Jeremiah Homer Krenmyre, the son of Jesse and Sarah Pratt Krenmyre, was born in Farmington, Iowa, on April 15, 1883, and passed from this life at his home in Woodward, on April 9, 1951, after an extended illness. He was married May 7, 1908, to Edla Hetzel. Besides his regular ministerial work, he spent much time in lecturing and in the leadership of youth. In 1948 he asked for retirement having given thirty-nine years of fruitful ministry to the Methodist Church. Surviving him are his wife and one son, Lewis J. of Knoxville. Funeral services were held in Woodward with interment in the cemetery of that place.
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Muscatine Journal - 16 August 1918
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Call Krenmyre to Wesleyan
The Rev. J. H. Krenmyre, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church of North English has been called to Iowa Wesleyan College to take up the field work of the school, acting in the capacity of president of the institution until someone is found to take the place recently left vacant by Dr. Edwin A. Scholl.
Rev. Krenmyre is a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan finishing in 1913 and while in school he was one of the leaders among the students winning special distinction by being the only man in the United States to take part in every intercollegiate debate in his school and to win them all unanimously. He became an organizer of the National Forensic Fraterity, Pi Kappa Delta and has served as a national officer for five years. Since leaving school he has been a loyal supporter of the school and was a staunch worker in the endowment campaign.
Rev. Krenmyre will immediately begin a campaign that will reach every high school graduate in Southeastern Iowa, and the prospects are bright for the largest freshman class in the history of the school.
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Iowa City Press-Citizen - 20 November 1920
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Rev. J. H. Krenmyre, of North English, has been visiting old Johnson county friends, coming hither in his auto. He is serving in a dual capacity in the Iowa county town, being pastor of the Methodist church, and superintendent of the city schools.
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Oxford Leader - 10 February 1927
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Broadcasts Sat. Nite, Speaks Here Sun. Nite
Professor J. H. Krenmyre, vice president of Iowa Wesleyan College, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, will preach at the Methodist church next Sunday night at 7:30 o'clock.
Mr. Krenmyre is well known in Oxford and Tiffin and no doubt a large crowd will be present to hear him.
Saturday night, February 12, at 6 P.M. the lecture, "Abraham Lincoln, the Man," will be broadcast by J. H. Krenmyre, vice president of Iowa Wesleyan College.
So many requests have come to WOC for outlines of the life of Lincoln that the outline of this lecture with bibliography will be mailed to all who request it.
Mr. Krenmyre has been giving this lecture for eighty years on the lyceum and chautauqua platforms and before high schools and will dedicate it to the thousands of boys and girls in our high schools.
The lecture is not an attempt to eulogize Lincoln, but a frank and careful study of "Lincoln, the Man."
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Gravity Independent - 7 April 1938
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Every Mason Meeting
The annual "Every Mason in Lodge at the Same Time," order has been sent out and the date is next Tuesday evening, April 12. The Constitution is the subject to be considered. An appropriate program will be held here. Every member of this lodge who can do so is ordered to be present. Rev. J. H. Krenmyre of Corning, of the state speakers staff, will be present and give the principal address.
Refreshments will be served.
Masons of this vacinity not members of the lodge here, are urged to come to this meeting.
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Adams County Free Press - 24 June 1948
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Rev. J. H. Krenmyre To Retire From Ministry
Friends here will be interested in the information that Rev. J. H. Krenmyre, who served as pastor of the Corning Methodist church from 1937 to 1939, plans to retire from the ministry June 12. Rev. Krenmyre is now serving the Sheldahl-Slater congregations, near Des Moines, at the present time. He has served as a Methodist minister for nearly 41 years, having began his ministry work in September, 1907.
His first charge was in the Keosaukqua area where he had seven churches, driving 62 miles to complete his circuit. During his ministry seven churches have more than doubled their membership under his leadership.
During his ministry he has served two terms as mayor of the town in which he lived. For three years he was superintendent of the school at North English, Ia. Here the church membership numbered over 300 before the end of his fifth year as pastor. There were over 430 boys and girls in the school and at the end of his pastorate every boy and girl in the school belonged to some church.
