NIEMEYER, Elsie Louise (1937-2015)

NIEMEYER

Posted By: Gayle P. Snow (email)
Date: 4/6/2023 at 19:59:24

Elsie Niemeyer, 78, passed into heaven November 16, 2015 in Norwalk, Iowa; at home in the country surrounded by loved ones. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 19th at the First Assembly of God Church in Indianola.  A luncheon and visitation will follow services.

Elsie is survived by her son, Jon (Kristy); grandchildren, Emma (Austin) Trabing; Christopher Niemeyer; Michael Niemeyer; brother, James (Vallie) Palmer; sisters, Charis Brown; Trella (Dwane) Walker; Donna (Dick) Firgard; Pat J Palmer (Harold); brother-in-law Joe Pringle; sister-in-law, Carolyn Palmer; and 23 nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert (Bob) Niemeyer; parents, Donald Eugene and Florence Louise Palmer; brothers Carlton Palmer; Wallace Palmer; sister, Susan Pringle; and brother-in-law, Emmet Brown.

Elsie Louise (Palmer) Niemeyer was born August 15, 1937 in Algona, Iowa. She graduated from Ventura High School in 1955, married Bob Niemeyer on June 2, 1957 in Garner, Iowa. The two of them moved to Des Moines where their son, Jon, was born. Bob opened an independent insurance agency in Fort Dodge. There, Elsie was a homemaker, worked for Fort Dodge Labs, and J.C.Penny’s clothing store. Elsie enjoyed hunting, flying, raising dogs, and camping with her husband and son.

In 1976, Elsie and Bob bought a farm near Woodburn, Iowa. They continued capitalizing on their fondness for the out-of-doors by raising cattle and taking hunting trips out west. Gardening and decorating her homes were creative outlets for Elsie. Sharing stories and observations with her own twist were her means to putting others at ease and perhaps a smile on their faces.

After her husband passed away in 1995, Elsie moved back to Fort Dodge and then to Des Moines to be near son, Jon. Her grandchildren reaped a storehouse full of laughter, sweets, and grandma-style spoiling. Her family was her purpose. Also, it was nothing for Elsie to embrace her son’s in-laws: Kristy’s (Fletcher) parents, siblings, nephews and nieces. This part of her family holds a substantial amount of fond memories of Elsie as well. Elsie’s heart was big, tender, and full of fun. She blessed everyone she met with her genuine, loving spirit.

When diagnosed with lung cancer 1 ½ years ago, she chose to live out the remainder of her life just as she had been living up to that point. She did not let the disease that would one day finally take over stop her from enjoying the beauty of the outdoors, the laughter of good friends and family, the tenderness of daily living with loved ones, or the sweet things in life (like donuts, cinnamon and pecan rolls, and Butterfinger candy bars)! Her team of Hospice caregivers saw her sweetness intermingled with a lot of spunk and determination. She would rather talk about their families than her ailments and endure pain rather than miss out because of drowsiness