Eleanor Hanke

Eleanor Hanke of Mitchellville, Iowa died on January 9, 2015. Visitation will be Monday January 12, 2015 from 2:00 to 3:30 PM at Hamilton's Mitchellville Funeral Home, 303 Center Avenue South. A brief service will be held at 3:00 PM during the visitation, and a fellowship lunch will immediately follow at the Mitchellville Community Center.

Eleanor was born to Zella and Charles Walter on October 8, 1923. Her childhood was spent on the family farm near Mitchellville, Iowa with her parents, older brother Gordon, and her pony, Beauty. She attended country school for the early grades (riding the pony to school every day) and she advanced two grades ahead of her age. The family moved into town when she was 12 years old. Ellie attended Mitchellville High School where she participated in basketball and cheerleading, sang in the choir, and acted plays.

Ellie attended Iowa State University until her formal education was interrupted by WWII. She returned to Mitchellville and worked as a teller at Farmer’s Exchange Bank. On March 19, 1944, she married her high-school sweetheart, Kenneth Hanke, in Shreveport, Louisiana where Ken was based in the Army Air Corps. After the war, they returned to Mitchellville and took over the Hanke family farm.

Her early adult years were busy with raising a family and managing the finances for the farm. While Ken milked the cows and raised the crops, Ellie ran the kids to and from basketball practices, dance or gymnastic classes, and 4-H meetings in between changing diapers, running the household, doing farm finances, and chores. By 1960, there were four children - Virginia, Bonnie, Larry and Sue.

Her family commitments did not end even after the four children were grown and moved out. The farm home was the family gathering place for all events and remained a sanctuary for grandchildren and great grandchildren throughout her life. There were always cookies, popcorn, and a wise, a patient listener at Ellie’s kitchen table, where many of the world’s problems have been solved.

Along with raising her family, Ellie was a member and former officer of the American Legion Auxiliary in Mitchellville, a lifetime member of the United Methodist Church, a lifetime member of the Jasper County Historical Society, and an active member of the local community, especially helping out with the kids at the schools and through 4-H. For many years, you could find Ellie at the Colfax bowling alley on Tuesday afternoons knocking down pins in the Alley Gals league. If you visited the farm in the later years, she could be found in her pajamas and robe, rocking in her favorite chair, watching college ball games and her favorite TV shows.

Those left to cherish her memories are her four children: Virginia (Bob) Underwood of Mitchellville, Bonnie (Bud) Herbold of Marshalltown, Larry (Roberta) Hanke of Maple Plain, MN, and Sue (John) Austin of Brainerd, MN; grandchildren Christy (Dave) Watson, Michael (Shannon) Underwood, Richard (Tena) Pratt, Jennifer Howe, Robin (Mark) Robinson and children/grandchildren, Lynn (Tom) Duchardt and children/grandchildren, Skip (Stephanie) Herbold and children/grandchildren, Neal Hanke, Winnie (Kristi) Austin, Joe (Nikki) Austin, Jessica (Scott) Buskey; great grandchildren Sailor, Brett, Bree, Emily, Delaney, Carley, Sydney, Jacob, Chelsea, Kyli, Kaleb, Ava, Kahlan, Maxwell, and Ethan; plus great-great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Hanke Charitable Memorial Fund at Hamilton’s Funeral Home in Mitchellville.

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