Naomi Ruth (Zuehl) DEWAARD

DEWAARD, ZUEHL, FILLENWORTH, WILSON, STROUP, LEMON, WANGEN, CRANDALL, KRAUSE, WENDLAND, YOUNG, LEVENDUSKY, ELDRIDGE, BORGSTROM, BOYUM, FISCHER, ELIASON, KINSETH, BONNETTE

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 4/17/2013 at 14:06:57

February 12, 1916 --- January 9, 2004

Naomi DeWaard of Britt died January 9, 2004, at the Westview Center in Brltt. She was 87. Burial was in the Evergreen Cemetery, Britt. Naomi Ruth (Zuehl) DeWaard was born on February 12, 1916, to Fred Otto and Clara Isabella (Fillenworth) Zuehl at their family farm home near Stilson in Boone Township. She attended the Stilson country school through eighth grade. She graduated from the Britt High School in 1933 and Britt Junior College in 1935. She received her Registered Nurse degree from the Kahler Nursing School in Rochester, Minnesota in 1938. Her first nursing job was in New Mexico for two years. On February 11, 1942, she was united in marriage to Clarence DeWaard at the United Brethren Church in Stilson, and they were blessed with six children. The couple farmed first near Corwith, then Stilson, and Pease, Minnesota. In 1952, they moved back to Iowa to a farm south of Hutchins and in 1956 they moved to Britt. In 1954, Naomi began nursing at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt, where she worked for 28 years. She loved her work and her family. She was very active in her church, the Britt Christian Reformed Church, where she and Clarence were founding members. She loved gardening, canning, making quilts, visiting with friends and neighbors, and family gatherings.

She is survived by six children, Jerry (and Pat) DeWaard of Britt, Armin (and Joyce) DeWaard of Britt, Marv (and Cheri) DeWaard of Waterloo, Eileen (and Joe) Wilson of Cedar Falls, Donna (and Tom) Stroup of Mason City and Carl (and Kathy) DeWaard of Byron, Minnesota; 18 grandchildren, Eve (and Kent) Lemon, Rose (and Randy) Wangen, Shelly and (Garrett) Crandall, Alex DeWaard, Lori (and Greg) Krause, Kristi (and Chris) Wendland, David DeWaard, Chad DeWaard, Alisa (and Noah) Young, Scott (and Jennifer) Wilson, Sarah (and Cory) Levendusky, Amanda (and Chad) Eldridge, Kevin Stroup, Amy (and Coy) Borgstrom, Jill (and Ken) Boyum, Mackenzie DeWaard, Rachel DeWaard and Miranda DeWaard; and 18 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are one sister, Emma (and Ellis) Fischer of Ankeny; five sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law, Helena Zuehl, Ann and Harm Uken, Lucille DeWaard, Cyrena Kinseth and Nellie Eliason. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Clarence in 1970; an infant son; one sister, Esther Bonnette; and one brother, LeRoy Zuehl.