ENGELKES, Lena 1889-1987

ENGELKES, FREESE, SMITH

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 9/23/2013 at 13:58:54

Services Held Monday For Lena Engelkes

Mrs. Lena Engelkes of Grundy Center passed away at 1:37 p.m., Friday, October 9, at the Long Term Care Unit of the Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center.

Funeral services were held at the Bethany Presbyterian Church, Grundy Center, on Monday, October 12, at 2:30 p.m. Rev. Calvin W. Vanderwerf officiated.

The congregation sang "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." A musical interlude, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," was rendered by Mrs. Raymond Appel, who also played selected numbers for the prelude and postlude.

The casket bearers were Randall Hinders, David Hinders, Geoffrey Smith, Harm Itzen, Wilbur Smit, Merle D. Meyer, Ben VanHove, LaVern VanHauen and Williard VanderHolt.

The ushers were Edward Flater and Lloyd Dreesman. Mrs. Vernon Klosterboer and Mrs. Bernard Eilderts were in charge of the floral arrangements.

The committal services were held immediately following the funeral services. Relatives and friends were invited to remain at the church following the services for a period of Christian fellowship and refreshments.

Interment was in the Colfax Center Cemetery, rural Holland.

Mrs. Engelkes was born on November 19, 1889, at Lennox, SD, the daughters of H.P. and Swatje Freese Smith. She attained the age of 97 years, 10 months and 20 days.

In 1890, when she was nine months old, she and her family moved by covered wagon to Grundy county, where she grew up on a farm southwest of Holland. She attended Colfax #8 county school in Colfax township.

On December 18, 1918, at her parents' home in Holland, she was united in marriage to Will Engelkes. After their marriage they lived west of Fern until 1920, when they moved to a farm southwest of Holland until her husband Will passed away on August 5, 1954.

In March of 1955, she and her daughters, Esther, Arlene and Mae, moved to Grundy Center. On January 1, 1983, she and her daughters, Esther and Arlene, became residents of the Dumont Care Center. On April 17, 1987, she became a resident of the Long Term Care Unit. She dedicated her life to the caring of her family.

She was a faithful member of the Colfax Center Presbyterian Church, joining in 1914, until in the later years of her life, she was a member of the Bethany Presbyterian Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Will, one daughter, Esther, one infant sister, one sister, two infant brothers and three brothers.

She is survived by three daughters, Arlene of Reinbeck, Mrs. Douglas (Alma) Smith of Sunnyvale, CA, and Mrs. Raymond (Mae) Hinders of Holland; and by nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

The Engelkes-Abels Funeral Home, Grundy Center, was in charge of the funeral arrangements.

--newspaper clipping, source unknown