Thelma Deike

Thelma L. Deike age 87 of Nashua, Iowa died Friday, August 2, 2013, at her home. Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at the First United Church of Christ-Pleasant Valley, rural Clarksville with Pastor Linda Myren officiating. Carol Luhring will be the organist. The congregation will sing, 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness'. Pastor Lynn Groe will sing,'The Lord's Prayer' and 'A Mother's Love' will be a recording. 'The King Of Love My Shepherd Is' will be the postlude. Interment will be in the church cemetery with Kenn Deike, Charlie Dietz, Darin Dietz, Phil Fuhr, Brian Groen and John Kent Gosse serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Dana Fuhr, Kendra Deike, Maria Deike, John and Sonja Gosse, Joyce Hahn and James Eckhoff. Friends may greet the family 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 5, 2013, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in Nashua. Visitation will continue an hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday. Thelma Louise Deike was born in Floyd County, near Nashua, Iowa on January 2, 1926, the daughter of Allard and Mabel (Carpenter) Eckhoff. She was baptized October 16, 1927, at the Nashua Methodist Church and became a member at age 15. She was married there to Richard Deike on January 27, 1946. After her marriage she joined the Pleasant Valley United Church of Christ, Clarksville, Iowa. She did volunteer work at church for several years - held offices in Woman's Fellowship and taught Sunday school for 12 years. She also did volunteer work at the Plainfield Library. She enjoyed farming along side of her husband. She was a homemaker and enjoyed embroidery work for her children and grandchildren. She had two pen pals whom she wrote often. She loved to bake coffee cake and cookies to give to the grandchildren, especially while they were in college. One of her greatest joys was when they came to see her. She loved to read - she called new books her friends. Thelma moved into her Nashua home in April of 2008; she loved her house with the view of the water. She became a volunteer at the Northeast Iowa Welcome Center. She loved working there and meeting new visitors from different places. She was also a member of the Plainfield American Legion Auxiliary. Thelma is survived by her son, Kenn and wife Mary Ann Deike of Plainfield; daughter, Twila and husband Charlie Dietz of Nashua; grandchildren, Darin Dietz, Jeanne Gelner and family, Dana (Phil) Fuhr, Kendra Deike and Maria Deike; great-grandchildren, Kylie, Isabella and Grace Dietz, Caelen and Kinley Fuhr, Preston Deike; one sister, Rose Beier; one brother, James and wife Elaine Eckhoff all of Waterloo; a sister-in-law, Doris Groen of Shell Rock; many special nieces, nephews and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her in-laws, Hugo and Hertha Deike; her husband, Richard; twin brother and sister, Raymond Eckhoff and Ruth Steere; one brother, Amos and his wife Betty Eckhoff; brothers-in-law, Raymond Steere, Lavern Beier, Irvin Groen; nephew, Duane Beier; brothers and sisters-in-law, Leonard and Jeannie Deike, Lois Deike, Dennis and Norma Bienemann.