Jacobsen, Shirley Eilers (Mrs. Kenneth) 1926-2017

JACOBSEN, DAVIS, VANDERHAM, EILERS

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:34

Shirley Elaine (Vanderham, Eilers) Jacobsen lived a full life of 91 plus years filled with family, friends and music. It was a good life, but not an easy one.
Funeral services will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Le Mars on Friday, November 17th at 10:30 a.m. with burial at the Ireton Pleasant Hill Cemetery. A luncheon will be served at St. John’s Church in Le Mars immediately following the ceremony.   The grave site service in Ireton will follow the luncheon. The family will be gathering at the Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars on Thursday, November 16th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m.   Please join the family for an evening of memories and fellowship.   They invite all of Shirley’s many friends and neighbors to stop by to say a final goodbye to a good friend and one strong lady.      
Expressions of sympathy may be expressed to the family through www.rexwinkelfh.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 201 1st Avenue Northwest, Le Mars, Iowa 51031 and/or Wesley Life Hospice, 500 1st Street North, Newton, IA 50208
Shirley was born September 24, 1926 in Platte, SD to Fred M. and F. Kathryn (Davis) Vanderham. She spent her early years growing up in the poverty, drought-stricken dust bowl conditions of depression era Eastern South Dakota. There she forged an iron will and never give up attitude, learned the value of hard work and the strength of family and faith. Her family later moved to a farm north of Le Mars, IA in hope of finding better land and more rain.
Shirley graduated from Le Mars High School in 1944 with a Normal Training Certificate and taught rural school for two years in Sherman Township #7 (near Maurice, IA). Shirley maintained a lifelong belief in the value of education and was most proud of the fact that all of her children received a college education with some achieving advanced degrees.
Shirley was active in her church throughout her life having been baptized into the Lutheran faith in Platte, SD and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Le Mars, IA. For years Shirley served as organist and pianist at the Lutheran Churches in Ireton and Craig, IA and played for many weddings, funerals and other functions at numerous churches throughout the area. She taught Sunday school and served on the church council at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Craig.
Shirley married Wilbur G. Eilers on November 26, 1945. They raised three sons: Thomas, Mark and Gregory. The family lived in Ireton where they operated Eilers Farm Service – a retail feed and seed store, with portable grinding services, seasonal greenhouse and floral shop, plus bait and tackle supplies. Following Wilbur’s death on June 11, 1964 Shirley was left to run the family business and raise her three sons. To help with the family finances, she became somewhat of a women’s pioneer in her own right serving as a substitute rural mail carrier on RR# 1 in Ireton, where she navigated countless muddy and snow-packed country roads to make sure the mail was delivered.    
On November 5, 1966 Shirley married Kenneth L. Jacobsen and they were together for more than 50 years. They had two children: Michael and Robin. They lived in Ireton, Iowa Falls, on a farm 2 miles North of Craig, where they ran a hog confinement and farrowing operation. They also operated Eilers Farm Service in Ireton, Craig and Struble. In addition, during that time Shirley also worked in the evenings as a cook at the Southern Country Steak House in Craig for several years. She was a great cook. Shirley and Ken moved into their home in Le Mars in March 2000. They then moved to Park Centre Retirement Community in Newton, IA to be closer to family in April 2017, where Ken passed away on June 13, 2017.
Shirley loved music throughout her life and played piano for several local dance bands over the years, including “Swing and Sweat with Leland Fett”, “Two Hits and a Mrs.”, and most recently with her group “The Remnants” who entertained at nursing homes in Plymouth and Sioux counties.
Shirley loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren – to her there was nothing more important than family. She was also a great fisherman, and enjoyed gardening, travelling, entertaining, cooking, sewing and crocheting (when she could find time).
Shirley suffered a massive heart attack in December 2002 and was saved by open heart surgery performed by a miraculous heart surgeon, Dr. Allen in Sioux City. He said following surgery that “Grafting the new arteries in place was like trying to sew tissue paper together”, but he did it and she went on to live another 15 wonderful years.
Shirley passed away quietly in her sleep at the Park Centre Retirement Community in Newton, IA on November 12, 2017 surrounded by family. The end of a life well lived, leaving behind a family much loved and well raised. She was preceded in death by husbands Wilbur and Kenneth, her parents, her brother Marvin Vanderham, and son Mark Eilers.
Shirley is survived by four children: Thomas J Eilers (Virginia), Gregory J Eilers (Shari), Michael K Jacobsen (Colleen), and Robin K Moore (Matt); daughter-in-law Marsha Eilers (Mark); ten grandchildren (Jay Eilers, Jennifer Easley, Sky Eilers, Katie Fleming, Jacki Buckingham, Collin Jacobsen, Michaela Jacobsen, and Courtney Jacobsen, and Colton and Savanna Moore); and ten great grandchildren.

In Loving Memory Of
 
Shirley Eilers Jacobsen
 
September 24, 1926 - November 12, 2017
 
Funeral Service
10:30 a.m. Friday - November 17, 2017
St. John’s Lutheran Church, E.L.C.A.
Le Mars, Iowa
 
Prayer Service
7:00 p.m. Thursday - November 16, 2017
Rexwinkel Funeral Home
Le Mars, Iowa
 
Clergy
Reverend Dr. Jean Ziettlow
 
Music
Mike Rathke - Organist
“Amazing Grace”
“Precious Lord, Take My Hand”
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives”
“How Great Thou Art”
 
Casket Bearers
Mike Jacobsen             Tom Eilers
Greg Eilers                       Sky Eilers
Collin Jacobsen             Jay Eilers
 
Interment
Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Ireton, Iowa
 
Memorials
St. John’s Lutheran Church
Wesley Life Hospice

Source: Rexwinkel Funeral Home online obituary.