Obituary of Elmer Anthony Stelken

Elmer A. Stelken, 88, of rural Worthington, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on Sunday afternoon, July 10, 2011. Friends may call from 2 - 8 pm on Thursday, July 14 at Kramer Funeral Home in Dyersville where a parish scripture service will be held at 5 pm. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 15 at 10:30 am at St. Francis Xavier Basilica in Dyersville with Rev. Dennis Quint officiating, assisted by Deacon Fred Pins. Burial will be in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery. Elmer was born on January 15, 1923, to Bernard and Catherine (Fruth) Stelken, southwest of Dyersville. After a fire took Elmer's childhood home during the late Depression, he maintained an agricultural lifestyle - living on and farming that very same land his entire life. He attended a country school and completed his 8th grade at Xavier in Dyersville. Elmer married Marie "Betty" Drees on August 31, 1949, at St. Joseph Church in Earlville, and together they were blessed with nine children. He worked at the Ertl toy factory in Dyersville from 1967 through 1974. With his tilted cap, snappy self-deprecating wit, and amazing spirit, Elmer loved God, his wife and family, and living on land that had been in his family for more than a century. He was hard-working, but loved get-togethers, good stories, and visits from neighbors and friends. He leaves behind a wealth of great memories for all those who knew him. He is survived by his best friend and wife of nearly 62 years, Betty; his 3 daughters: Linn Newton of Naperville, Illinois; Deb (Dean) Kramer of Cedar Rapids; Diane (Charlie) Mitchell of Ottawa, Illinois, and his 5 sons: Ken (Vona) of Worthington, Chuck (on the family farm in Worthington), Wayne (Sandy) and Tom (Vicki) of Dyersville and Loras (Becky) of Hopkinton; one sister, Laura Mae "Toots" Carton of Earlville, one brother, Joe of Dubuque, a sister-in-law, Delores Stelken, and a brother-in-law, Vince Schrunk; 13 grandsons and 3 granddaughters including: Cody, Casey, and Cale Stelken; Jenna, Sean, and Tim Stelken; Tony, Sam, and Matt Stelken; Robbie and Lora Kramer; Max and Jake Mitchell; Josh, Garrett and Ellie Stelken; and 2 great-grandchildren: Harley and Cory Stelken; plus many nieces and nephews, all of whom he adored and was so proud. Elmer was preceded in death by a son, Stevie, in 1961; a grandson in infancy, Joel, in 1981; a son-in-law, Dick Newton, in 2005, 3 brothers: Bernard, Art, Jerry and 2 sisters: Aurelia Grawe and Irene Schrunk. Memorials are preferred to Xavier Grade School and Beckman High School. A special heartfelt thanks to Dr. Christian Schultheis, Hematologist/Oncologist of Dubuque for helping Elmer to continue to live a full and active life following his diagnosis 2 years ago, and to Dawn, Colleen, Laura, and Julie at Above & Beyond Hospice in Monticello for their amazing care in his final weeks. Finally, thank you to Cookie Scherrman of Dyersville, for her comforting visits and kind words which Elmer loved.