GRUIS, Donald William 1922-2001

GRUIS, BENTS, FREDLUND

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/14/2009 at 20:23:14

ROCKFORD, IOWA - Donald William Gruis, 78, of 1974 Echo Ave., Rockford, went home to rest in the arms of the Lord on Monday (May 7, 2001) following a lengthy battle with cancer. He died with his family around him at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City.

His funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday at Zion Lutheran Church in Rockford. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, with The Graper-Walker Post 338 of Rockford conducting military rites.

Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. today at the Fullerton Schumburg Funeral Home, 302 West Main St. in Rockford.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to direct memorials to the Donald Gruis Memorial Fund.

Donald William Gruis, a retired farmer, was born in Bristow, on Nov. 10, 1922, to John D. and Anna (Bents) Gruis. He was the fifth child in a family of ten.

He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, and a longtime member of the American Legion. He served on the board of directors of Floyd County Mutual Insurance Association from 1967 until retiring in 2000. For 35 years he also served on the Rockford Farmer's Co-op Elevator board of directors.

Don served his country during World War II in Patton's 3rd Army, 35th artillery division. He landed during D-day on Normandy Beach. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and pushed all the way to the war's end in Germany. France recently honored these men, including Don, at a special ceremony held at NIACC.

After an honorable discharge, he returned to the Rockford area to begin farming. He loved the land, animals, kids and what the good Lord provided.

On May 1, 1949, he was united in marriage to Gladys Arlene Fredlund in Rockford. To this union were born two children, a son, Dennis, and a daughter, Debra. Gladys died during heart surgery on Aug. 8, 1983.

Donald is survived by a daughter, Debra Loven and her husband, James, of Forney, Texas; one son, Dennis Gruis, of Rockford; the mother of four of his granddaughters, Patricia Gruis, of Newton; two sisters, Jean Otto, of Beloit, Wis., and Darlene Lambert, of Rockford; two brothers, Pete (Earl) Gruis and his wife, Wanda, of Rudd, and John Gruis and his wife, Darlene, of Rockford; five granddaughters, Laurie Eckerson and her husband, Merlin, of Spirit Lake, Deanna Schweizer and her husband, Travis, of Rockford, Carrie Meggers and her husband, Ted, of Newton, Jenna Gruis of Rockford, and Jill Anna Loven, of Forney, Texas; four great-grandchildren, Kalie and Kaleb Eckerson, of Spirit Lake, Taylor Schweizer, of Rockford, and Madison Meggers, of Newton.

Mr. Gruis was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Gladys; four sisters, Alberta Van Laere, Helen Larsen, Beverly Brown and Rem Eichmeier; and one brother, Cornelius.

Fullerton Funeral Home, (641) 756-3311.

[Mason City Globe Gazette, May 9, 2001]