Erma Tonsfeldt Williams, 1904-1998

Daily Iowegian - 21 April 1998

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  Erma A. Williams, 93, of Centerville died Sunday, April 19, 1998, at the Golden Age Care Center.

  She was born Oct. 4, 1904 in Ogden, the daughter of Henry and Emma (Haege) Tonsfeldt.

  She married Otto Williams Feb. 2, 1922, in Ogden. He preceded her in death April 14, 1981.

  Survivors include a son, Richard Williams and his wife, Barbara, of Urbandale; two daughters, Maxine White of Carman, Ill., and Donna Luther and her husband, Larry, of Amana; a son-in-law, Dale [Crawford] Shankster of Centerville; eight grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

  Also preceding her in death was a daughter, Rosetta Shankster.

  She was retired from the Centerville Ben Franklin store. She was a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Centerville.

  Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Johnson-Lange Funeral Home with the Rev. Don Rothweiler officiating. Burial will be in Jerome Cemetery. An open visitation will be held and friends may call all day today, Tuesday, and Wednesday prior to the time of services.

  A memorial has been established to the First Evangelical Luthern (sic) Church and contributions may be left in the funeral home.

Dale Crawford Shankster, 1922-2008

The Oskaloosa Herald - 6 June 2008

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  Dale Crawford Shankster, 86, of Marshalltown, and formally of Centerville, died Tuesday, June 3, 2008, at the Iowa Veteran’s Home of Marshalltown.
  He was born the son of James L. Shankster and Hulda (Crawford) Shankster on April 23, 1922, in Centerville. He graduated from Centerville Community Schools with the class of 1940.
  On Oct. 2, 1941, Dale was united in marriage to Rosetta O. Williams in Kahoka, Mo. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard on Nov. 5, 1942. He spent part of his service with the Coast Guard aboard the Coast Guard manned USS Aquarius AKA16. He was very proud and honored to have served with this branch of service. Dale was a salesman for many of his working years, but later drove a school bus for the Centerville School District for 13 years. He really enjoyed the kids on his regular bus route, but he also enjoyed driving the bus for school sports and music functions. Dale was very involved in organizing reunions for his high school class of 1940 and also for the reunions of his Coast Guard “buddies” and former shipmates. He kept in touch with many of his classmates and shipmates over the years and loved getting together with them to share all of the old memories. He was very active in the sports and music programs while in high school. In 1990, he was especially honored to be inducted into the Centerville High School Athletic Department Hall of Fame.
  Dale had a wonderful love of family and friends and always had pictures of his grandchildren readily available for anyone who would like to see them. He is lovingly remembered as always having a story to tell or a memory to share and enjoyed having a conversation with all. He will be greatly missed.
  Dale is preceded in death by: his parents, James L. and Hulda Shankster; his wife, Rosetta (Williams) Shankster; four brothers: Roy Shankster, Ralph Shankster, Marion Shankster, and Lute Shankster; and four sisters: Pearl Ellis, Velma Bailey, Bernice McClaran, and Madelyn Furlin.
  He is survived by: two sons, Dennis and his wife Margaret Shankster, of Oskaloosa, and Lance and his wife Ricki Shankster, of Lewisville, Texas; two granddaughters, Lisa Vroom, of Des Moines, Iowa and Sierra Long, of Denton, Texas; and three great-grandchildren.
  Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Centerville with the Rev. Dianne Christopher officiating. Burial will follow at the Jerome Cemetery in Jerome.
  Visitation will be held on Friday, June 6, from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Centerville. The family will be present from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. on Saturday prior to the funeral services.
  Memorials can be made to the American Legion. The Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Centerville is caring for the Shankster family at this time and condolences can be sent at  schmidtfamilyfuneralhome.com

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Social Security Death Index

  The SSDI gives his birth date as 23 April 1922, his death date as 3 June 2008, and his last residence as Marshalltown, Marshall, Iowa 50158.  His SSN was issued in Iowa before 1951.