Earl Fries

Earl J. Fries
Des Moines

Earl J. Fries, 98, passed away Sunday, August 16, 2015. He was a resident of Scottish Rite Park.

Earl was born June 7, 1917, to Jens and Anna Petersen Fries in Elk Horn, Iowa. He graduated from Elk Horn Public High School in 1934. Earl attended Dana College for two years. He graduated from Drake University in 1939, with a degree in Commercial Science, majoring in Accounting and Corporation Finance. Earl was a member of Drake’s President’s Circle for 10 years and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. Upon graduation from Drake, he worked for five years for American Surety Company of New York as manager of its accounting department. During World War II, Earl took basic training with the U.S. Army at Camp Roberts, California. He was then assigned to Regimental Headquarters and promoted to sergeant. He graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Lee, Virginia.

As first lieutenant, Earl shipped to the Pacific Theatre with the company he and three other officers had trained. Shortly after arriving overseas, he was ordered to set up a large supply operation to support troops fighting in the northern part of the Philippines. Following the war, Earl rejoined American Surety Company and five years later was named manager of the office. At that time, he was president of the Surety Association of Des Moines and was a board member of State Surety Co.

He married Maurine Couch in 1947. They built their first home in Des Moines and had many enjoyable years together. Maurine and Earl had one daughter, Marcia.

After the purchase of American Surety by Transamerica, Earl transferred to Chicago as regional sales manager, covering 10 states. He left American Surety after 25 years and joined Northwestern National Insurance Company of Milwaukee to set up a new regional office in Des Moines. Earl was elected vice president of the company after three years. During his 20 years with Northwestern National, Earl and his 50 employees built the company’s largest regional office by volume.

Earl served on the board of directors of Dana College for 10 years, after which he was elected director emeritus in 1996. He joined St. John’s Lutheran Church in Des Moines in 1939, and was an active member for many years. Earl served on the church’s board for over a decade and was a member of its executive committee for three years. He was a long-time director on St. John’s’ Foundation Board, and ushered for many years.

Maurine Fries died in 1979. In 1991, Earl married LaVena Wilson Rucker, who had lost her husband seven years earlier. Earl and LaVena were married many happy years. They purchased a home in Meredith Park, and lived there for 14 years prior to moving to Scottish Rite Park. Earl credits LaVena with making retirement enjoyable for him.

Earl enjoyed giving back to his church, his colleges, and his family. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who provided many memorable experiences and opportunities for his family. He will always have a special place in the hearts of his wife, daughter, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many others.

Earl was extremely proud of his Danish heritage and appreciative of his Danish grandparents, Hans and Marie Petersen, and his mother and the uncles and aunts who raised him and his sister, Betty, following their father’s premature death. Earl’s first language was Danish, which enabled him to converse with relatives in Elk Horn and in Denmark in their native tongue. He was a member of the Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa.

Earl was preceded in death by his sister, Betty. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, LaVena; daughter Marcia (William) Reesink; grandchildren Heather (William) Robinson, Dr. Heidi Reesink (Dr. Matt Paszek), and Erik Reesink; great-grandchildren Kelsey, Lindsey, and Logan Robinson; stepson Bob Rucker (Valerie); and four step-grandchildren: Evie, Phil, Hayley, and David Rucker.

The funeral will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 600 Sixth Avenue, Des Moines, at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, August 20, preceded by visitation at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at Resthaven Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to St. John’s Lutheran Church Foundation or to the Good Life Fund of Scottish Rite Park.

Condolences may be expressed at:
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

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