Obituary of Harry and Lois Eckerman

The lives of Lois and Harry Eckerman, of Spirit Lake, will be celebrated in a mass and graveside service on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at 10:30am at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Spirit Lake with burial at St. Margarets Cemetery. Visitation will begin hour prior to the service at the church. There will be a luncheon at the VFW Memorial Hall following the interment. Lois Eckerman, 89, of Spirit Lake passed away on October 19, 2016 at Banner Baywood Hospital in Mesa, Arizona. She was followed in death shortly thereafter by her husband Harry Eckerman, 90, who passed away November 7, 2016 at their winter home in Mesa. Lois was born on August 16, 1927 in Coalville, Iowa, the youngest of the three children of Clarence and Ethel Jordison. She graduated from nearby Otho High School in 1945 after which she worked in retail at a Fort Dodge clothing store where she developed her lifelong love of fashion. Harry was born on May 18, 1926 on a farm near Cresco, Iowa; the seventh of the eleven children born to Henry and Sayde Eckerman. He spent his formative years on the family farm near Duncombe, Iowa and graduated from Fort Dodge High School in 1944. He served two years as a paratrooper in The United States Army near the conclusion of World War II, after which he joined his father in partnership running the family farm. THEIR LIFE TOGETHER Harry and Lois met in Fort Dodge through Harry's sister Elaine who was a close friend of Lois. They married in Fort Dodge on January 29, 1951. In 1952 they moved to Spirit Lake, Iowa where they raised six children in a series of four homes designed and built by Harry. Lois was a homemaker and also worked at various local retail stores. She was also a Berkley home worker, telegraph operator, Cub Scout Den Mother and Brownie troop leader. She was a huge sports fan and followed them at every level from high school to professional (especially her beloved Hawkeyes and Vikings. She was a voracious reader, enjoyed playing bridge in a local bridge club and loved doing crafts and decorating for the holidays. Harry worked in Spirit Lake as an excavating contractor and, later, a painting and construction contractor. He was proudly self-employed his whole life. He loved and was astonishingly proficient at anything that involved working with tools or machinery. He also loved to golf and played in golf leagues around Spirit Lake for much of his adult life. He was an avid pheasant hunter from his early boyhood. They loved to travel and especially enjoyed trips to the Black Hills, Colorado, Arizona and Las Vegas. They enjoyed twenty-five years in retirement; spending summers near family in Spirit Lake and winters near family in Mesa, AZ. When Lois lost her sight to macular degeneration and was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis in her later years, Harry was her faithful primary caregiver until his 90th birthday. On January 29, 2016 they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Lois will be remembered for her indomitable spirit, sharp mind and fierce independence in the face of her later physical challenges. Harry will be remembered for his friendly, easy going demeanor and his willingness to help others. They are survived by their six children: Steve, Gary, Ken (Marcia), Diane Gladney (John), Karen Sampson and Terri Olerud (Daryl); by their grandchildren Chelsie, Cassie and Caitlin; by Harry's siblings Elaine, Larry and Sally; and by numerous nieces and nephews. They were preceded in death by their parents; by Lois' sisters Opal and Helen; and by Harry's siblings Mark, Vic, Majel, Ray, Joe, Cecil and Delores.