Myrtle S. (Hill) THEDENS

THEDENS, HILL, FOSSEL, SIGLIN, AHLSTRAND, REABAN, KREIS, DANAS

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/12/2008 at 11:18:00

Pantagraph
Bloomington, IL
March 13, 2002

ELLIOTT, IL - Myrtle S. Thedens, 98, Tucson, Ariz., formerly of Elliott, died Sunday (March 10, 2002) at the home of her daughter in Tucson. Her funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Pontoppidan Lutheran Church, Elliott. Burial will be in Elliott Cemetery. Visitation will be for one hour before the service. Yurs Funeral Home, St. Charles, is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to Pontoppidan Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 105, Elliott, IL 60933.

She was born Sept. 3, 1903, in Elliott, the daughter of Severt and Helen Fossel Hill. She married Hilbert J. Thedens in 1937. He preceded her in death. Surviving are her daughters, Helen (Donald) Siglin and Marjorie (Kenneth) Ahlstrand, Tucson; her grandchildren, DiAnne Siglin, Petaluma, Calif.; Douglas Siglin, Portland, Ore.; Michelle (Derek) Reaban, Tempe, Ariz.; Karin, Rebecca and Elizabeth Ahlstrand of Denver, Colo.; two great-grandsons, Jonathan and Jacob Reaban of Tempe; two sisters, Ruth Kreis and Maxine Danas; one brother, Vernon (Dorothy) Hill; along with many nieces, nephews and devoted friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Hazel and baby Esther; and three brothers, Orville, Thomas and Ernest.

The majority of her young life was spent in Elliott and Kanawha, Iowa. Other places she called home included Woodstock and St. Charles; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Tucson. Myrtle graduated from Drummer Township High School in 1921. Following her graduation, she assisted in the care of her younger siblings and taught country school in rural Elliott. Myrtle moved to Chicago in the late 1920s and worked for SilverCup Bread Company. She married Hilbert J. Thedens in 1937 and lived in Blue Island until 1948, at which time they moved to Elliott to operate Thedens' Hardware Store.

Mrs. Thedens was active at the Pontoppidan Lutheran Church in Elliott for many years. She especially enjoyed the Norwegian Supper, church women activities, Bible study and participating in Elliott community events. Myrtle particularly enjoyed her family, as both of her daughters and their husbands live in Tucson, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren are frequent visitors.