Etola Thielmann

Etola Thielmann, 99, of Newton passed away at Nelson Manor Nursing Home on Tuesday, March 25, 2014.

A funeral service will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Pence-Reese Funeral Home in Newton. The family will greet friends there from 2 p.m. until service time, and a reception will be held afterward. Burial will occur at 9 a.m. Monday, April 7, at Newton Union Cemetery.

The daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Annabelle (Kirkpatrick) Grimm, Etola was born Nov. 30, 1914, on a farm near Grand River, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls. She taught elementary classes for 36 years at several different Iowa locations, including rural schools in Decatur and Clarke Counties, and city schools in Beaman, Des Moines and Newton, retiring from teaching in 1980. She married Dr. C.J. Thielmann, who immigrated from Germany in 1923, on Feb. 2, 1946.

Etola was an active member of the First Christian Church in Newton for many years, serving as a Sunday school teacher and camp counselor. She was past president and lifetime member of the Iowa Chiropractic Society Auxiliary and a lifetime member of the National Education Association and Iowa State Education Association. She was a member of the Rebekahs Lodge for 75 years and served as Past Noble Grand of the lodge. She was also a long-time member of the Newton Women’s Club and the Writer’s Group.

She is survived by two sons, Michael of Newton and Greg (married to Pam) of Arlington, Va., and one granddaughter, Emily Thielmann (married to Jake Hoffman) of Portland, Maine. She was preceded in death by her husband, a sister, and three brothers.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.pencefh.com.