Eula Schinckel, 77, of Grinnell, died September 23, 2014, at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines. A funeral mass has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 27, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell with Rev. Philip Ryan of Brooklyn presiding. Organist will be Marilyn Kriegel accompanied by the St. Mary's Choir. Pallbearers will be Dan Boyer, Mike Mesch, Fritz Oltrogge, Bob Pearce, Neal Purdum and Bill Tinkle. Burial will be in Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 Friday evening. Memorial contributions may be directed to Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Eula was born July 13, 1937, to Marvin and Zona Coffey Alexander in Grinnell. She was raised in Grinnell and graduated from Grinnell High School in 1955. In her younger years she detassled corn. She met the love of her life, Raymond roller skating at the outdoor rink in Grinnell. On August 27, 1955, Eula and Raymond were united in marriage in St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell. She became a farmer's wife raising her own laying hens, planting a big family garden, canning and baking. Ray and Eula farmed near Montezuma for almost 11 years, they then moved to a farm near Kellogg in partnership with Bert and Frances Schinckel for 12 years raising cattle and hogs. After they sold their farm in 1978, they moved to their current home on an acreage near Grinnell which he and his son David helped build. For many years Eula worked at Pamida and Walmart. She was the shoe department manager for over 20 years. They enjoyed riding their antique John Deere Tractor in several parades. She volunteered several hours a week at Second Mile until her health wouldn't allow her to. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church for many years. Eula also enjoyed fishing, crocheting afghans for family members, watching birds at her bird feeders and traveling with family to Las Vegas, Omaha, Freemont, Nebraska, Indianapolis and Walt Disney World. Her favorite summer vacations were camping at the Iowa State Fair. She was a doting Grandma to Phoebe and loved watching her dance and teaching her to crochet. Eula is survived by her two children, Annette (Mike) Mittermeier of Urbandale and David (Linda) Schinckel of Grinnell; one granddaughter, Phoebe Mittermeier of Urbandale; two step-granddaughters, Heather Mittermeier-Kita of Omaha and Nikki Upton-Shover of Waverly; one step-grandson, Ian Mittermeier of Council Bluffs; one sister-in-law, Germaine Purdum of Grinnell; and several nieces, a nephew and several cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Raymond in 2008; her parents; and brother and sister-in-laws, Bert and Frances Schinckel, Marvin and Pauline Schinckel and Don Purdum. Eula was a 16 year ovarian cancer survivor. The family would like to thank Dr. Robert Shreck, Dr. Robert Behrens and the oncology staff at the John Stoddard Cancer Center, Dr. Eric Hockett and Dr. David Nordstrom, the hospice nurses, the nurses and staff at Calvin Community Health Center in Des Moines and the nurses and staff at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines for all the care they gave to Eula.