Esther V. Steinert, 97, of Grinnell, died on Friday, October 18, 2013, at the Mayflower Health Care Center. A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with interment at the Ivy Hill Cemetery near Malcom. Friends may call at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The family will be present at the funeral home one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be directed to the Grinnell United Methodist Church. Esther was born on June 8, 1916, in Grinnell, Iowa to Edwin and Alma Risse Steinert. She attended Grinnell schools and graduated with the Class of 1934 from Grinnell High School. Following her education she worked for the Grinnell Shoe Factory, the Grinnell Public School District and the Poweshiek County Welfare office. In 1942, she left Grinnell to report for work as a secretary in the Office of the Quartermaster General in Washington D.C. In 1947, she transferred to the General Staff of the Department of the Army and worked for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics in the Pentagon. She retired and returned to Grinnell in 1972. Esther was long-time member of the Grinnell United Methodist Church and was a former trustee of the church and a member of the United Methodist Women. She also served on the Grinnell 2000 Board, the Grinnell Area Arts Council, Grinnell Girl's Camp Fire Board of Directors and was a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. She enjoyed working in her yard, traveling, oil painting and socializing with family and friends. There are no immediate survivors. She was preceded in death by her parents.