RIEKENA, John E. 1910-1975

RIEKENA, ROSS, MEESTER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 4/26/2014 at 12:01:31

John E. Riekena, Former Wellsburg Mayor, Is Dead

Funeral services were held on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Second Christian Reformed Church. Rev. John H. Elenbaas was officiating clergyman. Mrs. LuRay Neessen was organist. Flower attendants were Mrs. Richard Claassen and Mrs. Harold Fischer. Pall bearers were Royce Tack, Eldon Walbaum, Roger Hook, Donald Stahl, Ben Bicknese and Loren Rebik. Interment was made in Shiloh Cemetery at Wellsburg. Doyen Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

John E. Riekena passed away Thursday evening, February 27, 1975, at the Eldora Memorial Hospital due to an apparent heart attack. He reached the age of 64 years, 5 months and 20 days.

John was born on a farm in Turner County, near Monroe, South Dakota, on September 7, 1910, the son of Evert J. and Mary (Ross) Riekena. At the age of 6 months the family moved to Iowa and made their home on a farm west of Wellsburg. He graduated from the Wellsburg High School with the class of 1929. On February 14, 1934, he was united in marriage to Esther Meester at Holland, Iowa. Following their marriage they made their home in Wellsburg. This union was blessed with 2 sons, Larry and Lowell.

He was a member of the Second Christian Reformed Church of Wellsburg having made confession of his faith in Jesus Christ and being baptized on April 6, 1858[sic]. He served on the Church Consistory as a Deacon and at present was an Elder in the church.

John was active in civic affairs in Wellsburg. He served for many years on the Board of Education of the Wellsburg Community School and at one time was a member of Grundy County Board of Education. For the Town of Wellsburg he served as Mayor for several years, also serving on the Town Council and being the Town Clerk. He worked for the Iowa Electric Light and Power Company for 34 years, retiring in 1974.

Those who preceded him in death were his parents and one brother, Henry Riekena.

Those left to mourn his untimely passing are his wife, Esther; 2 sons, Larry Riekena of Iowa Falls; Lowell Riekena of Wellsburg; 1 granddaughter, Miekka Riekena; 2 sisters, (Jeanette) Mrs. Melvin Tack of Holland; (Diane) Mrs. Fred Walbaum of Grundy Center and many other relatives and friends.

--The Grundy Register/Wellsburg Herald (Grundy Center, Iowa), 6 March 1975, section 2, pg 1