897, at Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, and passed from this life October 21, 1986, in Lamoni Manor at the age of 89.

Arthur was the oldest of 10 children born to Elisha Henry and Grace Tabbut Walden. After attending school in Minnesota, Art worked for several years in a sawmill. In 1919, he moved to Lamoni where he attended Graceland College.

At a youthful age, Art was baptized a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and was faithful in his covenant with Christ throughout his life. At the age of 34, he was ordained into the priesthood, serving for many years as a Priest.

After attending Graceland, Art left for Kansas to work on the wheat harvest. It was there that he met Florence Poff, from Colorado, and they were married February 24, 1920. To this union, three children were born son, Leonard Laverne, and twins, Everett and Yvonne.

Art worked for a time in the paper mills in Wisconsin. Then he farmed at Lamoni and later was in the dairy business as farm manager at the Liberty Home Dairy Farm. He and Florence then owned and operated a hardware store in Lamoni, but like many others, they were wiped out in the depression.

Art went to work for the Lamoni Co-op Creamery as a cream hauler and an ice cream maker. Several years later he worked at Graceland College as a watchman and weatherman, retiring in 1967.

Art and Florence shared many happy years together and celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1970. They loved the Lord, and their family, and their many friends. Florence passed away in 1976.

On October 29, 1978, Art was united in marriage with Pearle [Wilson] Edmunds and they had almost eight happy years together. This marriage brought joy to their lives and to their families.

Failing health made it necessary for them to move to Crown Colony April 1982, where they resided until Art’s final illness. They then moved to Lamoni Manor and were residing there at the time of Art’s death. Pearle remains a resident there.
Art was preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother Richard, wife Florence, son Laverne, and brothers Walter and Robert Walden.

He leaves to mourn his passing his wife Pearle of Lamoni, son Everett and wife Shirley of Winona, Minnesota, his daughter Yvonne and husband Robert Hynden of Lamoni, daughter-in-law Virginia Walden of Fayetteville, North Carolina, stepdaughter Elaine Wasser and husband Carl of Omaha, Nebraska, step-son Donald Hutchcroft and wife Vivian of Lamoni, step-son Jim Hutchcroft and wife Judith of Stuart, Iowa, 10 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

Also surviving are two sisters, Ruth Roberts of Lamoni and Nelle Silver and husband Clair of Austin, Texas, four brothers, Evan and wife Maxine, Grinnell, Iowa, James and wife Lois of Sun City, Arizona, Ernest and wife Helen of Reno, Nevada, and Wilbert of San Gabriel, California, and sister-in-law Phyllis Walden of Warrensburg, Missouri.

Art worked hard all of his life to provide for his family, He worked with his hands in a wide range of skills, and one of his chief sources of enjoyment was helping others with those skills. He will be sadly missed by his family and his many friends and acquaintances.

Funeral service was held at 11 a.m. October 25, 1986, at the Lamoni R.L.D.S. Church with Elders Robert B. Hynden, Claire Weddle, and Priest Bruce Snethen officiating. Burial was in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Lamoni, Iowa.

Source: The Lamoni Chronicle, published in Lamoni, Iowa on Thursday, October 30th, 1986, p. 4