Funeral Service for Earl Edward Steffes was held Saturday, July 24, 2004 at 10:30 a.m. at Ohde Funeral Home in Manning, Iowa.

Pastor Mary Kenyon of the Gray United Methodist officiated with JoAnn Karsten and Georgia Lohrmann as vocalists and JoAnn Karsten as organist. Interment was held in the Gray Cemetery, Gray, Iowa with Butch Meier, Melvin Meier, Ray Billmeier, Lou Billmeier, Russell Spies, and Lony Haubrich as casketbearers. Honorary casketbearers were Leo Billmeier, Robert Billmeier, Randy Musfeldt, Jesse Musfeldt, Rick Musfeldt, and Gary Breeden.

Earl Edward, son of Edward and Frances (Billmeier) Steffes, was born December 12, 1936, at his parent's home east of Templeton, Iowa, Shortly after his birth, the family moved to rural Gray. He attended school there and graduated with the Class of 1954. Following his graduation, he worked for farmers near Arcadia and for the dehy plant in Audubon. In 1959, Earl was drafted into the United States Army. He served on various bases in the United States before his honorable discharge in 1961.

Earl returned to the Gray community where he started his own trucking business, trucking for local farmers and for Garst and Thomas Seed Corn Company of Coon Rapids. On July 17, 1976, Earl was united in marriage with Vickie Lee Musfeldt at Manning. Later that year, after the death of his father, he took over the family farming operation. In 1985 he be-came a Garst seed corn dealer and then became a dealer for Stine soybean seeds.

In 1987, Earl was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was forced to sell out his farming and trucking operations. He continued in the seed business until 1993. In his spare time and forced retirement, Earl thoroughly enjoyed fishing and camping. In the past several years, as his health continued to worsen, it was hard for Earl to get around. However, he died suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly while working in his yard in Gray, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 20, 2004. He was 67 years, 7 months and 8 days of age.

Preceding Earl in death are his parents.
He is survived by his wife Vickie Steffes of Seymour; son Edward Steffes and wife Tina of Manning; two aunts Anna Meier of Manning and Bertha Hoffman of Carroll; cousins; other relatives and friends.