Esther Meeker, 90, of Grinnell, died on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 5, 2017, at the First Baptist Church in Grinnell with Rev. Dr. Dondrea Walker, pastor of the church, officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date in the Marietta Cemetery near Marshalltown. The Smith Funeral Home of Grinnell handled arrangements.
The family will be present at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday, September 4, 2017.
Memorials may be directed to Grinnell Regional Hospice or to Grinnell Home Health Care and sent in care of the Smith Funeral Home, P.O. Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112.
Esther was born on November 2, 1926, in Marshalltown, Iowa to Henry Alfred and Vera Beatrice Lucas Schmoranz. She was raised in Marshalltown and attended Marshalltown High School.
On August 29, 1943, she was united in marriage to Earl Ray Meeker in Unionville, Missouri. The couple lived in Marshalltown and later moved to Grinnell. Esther was a mother and homemaker but also worked as a cashier at the former United Food Store in Grinnell. She joined Fareway Food Store in Grinnell and worked until her retirement in the early 1990s.
Esther was a member of the First Baptist Church in Grinnell. As a young girl she enjoyed roller skating and ice skating and was an avid fan of the Grinnell Tigers and the Chicago Cubs. She adored her family and enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren.
Survivors include her children, Douglas (Patty) Meeker and Dana Moyer, all of Grinnell; five grandchildren, Lori Holland, Robert Betts, Jeremy (Jenny) Meeker, Matthew (Abby) Moyer and Spencer Moyer; five great grandchildren, Shawn (Ellie) Betts, Scott Holland, Tori Betts,Aiden Vance and Mason Meeker; two great great grandchildren, Ryder Betts and Aria Betts; and one brother, Leland (Wilma) Schmoranz of Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; one daughter, Donna Odegaard; one sister, Lillian Schmoranz; and two brothers, Hiram and Henry "Red" Schmoranz.