RIEKENA, Raymond 1917-1942

RIEKENA

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 7/30/2012 at 14:36:34

Local Youth Dies Sunday; Funeral Today

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Trieno Riekena; Was 24 Years of Age at Time Of Death

Raymond Riekena, 24, son of Mrs. and Mrs. Trieno Riekena, died at the home of his parents near Wellsburg at 1 a.m. Sunday morning of pneumonia. He had been ill for several months of a cancerous growth, which necessitated the amputation of a leg while he was a patient last fall in the Deaconess hospital in Marshalltown.

Mr. Riekena was born near Wellsburg, June 11, 1917. He was graduated from the Wellsburg high school and attended Iowa State Teachers college. Besides his parents he is survived by three brothers, Willard of Renwick, Jake of Lewis and John of Wellsburg and by one sister, Mrs. Henry DeNeui of Wellsburg.

Funeral services are being held today (Wednesday) at one o'clock at the home and later at the Second Christian Reformed church with Rev. R. H. Haan in charge. Interment in the Shiloh Township cemetery.

Casket bearers were John Olthoff, Harold Okones, Matthew Loger, Elmer Fritzel, Lawrence Lutterman and Edwin Behrends.

Raymond Riekena was a young man of splendid character and fine capabilities and his death is keenly felt not only by his immediate family but by a large circle of relatives and friends. The Herald joins in an expression of sympathy to the bereaved parents and their family.

--Wellsburg Herald (Wellsburg, Iowa), 14 January 1942, pg 1

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Raymond Riekena Dies Sunday From Cancer

Raymond Riekena, son of Mr. and Mrs. Trieno Riekena, died at the home of his parents at 12:30 Sunday morning. Death was caused from cancer. The end had been expected momentarily for several days.

News of the death of this young man was received with keen regret by everyone in this community and the sympathy of all goes to the bereaved relatives. He was born and raised on the same farm, attended rural school and later graduated from the Wellsburg high school. Both young and old who learned to know him during his short lifetime will remember him as a fine boy and a model young man.

He became afflicted with cancer the past summer. It developed in one leg. He was taken to the hospital for examination and treatment and later the decision was made to amputate the affected part of the leg. That was done last September. Raymond took his affliction courageously and he and the members of the family had hopes that the amputation would remove the roots of the malignant trouble. It broke out again about a month ago and it spread very rapidly and reached the lungs and there was nothing that medical skill could do to save him.

Raymond was 24 years old on the 12th of last June. He was a bright student in school and graduated at the age of 16 from the Wellsburg high school. After his high school graduation he attended State Teachers college at Cedar Falls for one year. When he realized that his folks needed him to carry on the work on the farm, he decided to make farming his future business and quit school. He was gradually taking over the management of his father's farm when he became afflicted with the dreaded disease for which medical skill has found no cure. He was engaged to be married to Miss Annetta Knock, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eilert Knock. The date of the wedding was postponed until after Raymond's status in the army had been determined. His fiance was with him constantly during the time he spent in the hospital and during the latter weeks of his life while he was at his home.

Surviving are his father and mother, three brothers and one sister. The brothers are Jake of Lewis, Iowa, John from Wellsburg, and Willard from Renwick. The sister is Mrs. Henry DeNeui.

Funeral services were held at the home at one o'clock Wednesday and later at the Second Christian Reformed church in Wellsburg. The services were conducted by Rev. Haan, local pastor. Burial was in the new Wellsburg cemetery.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 15 January 1942, pg 9