Esther A. Becker (1913-2008)

BECKER

Posted By: volunteer (email)
Date: 11/16/2008 at 16:00:04

Esther Amelia BECKER died Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at the Elm Crest Retirement Community in Harlan, IA, having reached the age of 95 years, one month and 13 days.
Funeral services were held Saturday, 11 October 2008, at the Shelby United Methodist Church in Shelby, IA with Rev. Orris L. Drake officiating. Burial was in the Shelby Cemetery in Shelby. Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan was in charge of the arrangements.

Honorary casket bearers were Gene PETERS, David WHALING, Jim HOCKETT, Harold NIHSEN, Raymond BUMAN and Donald PLUMB. Active bearers were Dan HALL, Jerry EVANS, David GIBSON, Jim BARRETT, Robert McLAUGHLIN, and ROBERT NIHSEN.
Esther Amelia BECKER, the daughter of Raymond Oliver and Maude (EVANS) DAVIS was born on August 24, 1913 on a farm near Persia, IA. She grew surrounded by a large family, including aunts, uncles and cousins.
…attended Pleasant Ridge Country School which was located right next to her family’s farm. She later attended Tennat (Iowa) High School.
At the age of 13, Esther experienced a life-threatening accident on the family farm. During her recovery, her older brother brought a new friend, Herbert BECKER, home for Sunday dinners with family. When Esther was 17, Herb proposed; they were married at the First Methodist Church Parsonage in Harlan on January 28, 1931.
After they were married they moved to Russell, IA where Herb had grown up. On November 6, 1945 Esther and Herb moved to her family farm home near Persia. Years later, they moved to a home north of Shelby, where they were hired to manage a farm for Bob COOPER.
Herb died May 24, 1985. Esther lived alone on the farm and continued to drive until she was 90 years old. She then became a resident of the Elm Crest Retirement Community in Harlan.
Esther was a member of the Tennant United Methodist Church . . . loved to travel to California to visit with her daughter, Karean [sic], and family.
Esther was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Herbert William BECKER, six sisters, Elsie, Martha, Mary, Margaret, Alice and Bertha, and three brothers, Raymond, Wilbur and Robert.
She is survived by one son, Bob (Paula) BECKER of Shelby, Iowa; two daughters, Betty (JOHN) TAMP of Persia and Karean [sic] (AHL) MADSEN of Santa Ana, CA; one sister, Frances LAWRENCE of Avoca, IA; nine grandchildren 17 great-grandchildren; four great-great grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Avoca, IA "Journal-Herald" 16 October 2008, p.4