Eldon Rethamel

Eldon F. Rethamel, age 76 of Fredericksburg, Iowa died Monday, June 22, 2015, at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2015, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Lawler, with Rev. Nick March celebrating the Mass. The pall will be placed by Eldon's five children. Bob Huinker will be the organist and vocalist. Lector for the service will be Terry Rethamel. Presenting the offertory gifts will be Kayla Leiran, Kayley Rethamel, and Ashley Schildroth. Interment will be held in Rose Hill Cemetery, Fredericksburg, with Eldon's grandchildren as pallbearers, Aaron Rethamel, Clinton Rethamel, Jeremy Rethamel, Brodie Rethamel, Alek Rethamel, and Garrett Rethamel. Honorary pallbearers will be Kayla Leiran, Ashley Schildroth, Kristin Rethamel, Kayley Rethamel, Mackensie Rethamel, and Riley Krall. Friends may greet the family 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler where there will be a 4:00 p.m. Rosary and a 6:00 p.m. Scripture Service. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the church on Friday. Eldon Francis Rethamel was born June 15, 1939, in rural Chickasaw County, IA the son of Raymond and Helen (Kubik) Rethamel. He was a 1957 graduate of the New Hampton High School. On September 2, 1961, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in New Hampton, Eldon was united in marriage to Pennie Ackley. To this union five children were born. The couple lived on South Locust Street before building a house on South Alta Street in New Hampton. They moved to, and became residents of, Fredericksburg in 1982. Eldon was a school bus driver in New Hampton. He worked at Oliver/White in Charles City for many years until it's closing. Eldon was also employed by Robrock Trucking, R & D Machine. Eldon and Pennie purchased The Mint restaurant in Fredericksburg in 1981. After selling the restaurant in 1988, he retired and worked part-time for Mattke and Rogers. Eldon was an animal lover and enjoyed having many pets over the years. He enjoyed making pies for his friends and family and even made apple pies for wedding receptions. Eldon enjoyed going for walks around the neighborhood to visit with his neighbors. He took pleasure in attending Mennonite auctions, and would take rides to visit the Amish with his friend John. Eldon could always be counted for having plenty of treats for his grandkids, neighborhood grandkids, and anyone who would visit. He will be dearly missed. Eldon is survived by four sons, Jim (Wanda) Rethamel of Evansdale, IA, Bob (Jeri) Rethamel of Fredericksburg, IA, Tim (Cheryl) Rethamel of New Hampton, IA and Terry (Karie) Rethamel of Hampton, VA; daughter, Lynnette (Mike) Rauch of Coggon, IA; 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; mother-in-law, Mona Ackley of New Hampton, IA; three sisters-in-law, Karen (Jordan) Pratt of New Hampton, IA, Alice Rethamel of New Hampton, IA and Marge Mayo of Nashville, NC; brother-in-law, Harold (Pat) Ackley of Fredericksburg, IA; He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Pennie in 2013; four brothers, Father Roger Rethamel, Merle Rethamel, Reed Rethamel, and Dale Rethamel; sister, Lois Girken; grandson, Mitchell Joseph Rethamel. A special thanks to Harold Ackley, Jordan Pratt, and John Woodring for all their help and support over the past six months. We also want to thank Dale and Garrett with the Fredericksburg Ambulance Service for their quick response and care they provided. Thank you to Kristen and Sarah, Allen Hospital nurses and Jody with Unity Point Hospice for the special care they gave dad during his final days. We also appreciate their kindness and support they provided our family during this difficult time.