FONKEN, Mattie 1872-1949

FONKEN, ABELS

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 4/2/2015 at 20:52:35

Rites Saturday For Mrs. Fonken

Funeral services for Mrs. J. A. Fonken were held in the First Presbyterian church in Grundy Center Saturday afternoon. The services were conducted by Rev. Gerben VanPutten, resident pastor. Burial was in the Grundy Center cemetery.

Obituary
The following obituary was read by the pastor at the church service:

Mrs. John A. Fonken passed away at her home in Grundy Center at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday December 28, 1949, after an illness of only 11 days. She suffered a heart attack on Dec. 17 from which she seemed to be recovering satisfactorily, but another attack during the night of December 27th proved too much for her.

Mattie Abels Fonken, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Abels, was born September 22, 1872, at Shannon, Illinois.

She was married in March, 1895, to John A. Fonken at Oregon, Illinois. They made their home in Baileyville, Ill., until 1904 when the family moved to Plankinton, S.D. In 1908 they moved to Hermosa in the Black Hills. In 1911 they returned to Holland, Iowa; from there they moved to a farm southwest of Grundy Center in 1920. In 1930 they retired to Grundy Center. For a space of five years they lived in Marshalltown, Iowa, moving to Grundy Center again in 1937 where she lived ever since. Mr. Fonken died in March 1937, in Marshalltown.

Left to mourn her passing are three children: Mrs. Ella Dirks of Grundy Center; Arthur Fonken of Marshalltown; and Walter Fonken of Grundy Center. Five grandchildren and one great-grandchild also survive. Four sisters: Mrs. Ralph Clock of Burke, Wis.; Mrs. Lucas Abels, Mrs. L. B. Kinsinger and Miss Jennie Abels of Grundy Center; one brother, Henry Abels of Dike, 3 sisters and one brother preceded her in death. She was a member of the First Presbyterian church in Grundy Center.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 5 January 1950, pg 6