Tolstrup, Mary (1918-2007)

TOLSTRUP, CARUTH, HAWKS, VAN DEMARK, WELDIN, COOPER, WENCK, MATHER

Posted By: Colleen Ossman (email)
Date: 5/7/2009 at 21:29:51

Webster City Freeman Journal, Oct 18, 2007

Mary Be Tolstrup, 88, of Webster City, died Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at Southfield Wellness Community. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Faith United Methodist Church, with Revs. Mike Willer and Merlin Mather officiating. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery. Visitation will be at the church from 5-8 p.m. Friday and prior to the service on Saturday. Arrangements were made with the Foster Funeral and Cremation Center.

Mary Be Frances Caruth, daughter of Charles E. and Frances Hawks Caruth, was born December 17, 1918 on a farm north of Ellsworth. She attended rural schools north of Ellsworth and graduated from Ellsworth high school in 1936. She attended Waldorf Teaching College at Forest City, then Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls. She taught at Norwalk and rural Ellsworth before working at Methodist Publishing Company at Chicago, IL. Returning to Iowa, she worked at Hahne Printing at Webster City and as a teller at a Jewell bank. While working at the Webster City Cooperative, she met Everett Eugene Tolstrup and the couple were married on February 8, 1948 at Ellsworth. They farmed northwest of Kamrar. In 1987, they retired and continued to reside on their farm. They moved to Southfield in 2001.

Mrs. Tolstrup is survived by her husband, Everett; daughters and sons-in-law, Donna Van Demark and Steve Weldin of Webster City; Glenda and Burton Cooper of Kanawha; Charma and Marty Wenck of Iowa City; 10 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; brother and sister-in-law, Wallace and Ethel Caruth of Coal Valley, IL; sister, Roberta Mather of Humboldt; several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, David and Donald Caruth; sisters-in-law, Jeanetta Caruth and Amelia Caruth; brother-in-law, Richard Mather.

She was a member of the Kamrar United Methodist Church, where she had been a Sunday School teacher, a Vacation Bible School Teacher, United Methodist Women member and church treasurer for 40 years. She also had been a longtime 4-H leader. She enjoyed quilting and seamstress work. She especially loved her family and doing tasks for them, this also lead to her joy of working with her church family. She will be remembered for her loving spirit and compassionate nature.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Kamrar United Methodist Church.