Obituary of Aurelia Grieshop

Aurelia Ruth Grieshop (Rela) flew from this world after an active life of 93 years on this earth. She passed away peacefully on July 14, 2006, attended by her two daughters in Hopkinton, Iowa. She will be missed by her large extended family, as well as many friends and neighbors in Ohio and Iowa. Rela was born in Fort Recovery, Ohio, on November 11, 1912, to James and Dora Dilhoff Coughlin, the fifth of their eight children. She attended school in Fort Recovery and at Miami University. She taught for seven years in the 1930s in one-room schoolhouses, where her love of education grew and matured. She married Ivo J. Grieshop of Chickasaw, Ohio, on August 21, 1937, and was the mother of four children: David S. (Midge) Grieshop of Sierra Vista, AZ; Mary Ellen (John) Menke of Barnesville, MD; James I. (Pat) Grieshop of Davis, CA; and Ann Marie Grieshop of Hopkinton, IA. In 1949, the family moved from Chickasaw to Rockford, Ohio, where she raised her children, worked with her husband until his retirement in the mid-1970s, and gave many hours of service to St. Theresa's Church. She loved to cook and share meals with neighbors. In the early 1970s, she taught at Parkway Elementary School in Rockford, where she also mentored students who later became teachers themselves. After her husband Ivo died in 1979, Rela traveled extensively, enjoying trips to Germany, Korea, Ireland, Ecuador, and visits with various family members in the US. Rela loved to play bridge and taught bridge lessons for many years. She was a board member of the Rockford Public Library, an advocate for early childhood reading, and an avid supporter of phonics as part of reading fundamentals. She worked one-on-one with numerous young people in Rockford as a tutor. Even into her early 90s, she read stories to the second grade classes at Parkway School and hosted an annual party for them at her home. The loving hugs and smiles from her many students, from the 1930s through the 1980s, were a testimony to her efforts at her 90th birthday party in 1992. She maintained her involvement in education within the community until she moved to Hopkinton, Iowa, in 2003 to live with her daughter, Annie. Even as a newcomer to Iowa, she connected with many children and their families. In her lifetime, Rela taught her children and countless others to find their wings and their ways in the world, expressing her philosophy that "nests are made to fly from." Her children pursued different career paths—in business, education, the military, and public service—following her model of sharing and community involvement. Rela Grieshop is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, all her brothers and sisters and their spouses. She has donated her body to medical science as one last teaching gesture. A memorial service celebrating her long and good life will be held in Rockford, Ohio, later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions, in time and/or money, to your local Hospice organization or favorite educational activity in memory of Aurelia Grieshop. The family would be pleased to hear your recollections of Mom. Please mail them to Jim Grieshop, 1310 Aspen Pl., Davis CA 95616 or email them to Annie Grieshop at annie@allthingspiano.com. Memorials may be directed to the Hospice of Comfort of Delaware County, 709 West Main St., Manchester, Iowa 52057, 563-927-7303.