Loah Grabill

Loah Grabeill, beloved long time Des Moines public grade school teacher, passed away January 5, 2007 after a long illness. Her funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 10, at Hamilton's near Highland Memory Gardens, 121 NW 60th Avenue with a 3:00 p.m. graveside service to be held at Highland Cemetery in Harrison County, Missouri. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and one hour prior to the service on Wednesday.
Loah was born in Des Moines on February 6, 1933, the daughter of Charles and Cora Grabill. She spent her childhood on a farm near Eagleville, Missouri. Following her high school graduation, Loah moved to Des Moines where she worked at Meredith Publishing Company. Loah joined the First Methodist Church in Des Moines and was active in many of its service groups.
In 1953 Loah entered Simpson College. At Simpson, she was chosen to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. studying at American University. She graduated with Departmental Honors from Simpson in 1957. That fall she began her teaching career at Hoak Elementary School in Des Moines, then taught at Oak Park Elementary, and moved to Park Avenue Elementary School where she taught for more than 30 years, receiving many honors for her outstanding performance. Her favorite memory was when Park Aveneu suprised her by holding a "Miss Grabill Day" on March 27, 1991 for spark plugging Park's Hy-Vee receipts computer contest, resulting in the school receiving seven computers and two printers.
Loah received her Masters Degree in Education from the University of Colorado in 1965. She was a member of several professional organizations including Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for women educators dedicated to educational excellence, altruism, and world understanding.
Always an excellent sportsman both in hihg school and college, Loah starred on various local championship volleyball teams in the Des Moines area during the 1970s and 1980s, including the famous Bumper Bums team which won the Omaha Invitational Volleyball Class A Championship in 1975.
Loah's best attribute was her exceptional caring and love for others. For years Loah worked with the handicaaped, including Margaret Warren who was both blind and deaf. Loah took Margaret Warren everywhere and they never missed the Iowa State Fiar, going sometimes two and three times in the same year so that Margaret could "see" and "do" everything.
Loah will be fondly remembered by her relatives, former students, and many firends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Erma Dean Grabill. She is survived by her brother, Raymond Grabill; nephews, Raymond, Jr., Ronnie and Dennis Grabill; nieces, Janice Sisk and Connie Baker, and many great and great-great-nephews and nieces.
Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church in Des Moines.

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