Russman, Tena (Mrs. George), 1907/8-1936

RUSSMAN, HUISMAN, SCHULTZ

Posted By: Lydia Lucas - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/13/2021 at 20:33:37

From the Sioux County Capital, June 25, 1936:

Mrs. George Russman died Monday, June 21, at 11:30 a.m. at a local hospital of uremic poisoning following the birth of twins Thursday morning at 3:15 and 3:45 o’clock. She was 27 years of age.

Mrs. Russman was Tena Housman of Ellsworth, Minn., before her marriage. She is survived by her husband, an instructor in the Northwestern Junior College, one small child besides the twin boy and girl, her father, mother, six sisters and two brothers.

Funeral services are being held today, Thursday, at 10:00 a.m. in the American Reformed Church. Ministers officiating are Henry Colenbrander, Bert Brower, and Jacob Heemstra. From here the body will be taken to Ellsworth, Minn. where services will be held in Bethel church at two o’clock. Rev. Mr. Jacob Heemstra will attend the services there.

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From De Volksvriend, June 25, 1936:

An obituary in Dutch, the gist of which is:

A very sad death occurred Monday 22 June in the Doornink hospital here. Mrs. George H. Russman, who gave birth on Thursday to two children, a boy and a girl, died of kidney disease. She was 27 years and 7 months old. The babies are in good health.

Mr. and Mrs. Russman were married on 14 August 1933 at Ellsworth, Minn, and moved to Orange City, where he is one of the teachers in the Junior College.

[Followed by similar information as above on the funeral services, first at Orange City and then at the Bethel Reformed Church in Ellsworth, Minnesota], where Rev. E. K. Russman, the father of Professor Russman, was a teacher for many years and where both Professor and Mrs. Russman grew up.

Rev. and Mrs. E. K. Russman, of Appleton, Iowa, and Mrs. Van Hoven of Little Rock, Iowa, immediately came to help and support their son and brother with his three children, the oldest of which is just 14 months old.

The deceased leaves behind, besides her family, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weert Huisman, Ellsworth, Minn., and the following brothers and sisters: Weert Huisman, of Ellsworth, Mrs. J. de Boer, Mrs. P. Popkes and Mrs. M. Popkes, of Rock Rapids, Mrs. E. Popkes of Ellsworth, Mrs. (Rev.) Snuttjer of Lenox, S.D., and Miss Pearl, at home.

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From The Ellsworth News, June 25, 1936:

TWINS BORN – YOUNG MOTHER DIES SUDDENLY
Mrs. Geo. Russman Died at Orange City Monday

Mrs. Geo. Russman died at an hospital at Orange City, Iowa, Monday of urine poisoning which set in a few days after the birth of twin babies—a boy and a girl. She had been supposedly in good health and had withstood the birth ordeal on Friday, the turn for the worse starting on Sunday. The unfortunate young mother wavered until Monday when she passed quickly to the Great Beyond.

When word reached Ellsworth of the birth of the twin babies last Saturday everyone who knew Mr. and Mrs. Russman rejoiced with them. Quite unprepared was the community for the word that came Monday of the young mother who had given her life as the price of the two tiny lives just begun, and this was a severe blow to all. It was such a short time ago that we saw her go from here a smiling bride full of high ideals to take her place with her young husband in the new community. And when their first born—now 15 months old—came into their home the happiness of these two knew no bounds. That Death should come was most unexpected and it is a hard blow to the husband, parents and other relatives.

Funeral services were held this (Thursday) forenoon at 10:00 o’clock in the Reformed church at Orange City, and the body was brought back to the deceased’s home community southeast of town, burial services being held at the Bethel Reformed church. The pastor, Rev. P. DeBohr, assisted by Rev. Brower of Orange City, officiated at these services. The crowd attending was too large for the church and chairs and benches were placed in the church yard. Two loud speakers carried the services through an amplifying system to the many people in the church yard. Six young men of the Orange City high school were pallbearers and many were the friends from that town who accompanied the funeral party here, attesting to the estimation in which she was held by her adopted community.

Her maiden name was Tena Huisman, the second youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Weerdt Huisman, Sr., of Ellsworth, and she was born Nov. 23, 1907, in Midland township, Ia., where she spent her childhood, attending district school there and high school in Ellsworth, graduating with the class of 1926. Taking a summer course at Cedar Falls, Ia., State Normal school that same year, she began teaching in the fall and continued for eight years, having taught only two schools in that time, in Lyon county.

In the spring of 1933 deceased resigned her re-election as teacher, and on August 13, 1933, was married to George Russman, at Bethel Reformed church, and the young couple began housekeeping at Orange City, where Mr. Russman taught and still teaches in the Junior College. Possessed of a happy disposition and a willingness to help others, she made friends rapidly and her fine education made her a worthy addition to the social life of the town. She was a good wife and mother, a devoted daughter and loving sister and her being snatched away by the Grim Reaper at a time she is needed so much is another of those “whys” we cannot answer. But the Creator in His wisdom has His reason for so doing and it is good that her loved ones are religious, thinking people to whom their faith can bring comfort at such a trying time. Hers will always be a sweet memory for all her loved ones.

The News joins the scores of friends of this sorrowing family in expressing regrets at the untimely death of this fine young wife and mother.

Besides the husband and children, she leaves her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weerdt Huisman, Sr., of Ellsworth. Two brothers, Klaas and Weerdt, Jr., of this community; and six sisters: Mrs. Jake DeBoer, Mrs. Menno Popkes, Mrs. Popke Popkes, Mrs. Ed Popkes and Pearl Huisman, of this and the George, Ia., community, and Mrs. Onno Snuttjer, of Lenox, S.D., also survive. All of these were present at the funeral except Mrs. Ed Popkes, who is a patient at the Ellsworth Hospital.

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Her death certificate gives her birth date as November 23, 1908 in Lyon County, Iowa; parents Weert Huisman, born in Germany, and Peterka Schultz, born in Grundy County, Iowa; died at 11:15 a.m. June 21, 1936; causes: pregnancy, duration 9 months, nephritis acute toxemia, [anemia?], nuremia[?]; buried in Bethel Cemetery. Her FindaGrave page places Bethel Reformed Cemetery in Lyon County, Iowa, and gives her birth year as 1907; it provides no additional information.

Subsequent news notes in Sioux County newspapers say that her twins left the hospital to be cared for by Mr. Huisman’s sister at Little Rock [Iowa]. Professor Russman gave up his home in Orange City, but remained a professor at Northwestern Junior College and Academy there, teaching physics and math. In June 1942 he married fellow professor (of modern languages) Erma Vogelpohl. He was appointed administrator of Tena’s estate, which was closed in fall of 1942, with distribution of the funds to Russman and Tena’s three minor children, Twila Mae, Emerson Keith, and Evelyn Kay, with George appointed their guardian. The children appear to have remained in Little Rock, however. In 1943 the Russmans moved to Northfield, Minnesota, to teach at Carleton College. In the 1950s Twila and Evelyn Russman were students in the Junior College in Orange City.