Obituary of Eleanor Wienke

A funeral service for Eleanor Wienke, age 79, of Spirit Lake, will be held at 1:30 pm, Thursday, January 9, 2020, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be one hour prior to service time at the funeral home. Interment will be at Rush Lake Cemetery, near Curlew, Iowa. Eleanor Jean Wienke, the daughter of Doris (Drown) and Maurice Trow, was born April 17, 1940 in Emmetsburg, Iowa. After high school graduation, she received her Bachelor Degree from Drake University. Eleanor lived in various towns in Iowa including Curlew, Emmetsburg, Cylinder, Sac City and Humboldt before moving back to Spirit Lake in 1992. Besides raising her children and taking care of the home, she also worked as a teacher, business owner and most recently a housekeeper. She was an avid bird watcher, enjoyed gardening, reading and watching Iowa Hawkeye football and basketball. She attended various Baptist Churches and enjoyed teaching Sunday School, Bible School and directing Christmas programs. Eleanor loved family history and telling a good Curlew, Iowa story. Eleanor passed away January 5, 2020 at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa at seventy-nine years of age. She is survived by her daughter, Susan Wienke; son, John and his wife, Kendra, Wienke; grandsons, Spencer and Justin Callahan; brothers, Don Trow and his wife, Shirley and Lyle Trow and his wife, Nancy; several nephews and nieces. Eleanor was preceded in death by her father, Maurice Trow and her mother, Doris (Drown) Trow.