Services
service
January 12, 2004
Monday
1:30 PM
Britt Christian Reformed Church
Obituary
Naomi Ruth (Zuehl) DeWaard was born on February 12, 1916, to Fred Otto and Clara Isabella (Fillenworth) Zuehl at their family farm home near Stilson, Iowa in Boone Township. She attended the Stilson country school through eighth grade. She graduated from Britt High School in 1933 and Britt Junior College in 1935. She received her Registered Nurse degree from Kahler Nursing School in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1938. Her first nursing job was in New Mexico for two years.
On February 11, 1942, she was united in marriage to Clarence DeWaard at the United Brethren Church in Stilson, and they were blessed with six children. She and Clarence farmed first near Corwith, then Stilson, and Pease, Minnesota. In 1952, they moved back to Iowa to a farm south of Hutchins; and in 1956, they moved to Britt.
In 1954, Naomi began nursing at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt, where she worked for 28 years. She loved her work and her family. She was very active in her church, the Britt Christian Reformed Church, where she and Clarence were founding members. She loved gardening, canning, making quilts, visiting with friends and neighbors, and family gatherings.
Naomi died on January 9, 2004, at the Westview Care Center in Britt at the age of 87 years, 11 months.
She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant son, one sister Esther Bonnette, her husband Clarence in 1970, and one brother LeRoy Zuehl.
She is survived by six children: Jerry (and Pat) DeWaard of Britt, Armin (and Joyce) DeWaard of Britt, Marv (and Cheri) DeWaard of Waterloo, Eileen (and Joe) Wilson of Cedar Falls, Donna (and Tom) Stroup of Mason City, and Carl (and Kathy) DeWaard of Byron, Minnesota; eighteen grandchildren: Eve (and Kent) Lemon, Rose (and Randy) Wangen, Shelly (and Garrett) Crandall, Alex Dewaard, Lori (and Greg) Krause, Kristi (and Chris) Wendland, David DeWaard, Chad DeWaard, Alisa (and Noah) Young, Scott (and Jennifer) Wilson, Sarah (and Cory) Levendusky, Amanda (and Chad) Eldridge, Kevin Stroup, Amy (and Coy) Borgstrom, Jill (and Ken) Boyum, Mackenzie DeWaard, Rachel DeWaard, and Miranda DeWaard; eighteen great-grandchildren: John Lemon, Jacob Lemon, Grant Krause, Abigail Wendland, Elijah Young, Christian Young, Katy Wilson, Nathan Wilson, Emily Levendusky, Jonah Levendusky, Westley Eldridge, Keegan Eldridge, Kailob Eldridge, Geoffrey Miller-Stroup, Carson Borgstrom, Devyn Borgstrom, Dehn Boyum, and Lara Boyum; one sister, Emma (and Ellis) Fischer of Ankeny; five sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law: Helena Zuehl, Ann and Harm Uken, Lucille DeWaard, Cyrena Kinseth, and Nellie Eliason.