Ellen Elaine (Swenson) SUNTKEN

SUNTKEN, SWENSON, WILSON, BOX, MOURLAM, EIDE, KAISER, BOCK, TULARE, KIEPHE

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 11/11/2014 at 12:12:09

January 7, 1927 --- November 7, 2014

Ellen E. Suntken, age 87, of Belmond, IA, died Friday, November 7, 2014, at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, Mason City, IA, following complications of cardiac surgery. Funeral services will be on Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Belmond, IA. Interim Pastor Alan Schultz will be officiating. Burial will be in the Belmond Cemetery, Belmond. Visitation will be Monday from 5-7 p.m. at the Andrews Funeral Home, 516 1st Street S.E., Belmond, and continue one hour prior to the services at church Tuesday. Those wishing to express their sympathies through a card or memorial in Ellen's memory may wish to consider Trinity Lutheran Church, The Talbot Belmond Library, or to the donor's choice.

Ellen Elaine Swenson, the daughter of Swen and Ellen (Wilson) Swenson, was born January 7, 1927, on her parents' farm in rural Kanawha, Iowa. She attended rural Kanawha Country Schools through the eighth grade and then graduated from Kanawha High School with the Class of 1944. Following her schooling Ellen did some domestic work for various families and that is where she met her future husband while cleaning at a neighbor of Marvin's family in Dows, IA. She was later united in married to Marvin Suntken, on February 27, 1947. Their union was blessed with four children including a son, Larry, and three daughters, Vicki, Suzanne, and Bobbi Jo.

Marvin was farming with his father at the time the couple was married. Eventually, Ellen and Marvin made their home in Belmond, Iowa, where they raised their four children. Marvin worked for General Mills at the time. In addition to being a full-time homemaker, wife, and mother, Ellen had been employed in 1965 sorting seeds for Acco Seed Co. in Belmond. She had also worked for 11 years at Model Cleaners, 8 years at Coast to Coast, and for the last many years part time at the Bloemke Pharmacy in Belmond, IA, a job she looked forward to even recently. Marvin and Ellen enjoyed anything that involved their children and playing cards and gatherings with friends and family. Marvin passed away in 1983.

Ellen continued to reside in Belmond and remain active in the Trinity Lutheran Church. Over the years she would look forward to various bus trips with her friends to Canada, Las Vegas, Branson, and various other destinations. For nearly 18 years she enjoyed the friendship and companionship of Joe Kaiser and looked forward to times together. They enjoyed treks to the family cabin in Minnesota and other places, and each of their children and grandchildren's families just blended together and adopted them into their gatherings, events, and special occasions.

The couple truly cherished each other and their own families and were always seen together in their outings. Joe passed away in November of 2013. Ellen truly enjoyed the simple things of life. Foremost was her children and attending to their needs and then as they married and had their own children, she couldn't wait to help share her love and nurturing with each and every one of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Ellen was an excellent seamstress and had done a great deal of sewing earlier on. She made many of her family's clothes and could fix almost anything that was broken with her sewing machine. She had embroidered dish towels and made hand-tied quilts with her loving hands that were given as gifts to her family. She had looked forward to raising a large garden and shared her harvest with her family and others in all the canning she had done. She was a terrific cook and will be remembered by her family for her delectable cookies, especially the mouthwatering molasses ones that she only knew the secrets of making. In later years she shared her many wonderful baked goods with her friends at the Bloemke Pharmacy in Belmond where she enjoyed coffee and fellowship times at least twice per day. Ellen also looked forward to the smorgasbord meals and the Coffee Log events that took place at Trinity Lutheran Church. Though baking was truly her passion and number one pastime, Ellen looked forward to the solitude of a good book. A favorite author was Debbie Macomber. She also loved to work word puzzles and word find books, collecting birds and other figurines, and watching and feeding her birds. Her family and friends will miss her delicious treats, her warm and welcoming personality and smile, and the love she shared with almost everyone she knew. She truly was a gentle lady with a wonderful caring way for those around her.

Her memory will continue to burn brightly in the hearts and minds of her surviving son, Larry (Marilyn) Suntken, Belmond, IA; daughters, Vicki (Glenn) Box, Rowan, IA, and Sue (Don) Mourlam, Belmond, IA; her grandsons: Christopher Box and special friend, Diane Bock, Mason City, IA, Scott Suntken, Mason City, IA, Robert Mourlam (Anne) Cedar Rapids, IA, Daniel Mourlam (Katie) Waterloo, IA, and Timothy Tulare, Minneapolis, MN; granddaughter, Jennifer Kiephe, Grimes, IA; great-grandsons, Henry Mourlam, Waterloo, IA and Max Mourlam, Cedar Rapids, IA; great-granddaughter, Nora Mourlam, Waterloo, IA; and Ellen was anxiously awaiting another great-grandchild expected in March 2015. Ellen was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Marvin in 1983; her daughter Bobbi Jo in August 1995; her brothers, William and Melvin Swenson, and infant brother Silas; sister, Shirley Eide; and her special companion, Joe Kaiser. Andrews Funeral Home, Belmond, Iowa.