Huls, Conrad Willard 1924-2002

HULS, ONNEN

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 7/5/2008 at 18:31:14

HAWARDEN, Iowa -- Conrad Willard Huls, 78, of Hawarden died Sunday, Nov. 3, 2002, at Hillcrest Care Center in Hawarden.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at United Methodist Church in Hawarden, with the Rev. Dean Shelly officiating. Burial will be in Grace Hills Cemetery. Visitation will be after noon Wednesday, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Porter Funeral Home in Hawarden.

Conrad Huls was born on a farm near Spink, S.D., in Union County, on April 3, 1924. He attended grade school in Spink until the fifth grade, then the family moved to Westfield, Iowa, where he completed the eighth grade. When his family moved to Akron, Iowa, he worked in a blacksmith shop.

He married Irene Onnen in 1943, and they had a son, James. Irene passed away in 1952.

In December 1953, he married Elaine Onnen in Luverne, Minn. They lived in Akron and had three children, Jeanne, Jolene and Jerald. For nearly 19 years, he worked at Dirks Hardware in Akron and the surrounding area as a plumber, carpenter and electrician. Then he worked in Elk Point, S.D., at Load King and various night watchman jobs until he retired. He took loving care of Elaine during her illness with Alzheimer's disease until her death. He also played many instruments as a young man, but liked the drums the most. On weekends he would play his drums with his band at dances around the area and did this for many years. This was a very happy time in his life.

In 1988, he moved to Hawarden to be with Helen Schurman. They have been friends and companions for many years, taking care of each other and making a pleasant life together in Hawarden.

He liked to be outdoors, so he would always have a big garden, but his favorite pastime was fishing. Many hours were spent by the river or sandpit waiting for that "big one," and it usually came. Taking his children and then his grandchildren fishing was always great fun for him.

Survivors include his children, Jim and his wife, Rhonda of Hawarden, Jeanne and her husband, Max Noack of Ames, Iowa, Jolene and her husband, Dwight Dirks of Sioux City, and Jerry of Boyden, Iowa; 13 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a sister, Lorraine of Grand Island, Neb.; and two brothers and their wives, Floyd and Marcie of Le Mars, Iowa, and Alfred and Elizabeth of rural Akron.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was preceded in death by infant twin brother and sister; another brother, Raymond; his first wife, Irene; his father, Esterd "Ed" Huls; his mother, Reka "Eva" (Hemmelrick) Huls; and his second wife, Elaine.

~Source: The Sioux City Journal--part of the D. Easton Obituary Collection