Goldie Marie (Weaver) Vallem (1916-2012)

VALLEM, WEAVER, ERICKSON

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 7/31/2012 at 08:40:14

From Adams & Soderstrum Funeral Home obituary, Story County, Iowa:

Grace Vallem

BORN: April 10, 1916

DIED: May 28, 2012

LOCATION: Story City, Iowa

Marie Vallem, 96, of Story City, died May 28, 2012. Funeral services: 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Bethany Manor. Burial: Story City Cemetery. Visitation: one hour prior to the service at Bethany Manor.

Marie wanted her obituary to tell her life from the beginning. The full story of course, as all of ours do, began before she was born. After her folks got married, they bought a farm N of Clear Lake and set up farming with his brother. Her older sister Grace was born there. Her mother contracted TB and, as was normal for the day, she went to the TB Sanitarium in Cherokee IA.
Goldie Marie Weaver was born April 10 1916 in Cherokee, Iowa to George and Louise Weaver.
She was baptized Aug 6, 1916, at Zion Lutheran Church, Radcliffe, IA. In 1917, her mother died at the Helje Prescott farm in Roland and Marie and her sister then lived with her maternal Grandparents in town and then on their farm north of Roland, then back to the house in Roland. Both girls attended Roland Schools.

In 1926, when Goldie was 8 yrs old, she went to live with her Aunt Clara (her mother's sister) and Uncle Martin Vallem on their farm South of Garden City, IA. She attended grade school in Garden City. Clara and Martin wanted to adopt her then, but her father, George, would not sign the papers. She attended Radcliffe schools and graduated from high school in 1934 with a Normal Training Certificate and a scholarship to Waldorf College. She later attempted teaching in a couple of the one-room schools in the Garden City area.
In 1935, Grandpa Helje died. He had requested that Martin and Clara take care of Grandma Randi. Grace went to stay with another Aunt Hanna and Ray Charlson in Story City. Goldie went to stay with Randi at her home in Roland for a short while and then Randi moved to the Vallem home. In 1944 Randi died. Marie then helped with the care of Martin's mother Grandma Melinda Vallem. She died in 1955. The Vallems had been living on the "Vallem home place" of 80 acres, which was part of the 160 acre Melinda Vallem estate. The family attorney recommended that Martin and Clara adopt Goldie, which they did, and she then became Marie Elizabeth Vallem.

In 1965 Clara, Martin and Marie were in a car collision. Both of her parents and the occupant of the other car died. A double funeral for Martin and Clara was held at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Radcliffe, IA while Marie was till in the hospital. Her mother's sister Josie Erickson and husband Lloyd of Story City, helped find an apartment for her in Story City. Both Vallem and Prescott relatives helped arrange the sale of the farm equipment and household machinery.

Marie lived in a couple different places in Story City over the next 25 or so years. She did some work at the Northcrest Nursing home in Ames and at a condominium in Ames. She made 2 trips overseas. One was to Israel and Norway and a second trip to Norway.

Later in life she lived a couple years at the long term care unit of the Story City Hospital. When it closed in 1995, she moved to Bethany Manor where she lived until Memorial Day, May 28, 2012. She died quietly in her room while the nurse was going to get something. Until her last days, she had been active around Bethany in her wheelchair;

She enjoyed memorizing Bible verses including Psalm 103, and did what she could to help keep communications between Immanuel Church and their members in Bethany Manor.

All grandparents, parents and her sister Grace have left this world. Loved ones remain here looking unto God, the author and finisher of our Faith.

http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/
 

Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen