Ella Reimers

Ella Florence, daughter of Henry and Dora Stuhr Stoelk, was born December 23, 1902, on a farm near Aspinwall in Crawford County, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith, and attended school in Shelby County. Ella moved with her parents to Manning and worked for Doctor V.R. Anderson at his dental office for five years and then went to beauty school in Omaha. After graduation Ella opened a beauty shop which she operated for 26 years.

On December 18, 1928, Ella was united in marriage with Gerald Reimers at the Little Brown Church at Nashua, Iowa. One daughter, Geraldine, was born to this union. Gerald died in 1934. Ella continued with her beauty shop in Manning and retired in 1954 to join her daughter in California. While in California, Ella worked for Doctor Scholl’s Foot Comfort Shop in Long Beach, California for 15 years. She also worked in Kears Gift Shop for two years in Long Beach. Ella enjoyed going to craft classes and upholstering classes and she upholstered furniture. In 1974, she moved back to Manning to live in the Terrace Apartments.

On October 10, 1997, Ella became a resident of the Manning Plaza Nursing Home in Manning and on Monday January 3, 2000, she entered Manning Regional Healthcare Center where she died Thursday, January 6. She reached the age of 97 years and 14 days.

Besides her parents and husband, Ella is preceded in death by six brothers: William, Frank, Charlie, Harry, Albert and Lawren Stoelk.

Ella is survived by a daughter Geraldine and her husband Norman Gernhardt of Eugene, Oregon; two grandchildren: Ronald Gernhardt and his wife Melva of Creswell, Oregon; Diane and her husband Douglas Scofield of Myrtle Point, Oregon; 12 great grandchildren; and by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.