Edith Ann (Ryerson) Wessel (1927-2019)

WESSEL, RYERSON, SCHULER, KROESCHELL, ELLARSON, IRWIN, BRAY, BEER, POLICASTRI, ESCHBACK, WERTZ

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:13

Obituary from family memorial page.

Edith Ann Ryerson Wessel
Oct. 9, 1927 - June 22, 2019

The world has lost a humble, but relentless champion on behalf of justice, inclusion and non-violence. Edith did not know a stranger; if you picked up a freecycle offering from her, you had a friend. For years, students who were not able to go home for the holidays were invited to her Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners. When she was a member of a small church, she hosted Christmas Day dinner for everyone who did not have another place to go. We will celebrate Edith’s life on July 5, 2019, 11 am at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Ames.

What Edith saved in counting pennies, she gave to her many charitable interests from the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Doctors without Borders, Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance and Amnesty International and so many more. She also was happy to help her grandchildren.

Raised on farms in Cambridge and Huxley area with 6 older brothers whom she adored. -- attended public schools in Cambridge and Huxley – also one year at the Livingston One Room Country School.

After graduating from Huxley High School, Edith was accepted into and was a member of the last class of the U.S. Student Nurse Cadet Program getting her nursing degree at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in 1948. She was certified as a Parish Nurse in 1992.

Edith enjoyed a wide variety of nursing experiences. She worked as an R.N. at Mary Greeley, Clarion and Iowa Lutheran Hospitals. Worked a few years as an office nurse for Drs. Fellows, Rosebrook and Schanke, Industrial Nurse at John Deere Des Moines Works, Grand Avenue Nursing Home and Director of Ames Visiting Nursing Service for 16 years. Probably her most challenging and exciting job was 8 months at De Gamles By, a nursing home in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Edith and Robert Wessel married at Bethesda Lutheran in Ames in 1951. They enjoyed traveling and living in many different places due to his studies and work. They lived and worked all over Europe for 6 years. They also enjoyed multiple trips to Europe including a 1973 six week camping trip with all five of their children.

Edith tried to convince the world she was of a generation too old to understand computers. However, she learned to use her Zenith “laptop” with DOS, no hard drive and two floppy disks in the mid to late 80s. She went on to have computers with every generation of Windows through Windows 7. She selected The New York Times as the homepage for her browser. She could type 90+ words per minute and spent her life corresponding with friends throughout Europe and the United States.

Survived by children and their spouses, one son, Keith (Lori) Wessel, Madison, WI, 4 daughters, Ellen (Jeff) Schuler, Stevens Point, WI, Beth (Tom) Wessel-Kroeschell, Ames, Rev. Cheryl Wessel, Oak Harbor, OH, and Joanne Ellarson, Mazomanie, WI, 10 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.

Grandchildren are: Sven (Heather) Irwin, Madison, WI., Erik (Chelsea) Irwin, Dryden, Canada, Eleni (Will) Bray, Hannah (Craig) Beer and Sophie Schuler, Stevens Point, WI, Liza Kroeschell, San Francisco and Robbie Kroeschell, Iowa City, Kiri Wessel, Oak Harbor, OH and Wesley and Casey Ellarson, Black Earth, WI. Great Grandchildren are: Kinley and Kianna Irwin, Madison and Jayla, Aisha and Avannah Irwin in Canada, Asher and Oliver Bray in Stevens Point, WI. One Ryerson sister-in-law, Donna Ryerson Peterson survives and two sisters-in-law Betty Dodge and Donna Erickson of Oklahoma and one brother-in- law, Tom Wessel of Bozeman, Montana plus many nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death are her parents Oscar and Liza Ryerson, Husband Robert, Brothers: Lawrence, Leslie, Obert, Eide, Theodore and Rinard. 4 brothers-in-law: Carol, Clair, Bud and Jim Wessel and 2 sisters-in-law Helen Policastri, Katherine (Irene) Eschbach and Marilyn Wessel and niece Karen Wertz.

Memorials suggested for Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance in Ames, Amnesty International or a charity of your choice.