Ahrens, Delmar F. 1903-1979

AHRENS, ZAHRT, MAXWELL, JESKE, BONYATA, SANDERS, JORDAN

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 10/30/2012 at 08:27:28

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register; Dec. 1979

DELMAR AHRENS SERVICES HELD

Delmar F. Ahrens, 76, of 1013 Reed St., Grinnell, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, at Grinnell General Hospital.

Funeral services for Mr. Ahrens were conducted at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Smith Funeral Home, with the Rev. Philip J. Ramstad, pastor of the Grinnell United Church of Christ-Congregational, officiating. Organist was Kathleen Heffner. Pallbearers were James A. Ahrens, Thomas H. Ahrens, Larry Barnes, R.J. Bowman, Carmen Maxwell and Sydney Maxwell. Burial was at Hazelwood.

Should friends desire, memorials in Mr. Ahrens' name may be made to Grinnell General Hospital.

The son of Henry and Ella Mae Zahrt Ahrens, he was born Sept. 29, 1903, at Conroy. He moved with his family to Chester Township north of Grinnell and attended rural school. He was graduated from Grinnell High School in 1920 and later attended Grinnell College. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Northern Iowa and later did graduate work at the University of Iowa.

On Nov. 29, 1928, he was married to Betty Maxwell at Waterloo. Following their marriage, they lived at Laurel and Clarion, where Mr. Ahrens served as a junior high school principal. In 1930, the couple moved to Webster, where Mr. Ahrens was superintendent of the Webster school system.

From 1933 to 1942, he farmed in the Gilman area and for one year was superintendent of the Gilmore City school district.

Mr. and Mrs. Ahrens moved to Grinnell in 1944 and he instructed the officers candidate program. He spent 1-1/2 years at the University of Chicago doing graduate work in human development. After returning to Grinnell, he farmed south of town and later owned and operated the Ahrens Construction Co.

He was a member of the Grinnell United Church of Christ-Congregational, and he was also a 48-year member of Cyrus Masonic Lodge No. 338, AF & AM, at Gilman.

Survivors include his wife, Betty; his children, Mrs. Walter (Carol Beth) Jeske of Arlington, Va., David Ahrens of Richland, Wash., and Mrs. Richard (Marilee) Bonyata of Lake City, Fla.; six grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Lyman (Inez) Sanders of Ceres, Calif., and Mrs. Jean Jordan of St. Louis, Mo.; and a brother, Alden Ahrens of Grinnell.