EILERS, Pearl 1898-1950

EILERS, RUTER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 4/8/2015 at 15:59:51

Mrs. Joe Eilers First Grundy Polio Victim

Mother Of Eight Children Dies In Isolation Ward At Iowa City Sunday

Mrs. Joe Eilers of Lincoln township died in the isolation ward at the University hospital at Iowa City Sunday forenoon. She was stricken with polio at her home two weeks before and removed to the University hospital for treatment. During the first week she seemed to make satisfactory improvement. She suffered a relapse last Wednesday and was placed in the isolation ward. From the time of her relapse her condition continued to get worse until the end came. She was 52 years old. Harold Engelkes of the Engelkes Funeral home brought the body from the hospital and prepared it for burial.

Funeral services were held at the home at 12:30 on Wednesday and later at the First Christian Reformed church at Wellsburg. Mrs. Eilers was a member of the Christian Reformed church at Lincoln Center. The service could not be held there because the church is being remodeled. Rev. Henry Zwaanstra, pastor of the Lincoln Center church, conducted the services. Burial was by the side of the husband in the Lincoln Center church cemetery.

Mrs. Eilers was born on a farm in Shiloh township, Sept. 3rd, 1898. Her maiden name was Pearl Ruter. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Claus Ruter. On April 29, 1920, Pearl Ruter and Joe Eilers were married. They started housekeeping on a farm near Wellsburg. In 1937 they purchased a farm in Lincoln township on which they lived during the remainder of their lifetime. The husband, Joe Eilers, died very suddenly following a heart attack at his home six years ago last spring.

Had Family of 8 Children
Mr. and Mrs. Eilers had a family of eight children. Following the sudden death of her husband, she continued to manage the farm and to be both father and mother to the large family of children. The two older boys after the death of the father, with the guidance of their mother, took over the management of the farm and they were getting along quite well until the late tragedy struck that took away the mother.

The surviving children are Mrs. Gladys Bowers, Mrs. Genevieve Venenga, Mrs. June Rhoads, of Grundy Center; the five who are at home are Marlyn, Wayne, Kenneth and Joyce, the youngest. There are four grandchildren.

Other surviving relatives are three sisters, Mrs. Andrew Janssen and Mrs. Will Janssen of Wellsburg, and Mrs. Henry Primus, Steamboat Rock.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 14 September 1950, pg 1