He was one of the founders and editor of the magazine for 15 years of what has grown to be the largest college social fraternity in the world. He has spent unbelievable time on the lecture platform and says that the old chautauqua days are pleasant memories. During his college days he set a record in intercollegiate debate that has never been equalled. He has made plane trips as far east as New York on lecture tours.
Rev. Kremayre served for 25 consecutive years as either chairman or secretary of the conference board of education. He is at present one of the trustees of the Methodist hospital in Des Moines and one of the directors of Wesley Foundation of Iowa.
In his younger days he was interested in athletics, especially baseball, and now owns one of the three oldest baseballs in the world. When pastor of Woodward he coached the baseball team for one year.
At present Pastor Krenmyre is district counselor for church school officers and Mrs. Krenmyre is counselor of children's work.
He plans to spent much time, after retirement, writing. He will publish a collection of poems in the near future.
Rev. Krenmyre purchased an acreage at Woodward a number of years ago and plans to live there when he retires.
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Early Leaders in Lambda Chi Alpha
The Rev. J. H. Krenmyre, Theta Kappa Nu, Iowa Wesleyan
Founder, Board Member 1924-1939
"Dad" Krenmyre, a spellbinding orator, was the only man to serve as an active member for the entire life of Theta Kappa Nu. He developed the ritual and edited the Theta News for its first decade. He developed the academic programming of Theta Kappa Nu, including a program of graduate scholarships that are continued today by our Educational Foundation. "Dad" was instrumental in the smooth union of the two fraternities and served the general fraternity as Associate Historian from the merger until his death in 1951.
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The Mt Pleasant News - 10 April 1951
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Rev. Krenmyre, IWC Grad, Dies
Woodward, Ia. (INS) -- Funeral services were planned tomorrow afternoon for the Rev. J. H. Krenmyre, 67, of Woodward who died at his home Monday following a lengthy illness.
The Rev. Mr. Krenmyre, known as "Dad," would have been 68 next Sunday. He was graduated from Iowa Weslyan College at Mt. Pleasant and was one of the four founders of Pi Kappa Delta, national forensic fraterity.
He later was one of the founders of Theta Kappa Nu which merged in 1940 with Lambda Chi Alpha.
A widely known authority on Abraham Lincoln, the Rev. Mr. Krenmyre retired from the ministry in 1948 after achieving recognition as an authority on rural church methods.
Survivors include his wido and one son.
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Editor's note: Rev. Krenmyre resided in Mt. Pleasant for a period several years ago while he was vice-president of Iowa Wesleyan College. For many years while he was serving pastorates, he was a frequent visitor o the Iowa Wesleyan campus.
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Burlington Hawk-Eye Gazette - 10 April 1951
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Minister Dies
Woodward, Ia. (AP) -- Rev. J. H. (Dad) Krenmyre, 67, widely known Methodist minister, died at his home here Monday after a long illness. He was a 1913 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan college, was grand chaplain of the Iowa IOOF and past grand chaplain of Iowa Masons. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Woodward Methodist church.
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Williamsburg Journal-Tribune - 19 April 1951
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Obituary of Rev. Krenmyre
The Rev. J. H. Krenmyre, a native of Farmington, former Methodist pastor at Agency and former pastor and superintendent of schools at North English died at Woodward Monday, following a long illness.
The funeral was at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 11 in the Methodist church at Woodward. The Rev. Mr. Krenmyre known as "Jerry" and "Dad" would have been 68 years old on Sunday, April 15. He was graduated from Iowa Wesleyan college in 1913 at the age of 30 and his wife graduated the following year.
While at Mt. Pleasant he became one of the four founders of Pi Kappa Delta, national forensic fraternity and in 1924 he helped found Theta Kappa Nu, of which he was elected life historian.
After being ordained, his first pastorate was the Keosauqua Methodist circuit from 1907-1909. Because of the shortage of teachers in North English during World War I he served as head of the schools there in addition to his pastoral duties. In 1926 the Rev. Mr. Krenmyre was made vice president of Iowa Wesleyan college.
He retired from the ministry in 1948. Mrs. Krenmyre survives as does a son, Lewis, of Knoxville and two sisters.
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