Earl Robert CHAMBERS

CHAMBERS, RECTOR, WAGNER, SMITH, WEBER, PEDERSEN, MULLINS, HARGRAVE, HOLT

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 1/20/2012 at 14:16:35

October 10, 1906 --- October 30, 2002

Corwith, IA --- Funeral service for Earl R. Chambers, 96, was held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 2 (2002), in the United Methodist Church at Corwith with the Rev. Dan Fernandez officiating. Burial was in the Corwith Cemetery with the Garry-Roberts-Murphy-Schaaf Funeral home of Corwith in charge of funeral arrangements. Casket bearers were Jim Mullins, Peter Holt, Howard Mullins, Dan Wagner, Bill, Don and Tom Mullins and Dave Wagner. Honorary bearers were members of The Coffee College of Corwith.

Earl Robert Chambers, son of Harrison Oscar and Alice Rector Chambers, was born on October 10, 1906, on the home place near Corwith. He received his education in the Corwith Public School and graduated from Corwith High School in 1924. Earl graduated from Iowa State College at Ames with a degree in animal husbandry. He was married to Lillian F. Wagner on June 18, 1930, at Knoxville. The couple lived with Earl's parents for a time, then moved to a farm on the next corner east. Earl and Lillian moved to their present farm in 1933 and he lived the rest of his life there. In 1934, Lillian's brother, Kenny Wagner, came to live with Earl and Lillian. The farm became a Century Farm in 1983.

Earl was an active member of the Corwith United Methodist Church where he held various offices. He was a 50-year member and Past Master of Paradise Lodge No. 553 AF & AM at Corwith, which later merged with Prudence Lodge No. 205 AF & AM at Algona. Earl was also a member of the Scottish Rite Bodies at Des Moines, Abu Bekr Shrine Temple, Sioux City, and the Algona chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. Earl was a member of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, ISU Alumni Association and the National Cyclone Club. He enjoyed attending Iowa State football games. Earl served on various boards, including the Corwith School Board, Corwith State Bank Board and the Election Board. He was also a LuVerne Township Trustee.

Since he was a young boy, Earl enjoyed the cattle business, and spent many years attending cattle auctions with his father. For the rest of his life, Earl carried on the tradition of buying, feeding and selling cattle. Earl and Lillian loved to travel and spent many winters in Florida. Earl also enjoyed just driving through the countryside to observe the crops and wildlife. He loved to read and even started to play golf when he was 75. Earl enjoyed playing cribbage and especially loved to spend his morning in Corwith, drinking coffee with his many friends. Earl was generous with his time, talents and resources. He was proud of the fact that he had lived near Corwith all of his life and that Corwith was very good to him.

Lillian Chambers died July 13, 1998 and Earl died Wednesday October 30 (2002), in the Hancock County Memorial Hospital at Britt. He is survived by three children, Norman and Dianne Chambers, Corwith; Carol and Kenneth Smith, Clear Lake and Nancy and Chuck Weber, Cedar Rapids. There are nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a daughter-in-law, Julie and Richard Pedersen of Alta, IA; and Kenny and Dolores Wagner, Kanawha. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian; a daughter, Janice Joan Chambers; a son, Robert Wayne Chambers; a granddaughter, Laura Jo Chambers; his parents and four sisters, Helen Mullins, Ethel Mullins, Ruth Hargrave and Frances Holt.