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Anne Mary Empen (1931-2018)

EMPEN, GLASCOTT

Posted By: Kenneth Wright (email)
Date: 10/12/2018 at 13:43:56

Anne Mary Empen, age 87, of Preston, Iowa, passed away Saturday, September 29, 2018, at the Maquoketa Care Center, Maquoketa, Iowa. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 13, 2018 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Preston. Burial will take place in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Preston. Visitation will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., prior to the Mass at the church.

Anne was born January 15, 1931 at Garfield Park Hospital in Chicago, Illinois to Robert and Anna Glascott. She attended St. Matthew Elementary School and graduated from Providence Catholic High School in Chicago with the Class of 1948.

Anne graduated from the nursing program in 1952 from St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago, Illinois as a Registered Nurse. Anne paid for her own nursing school with money she earned and saved working during the elementary years at Franklin Blvd Hospital in the cafeteria from 6th grade to 8th grade and Bell Telephone. During her training she went to school 5 days a week and worked the nights and weekends at the hospital. Mom received a stipend of $1 a month for the first year and $2 a month for the second year and $30 a month for the 3rd year of nursing training. She had to work OB for 3 months to make up for her hospital stay when she became ill with pneumonia during her 3rd year of nursing. Mom was very happy to have her nursing education all paid up.

In 1950 Anne met John when Anne came out to the farm with John’s sister Marie whom also was going to nursing training. They courted for 3 years before John proposed to Anne in 1953. She moved to Maquoketa and worked at Maquoketa Hospital, Maquoketa Care Center, and Crest Ridge Nursing Home in Maquoketa as a RN in 1953.

In 1954 Anne married her sweetheart John Cornelius Empen in St. Dennis Catholic Church by Father Joseph Doyle in Chicago, Illinois, (Anne’s cousin). John had quite a drive to Chicago to make it due to icy freezing roads.

They started their life farming on the Elwood farm. In 1955 they bought the home place north of Preston 160 acres and farmed there until 2006. The house had no water, sewer, bathroom, kitchen or furnace. They had their work cut out for them. They had 5 children in 5 years, Cathy, Peggy, Johnny, Joe and Bill. In 1958 Dad bought another 160 acres with a house and rented the house out. They farmed until 2006, and decided to move into town.

They moved into Preston in for 7 years before they decided to move into Clover Ridge Assistive Living in 2013. Two years later, Mom moved into the Maquoketa Care Nursing Home and Dad moved into his own room at Clover Ridge Assistive Living.

She was a member of the Catholic Church in Preston, where she taught bible classes, and was a reader. Anne loved crocheting for family and friends. She made large Afghans, blankets, booties, and calendars etc. Anne loved to spend her leisure time reading nursing articles, newspapers, also loved crossword puzzles, soap opera (Edge of Night) and word games.

John taught Anne how to use the sewing machine. She sewed most of the family clothes. She patched a lot of blue jeans through the years. She sewed blankets, curtains, bedspreads etc. There wasn’t much mom could not sew. She taught both her daughters how to sew also.

Anne enjoyed cooking and teaching both her daughters how to cook. In her younger years her children used to love it when she would bake bread twice a week. She made great meals for the family—always something different at each meal.

Anne loved nursing, especially OB & surgery. Mom would buy appliances for the family home with her check. She also loved to volunteer when needed to take people to the doctor, donate her time with the community when they needed nurses to help draw blood, and teach CPR in the schools. She often took care of older people in the community when needed.

Coming from Chicago to a farm was a big change for a city gal, but Anne managed well. It was not an easy transition.

Anne survived by her 5 children, 2 daughters and 3 sons; Cathy (Russel) Stringfellow of Livermore, Ca, Peggy (Randy) Morphis of Fairfield, Ca., John (Barbara) Empen of Chicago, Ill, Joe (Becky) Empen of Albany, Oregon, and Bill (Julie) Empen of Clinton, Ia.; 16 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren and her sister Pat Buck of Chicago, Illinois. Anne was preceded in death by her parents, a brother and a grandchild, Bradley James Empen.


 

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