Vena Zelma (Ritter) STATE

STATE, RITTER, MULLER, BEASON, MURPHY, RICK, HENRY, ROSS, WILSON

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/20/2010 at 11:12:22

Grinnell Herald-Register, Grinnell, Iowa
August 1, 1975

VENA ZELMA STATE SERVICES ARE TODAY

Vena Zelma State, 75, of 1024 Chatterton St., the widow of Floyd A. State, died suddenly late Friday at Grinnell General Hospital. Funeral services for Mrs. State were held at 2 p.m. today at the James-Schalinske Funeral Home, with Larry Sturgis, intern-seminarian at St. John's Lutheran Church, officiating. Music was provided by Mrs. Willard Heffner, organist, and Mrs. Wayne Dayton, vocalist. Pallbearers were Wendall F. State, George A. State, Douglas R. State, William C. Murphy, Donald E. Beason and Robert F. State. Flower bearers were Mrs. Paul H. Herrold and Mrs. Loring Rohr. Burial was at Hazelwood Cemetery. Should friends desire, memorials in Mrs. State's name may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church.

The daughter of August and Caroline Muller Ritter, she was born Nov. 7, 1899, in Hardin County. She attended rural school near her home and later worked as a telephone operator in Webster City. On Nov. 29, 1919, she was married to Floyd Andrew State in Clarion. The couple had six children: Wendall, Russell, Carolyn, Dorothy, George and Douglas. Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. State farmed in Wright County. In 1935, they moved to Grinnell, where Mr. State managed an elevator company and worked for DeKalb Seed Corn Co. and Grinnell College. Mr. State died on March 24, 1970. Mrs. State was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, the Martha Mary Circle of the church, the Rozelle Club, the Birthday Club, the Goodfellows, and the Chatterton Street Coffee Club. She was a Gold Star mother, a past president of the American Legion Auxiliary, and a member of the Veterans of World War I Ladies Auxiliary.

She is survived by five children, Wendall F. State of Vista, Calif., Mrs. Donald (Carolyn) Beason of Oskaloosa, Mrs. W.C. (Dorothy) Murphy of Jefferson City, Mo., George A. State of Des Moines, and Douglas R. State of Kearney, Neb,; 16 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and three sisters, Mrs. Erma Rick of Newton, Mrs. William (Vera) Henry of Little Falls, Minn., and Mrs. Clara Ross of Sauk Center, Minn. She was preceded in death by her husband; her son, Russell E. State who died in 1946 while serving with the Marine Corps in China during World War II; her parents; two sisters, Miss Louise Ritter and Mrs. Caroline Wilson; and one brother, August Ritter.