Elmer Jacob Hilkin 1914-2007

HILKIN, MUELLER, STEINES, PALM, THEIS, KUHLE, HAHN, TIPPET, FELLER, CANFIELD, PERRY, MEYER, KRAMER, HOCHBERGER, HEDRICK, SCHUMACHER

Posted By: J. Nicks (email)
Date: 9/30/2007 at 19:56:30

Telegraph Herald
Sybday September 30, 2007
Dubuque Iowa

Elmer Jacob Hilkin

Elmer Jacob Hilkin, 93, of Stonehill Care Center, formerly of 1935 Rhomberg Ave., and 483 O'Neill St., died Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, at Stonehill Care Center.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Holy Ghost Catholic Church. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 to 5 p.m. today at Siegert-Casper Colonial

Funeral Home, 390 N. Grandview Ave., where there will be a wake service at 5 p.m.

Mr. Hilkin was employed as an upholsterer at Flexsteel Industries. He retired in 1980 after 44 years of service. He was one of the first hires when Flexsteel opened as Northhome in Dubuque.

He was born on June 9, 1914, at the family home on Hilkin Road, St. Catherine's, Iowa, son of Charles L. and Catherine A. (Mueller) Hilkin Sr.

He married Marie T. Steines on Aug. 25, 1936, at St. Catherine's Church, they had five children together; she preceded him in death on July 19, 1979. They enjoyed 43 years of marriage. He then married Callista A. (Palm) Theis on Jan. 30, 1981, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church; she preceded him in death on May 22, 2007. They enjoyed 26 years of marriage.

He was a proud member of the Upholsterer's International Union Local 1861 from its beginning at Flexsteel, which later merged with the Steelworkers Union and became USWA Local 1861-U. Elmer also was a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters.

Elmer was a devoted husband and father who lived life to the fullest. He loved his cottage where he spent many Sundays playing euchre or poker and countless hours in his garden from which he supplied family and friends with the fruits of his labor. He also loved running his trot lines which he did until the age of 81, and everyone loved his smoked carp. He is now in heaven with the master fisherman catching those catfish that got away.

Surviving are four children, Darel (Ruth) Hilkin, Keith (Carol) Hilkin, Loren (Juanita) Hilkin and Karen (Mark) Kuhle, all of Dubuque; 10 grandchildren, Dawn Marie Hilkin, of Ossining, N.Y., Sue Hahn, of Dubuque, Dana (Roger) Tippet, of Galena, Ill., Robert "Bob" Hilkin, of Illinois City, Ill., Tammy (Chris "Paul") Feller, of Oswego, Ill., and Tina (Chris) Canfield, Michael Hilkin, Michelle Hilkin, Kandi (Jon Perry) Kuhle, and Kelli (Tommy Meyer) Kramer, all of Dubuque; nine great-grandchildren; two stepchildren, Jeanette (Jack) Hochberger, of Dubuque, and Adel (Glenn) Hedrick, of DeWitt; and a sister, Matilda (Frank) Schumacher.

He also was preceded in death by a son, Orlen Hilkin on July 18, 1964; four brothers, Raymond, Harold, William and Charles, Jr.; and four sisters, Irene, Martha, Marie and Louise.

The family would like to thank the staff at Stonehill Care Center for their loving care of their dad, and a special heart-felt thanks to their "SPECIAL ANGEL," Janine Higgins. The family would also like to thank the staff at Hospice of Dubuque.

In lieu of flowers an Elmer J. Hilkin Memorial Fund has been established.

On line condolences may be left for the family at info@egelhofsiegertcasper.com.