Gertrude Baker Fenimore

FENIMORE, BAKER, WOOLSONCROFT, COOK, MOORE, HEICHEL, DODGE, FREY, BOYD

Posted By: Treva Patterson (email)
Date: 6/13/2006 at 12:11:25

Winterset Madisonian
March 29, 1989

Gertrude B. Fenimore, Winterset

Gertrude Baker Fenimore, age 90, of Winterset, died on March 23 at the Bethesda Care Center in Winterset. Funeral services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Winterset on March 28. Burial was in the Winterset Cemetery.

Mrs. Fenimore was born in Peru, Iowa on July 6, 1898. She was the daughter of William and Emma Baker of Peru. She attended Des Moines University and worked at Wallace Homestead.

She was married in 1922 to Virgil Fenimore of Winterset and lived the rest of her life in Winterset. Following her husband's death in 1952, she travelled some and was the driver for many trips with friends and relatives. She had a great love for gardening and flowers.

Gertrude was an active member in the First United Methodist Church, holding various offices through the years.

As a young girl, she developed an interest in the Red Cross. As her diary indicates, she attended many Red Cross meetings with her mother during World War I. In later years, Gertrude became a volunteer in the Madison County Red Cross, which was formerly called "Gray Ladies". In 1969 she was awarded a certificate for 1000 hours of service at the Veteran's Hospital in Des Moines, having travelled a total of 18,000 miles to and from. She was very proud of the many service pins and honors she received from the Red Cross.

Mrs. Fenimore, having had no children of her own, had a very special affection for her nieces and nephews. She is survived by 5 nieces, Mrs. LaVere Woolsoncroft of Des Moines, Mrs. Mildred Cook of West Des Moines, Mrs. Willa Moore of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Mrs. Bernice Heichel of Winterset and Mrs. Ilo Dodge of Scottsdale, Arizona; 3 nephews, Gene Baker of Des Moines, James Frey of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, and Claire Finney of Waterloo. She is also survived by a cousin, Mildred Boyd of Winterset.

Memorial gifts may be sent to the First United Methodist Church in Winterset.