Elsie Stachour age 97 of Sibley, IA died Sunday, August 24, 2014, at the Country View Manor in Sibley.
Funeral service will be 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at First Presbyterian Church in Sibley with Reverend Terry Simm officiating. Burial will follow in the Holman Township Cemetery of Sibley, IA. Visitation will be Tuesday, August 26th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Sibley.
For a complete obituary and online registry please visit: www.jurrensfuneralhome.com
Elsie Gertrude Dreessen, the 5th child of Herman and Anna Marie (Reinholdt) Dreessen, was born on July 5, 1917, in rural Osceola County, Wilson Township, section 30, 3 ½ miles north of Sibley.
Elsie received her elementary education at Dunton School of Wilson Township, and her secondary education at Sibley High school, graduating with a Normal Training (teacher’s) certificate. She taught full-time in the Osceola County rural schools for 5 years and as a substitute teacher in both Sibley and Osceola County rural schools from 1940 to 1964. She was President of Osceola County Rural Teachers in 1939-40.
Elsie married Donald Stachour on June 02, 1940 in the First Presbyterian Church in Sibley; the first wedding in the new (1939) church building. Except for 14 months spent in Arkansas and Texas while Don was serving in the US Armed forces, she lived in Osceola County all of her life.
Elsie began work with the U.S. Bureau of the Census on March 29, 1964. She worked on 23 different programs over a 21 year period, retiring from Federal Service in February 1985.
Elsie and her husband Don were parents of three children Paul, Dennis and Donna. They were blessed to have 7 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.
Elsie was very active at 1st Presbyterian Church, beginning as a member of the Junior, and later the Senior, choir. She taught Sunday school from 1935 to 1998. She was active in Presbyterian Women where her local involvement included 4 times as President and 2 times as Secretary plus synodical work as literature secretary and nominating committee. She was elected as an elder in 2001 where she served as chairman of both the Nurture & Stewardship and Hospitality committees.
Besides her work with cub-scouts and girl-scouts when her children were growing, Elsie also served her community as a literacy tutor from 1988 through 1998, teaching people 35+ years old to read. For her literacy work, in 1990, Elsie received the “Osceola County Volunteer of the Year” award from Iowa Gov. Branstad. Elsie also served on local and area hospital planning and study commissions. Always thinking about education, she served (1993-1995) on the planning committee for the first Sibley / Ocheyedan High School reunion. She and husband Don were still doing “Welcome Wagon” and delivering “Meals on Wheels” well into their 80’s.
For much of her adult life Elsie sent letters and cards to dignitaries from all over the world and received many responses that were kept in large albums. Her letter collection was recently donated to the Iowa Historical Society in Des Moines where it will be cataloged and eventually available for online viewing.
During her lifetime, Elsie embroidered hundreds of dish towels (sets of 7) for “brides to be” as bridal shower gifts. Each set included a message from the design in the corner of each towel.
Elsie was known for her ability to converse and interact with people of all ages. Within a 10 minute period, she might have talked about a new sister with a 3-year old boy, about food choice with an 82-year old woman, about college plans with an 18-year old high-school girl, and corn crop status with a 45-year old man.
Elsie was preceded in death by her parents, all 7 of her siblings: sisters Emma Boom & Marie Roos; brothers John, Ervin, and Melvin Dreessen; twin brother and sister Lloyd and Lorraine who died in infancy; and son in law Ken Kekich.
She is survived and mourned by her loving husband of 74 years Don; son Paul (Frances) of Bloomington, MN; son Dennis (Margaret) Stachour of Apple Valley, MN; daughter Donna Kekich of St. Paul, MN; 7 grandchildren: Valerie Stachour, Ann Vensland (Dave), Elizabeth Santos (Filipe), Frank Stachour (LeeAnne), Steven Kekich, Charles Stachour, and Brian Kekich; 7 great grandchildren: Avery, Ben, Noelle, and Lindsey Czarnecki and Gabriel, Michael, and Abigail Stachour; two sisters in law: Mildred Dreessen and Gertrude Swalve; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
