Obituary of Eileen Northup

A funeral service for Eileen Northup, age 88, of West Okoboji, formerly of Humboldt, will be held Monday, September 19, 2016 at 10:30 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Visitation will be held Sunday, September 18th from 5:00-6:00pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Burial will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in Humboldt at 3:00. Following the burial, there will be a time of fellowship at the St. Mary's School Hall in Humboldt. In lieu of flowers, memorials made to Eileen Northup Memorial, which will be donated to the area Catholic Church youth groups. Eileen Theresa Northup, the daughter of Angeline (Hauck) and Ben Westrup, was born on July 20, 1928 in Waverly, MN. After graduation from high school, Eileen received her Bachelor's Degree from the College of St. Benedict's in St. Joseph, MN. Eileen taught one year of high school in Howard Lake, MN. On June 30, 1951, Eileen was united in marriage to the love of her life Maurice Leland Northup Jr. in Winsted, MN. They spent their first years of marriage in Iowa City, IA where she worked at the Univ. of Iowa Research Lab and Morrie attended medical school. She devoted her life to being a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to her family. After living in Iowa City, IA and Phoenix, AZ, Eileen and Morrie made their home in Humboldt, IA. Beginning in 1967, the family spent every summer at their home on West Lake Okoboji. In 1991, Eileen and Morrie began wintering in Mesa, AZ but always returning to IA for Christmas holidays and the snow. Eileen was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford, American Association of University Women, DCCW, University Women, Women's Club and the Rosary Altar. She enjoyed taking pictures and videos at family events, golfing, having coffee with her many friends and eating out with the Swinger Golf Group on Thursday nights. She liked taking care of flowers, reading, volunteering for various organizations, seeing the sunrise and hearing the water sloshing on West Lake. Her most treasured moments were spending time with her family where she frequently had peanut butter bars and potato salad ready for all. ET, as she was called by her kids, will be remembered by family, friends, and even acquaintances as a "Classy, Fun, Kind-Hearted, Wonderful " person. In later years, Eileen and Morrie cared for each other, she as the driver and he as the navigator. Morrie will miss his "Peaches". Eileen passed away September 12, 2016 at her home in West Okoboji at eighty-eight years of age. She is survived by her husband of sixty-five years, Maurice; children, Tom (Denise) Northup of Wichita, KS, Linda (Jack) Schaben of Okoboji, IA, Bob (Teri) Northup of Franklin, TN and Mary (Rod) Hawkins of Spirit Lake, IA; nine grandchildren, Adam (Sara) Northup, Ben Northup, Josh (Jen) Schaben, Alyssa (Beau) Naatjes, Jackie Northup, Rob Northup, Hannah Hawkins, Houston Hawkins and Halleigh Hawkins; two great-grandchildren, Brooke and Beckett Naatjes; sister, Mary Kay Woodland of Pacifica, CA and many nieces, nephews and friends. Eileen was preceded in death by her parents, Ben and Angie Westrup.