Zaruba, Elston Gerald (1916-2001)

ZARUBA, SANTI, MAHLER

Posted By: Cheri Santi (email)
Date: 2/21/2011 at 13:57:33

Elston G. Zaruba, a life long resident of Guthrie and Dallas counties, son of Charles and Mary Chaloupka Zaruba, was born April 12, 1916 at the family farmstead, 1.5 miles northwest of Yale. Elston grew up on the family farm and attended Yale schools. He served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, at Cochran Field in Georgia. During this time, he trained U.S. and English pilots in aircraft recognition. He was recognized during his military service as a carbine and pistol sharpshooter. He was honorably discharged in Feb. 1945.
On April 11, 1942 Elston was united in marriage to Dewie Lucille Moore. They had two daughters, Cheri and Barbara. They resided in Yale, following Elston's release from the Air Force. In addition to assisting with the family farming operation, Elston ran the Standard Oil bulk plant in Yale for many years. He then went into business for himself, operating Zaruba Feed Store, as a Purina feed dealer. He also operated a canvas shop at his residence. In the early 1960s, Elston was recruited by Standard Oil Company to operate a truck stop, at the junction of 169 and 141. The family relocated to Perry in 1966, and he operated Zaruba Truck Stop, east of Perry, until his retirement.
Elston served as mayor of Yale from 1958 until 1963. During his time as mayor, the contract with Northern Gas franchise was negotiated, allowing the residents of Yale to convert from coal heating to the convenience of natural gas. He also served as the fire chief for many years. During the Yale tornado, on mother's day of 1958, the storm took out the electricity ahead of the tornado, so the town whistle could not be used to warn the residents. Elston rushed to the fire station, pulled the fire engine out of the station and drove around town, blasting the siren, to notify the residents of the oncoming tornado.
Elston loved the outdoors, and was a skilled hunter, trapper and fisherman. He continued his hobby as an expert marksman, participating in many local and regional trap shoot competitions. He was a consistent first place winner, has numerous patches for hitting 25,50, and 75 targets in a row, and was the 1950 Iowa S.W. Zone champion. He maintained his pilot's license for many years, and often told stories of hunting fox and coyote from his airplane. He had snow ski's for his plane, so that he could land in a snow covered pasture or field, to retrive his fallen game. He also enjoyed gardening, raising vegetables and flowers. On Sept 15, 2001, Elston died at the Rowley Masonic Home in Perry, at the age of 85, following a lengthy illness. He is survived by his wife, Lucille of Perry, his daughters, Cheri Santi of Ankeny and Barbara Mahler of Perry, three grandsons, one granddaughter and two great-grandchildren. He was preceeded in death by his parents, his brother, Gilbert and an infant brother, Raymond.