Alma (Staggs) Rater (1972)

RATER, STAGGS, BURGESS, MARSH, WHEELER, FENTON

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 11/23/2008 at 10:41:26

Earlham Echo – January 20, 1972

Obituary

Last rites were conducted by the Jehovah Witnesses at the Van Meter funeral home for Alma Rater on Sunday, January 9. She passed away at the age of 82 on January 6. She lived her last 20 years in her home in Redfield.

Alma Staggs was born the eldest of nine children to Henry Bart and Martha May Seevers Staggs on January 18, 1890 in Kansas. Her family moved to Iowa while Alma was still a child. She spent most of her adult life in the communities of Casey, DeSoto, Earlham and Redfield.

After completing her education, she taught school for several years.

On August 26, 1914 she was married to Ollie Alvin Rater. To this union seven children were born.

She was preceded in death by her youngest son Wayne who died in infancy, her husband Ollie who passed away in 1945, her parents, one sister and five brothers, her infant grandson Patrick Wheeler, and her great grandson Ollie Dean Rater.

She is survived by six children: Elizabeth Burgess of Santa Clara, California; Clifford Rater of Earlham, Keith Rater of Des Moines, Evelyn Marsh of Boulder, Colorado; Ollie Junior of Aumsville, Oregon; Leola Wheeler of Menlo Park, California. She is also survived by one sister, Velma Fenton of Seymour, Iowa; one brother, Addis Staggs of Geneseo, Illinois, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She was loved by her family and friends and will be greatly missed by all.