Fern LaVonne (Carr) HILL

HILL, HUNTINGTON, CARR, ERICKSON, CARLSON, AZELTINE, NELSON, GERLACH

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 6/2/2007 at 17:24:56

Mason City Globe Gazette
June 9, 1999

Funeral services for Fern LaVonne Hill, 84, of Dows, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, June 10, at the United Methodist Church, in Dows, with the Rev. James Turner and the Rev. S. W. Cunningham officiating. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery, Rowan. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Elledge Funeral Home, Dows. Fern died Monday (June 7, 1999) at the North Iowa Mercy Health Center East, Mason City.

Fern was born Oct. 11, 1914, near Rowan, the daughter of Emmett and Leona (Huntington) Carr. She attended the Rowan School and graduated from Alexander Consolidated School in 1932. While in school, she participated in speech, sports, and music while receiving honors and she was the class valedictorian. She pitched girls softball games for six years. She graduated from Northern Iowa College in 1933, with an Iowa State Rural Teaching certificate. Upon graduation, she taught for three years in country schools in the Dows and Rowan area. On March 25, 1936, she was united in marriage to Clair C. Hill, of Dows, in the Rowan Methodist Church Parsonage by the Rev. H.E. Harvey. They were one couple of five of the Hill children who were married by the Rev. Harvey. She was a member of the Rowan Methodist Church having served on the church board and teaching Sunday school for 25 years. She served every office of the Women's unit and some offices several times such as being treasurer for 13 years. She was a charter life member of the Women's Society of Christian Service. After moving to their home in Dows, she transferred her memberships to the Dows United Methodist Church. She was a Den Mother for Cub Scouts, Chairman of Rowan Parent Teachers for three years and supporter of 4-H programs for many years. Clair and Fern helped to organize the Dows Senior Citizens and served as co-chairmen for 11 years. In 1977, she received the honors as Outstanding Senior Citizen for Dows, Wright County and the Area 5. In 1979, she received the Iowa State 2nd place citation individual award in senior achievement. Fern and Clair planned and hosted many senior bus trips from California to Prince Edward Island, and from Canada to Texas. Fern enjoyed being outdoors, working in her garden, caring for her flowers, caring for the chickens and their eggs, working in the farm fields, being with friends and relatives, and crocheting.

Most of all she loved her faithful husband, Clair; and their family, two sons, Cecil and his wife, Mary, of Clear Lake; and Darwin and his wife, Marilyn, of Latimer; and two daughters, Leola Erickson, of Lincoln, Neb. and Marilyn Carlson and her husband, Gary, of Spencer; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two sisters, Lillian Azeltine, of Latimer and Iris Nelson and her husband, Ernest, of Rowan; and a sister-in-law, Cleo Carr, of Hampton; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Emmett and Leona Carr; one brother, Arnold Carr; one daughter-in-law, Delores Hill; and a great-granddaughter, McKenzie Gerlach. Fern now enters the room in Heaven which has been waiting for her.