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Evelyn Mae Arnold

1922 - 2012

March 2, 1922 - February 15, 2012

Klemme, Ia - Evelyn Mae Arnold, longtime resident of Klemme, died suddenly at the age of 89, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. A private family service will take place at a later date in Klemme. Those wishing to express their sympathy through a memorial may do so to the family at P.O. Box 236, Klemme, IA. Those memorials are appreciated and will go to a charity or organization that Evelyn supported.

Evelyn Mae Arnold was born on March 2, 1922, to Elmer and Ellie (Lau) Arnold. She grew up on the family farm near Klemme that her parents owned and operated. Her childhood involved a lot of time in the summer playing on the farmstead with the neighborhood kids. Cold winters were not to Evelyn's liking for she was found inside playing with dolls and other toys to be best for her. During these early years, Evelyn developed her fondness for barnyard cats, a liking that stayed with her through her entire life. Grade school at the riverside country school near the Iowa River south of Klemme was her first step in her education. Most days she walked with other students the mile trek to school. Klemme High School was next. Evelyn played in the school band and was also active in other extracurricular activities. Occasionally in the summer she joined the youth group at the Methodist Lake Okoboji Camp for study and social events. She had made many Klemme friends and also visited with her aunt, Amanda Tice, in Mason City and made numerous friends with the neighborhood girls.

As a young lady, Evelyn went to teachers college summer school in Cedar Falls and the fall of that year she graduated from high school in 1939. She started her lifelong teaching career in the same riverside school where she was a student. Evelyn continued her education throughout the years and received her B.A. degree from Upper Iowa. After teaching in several country schools, Evelyn taught in Meservey, Humboldt and also the Charles City school system, where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Kappa organization. In Charles City, she survived the destructive tornado by remaining in her apartment until it was over. Evelyn had an aging mother in Klemme and during this time for many years Evelyn finished her teaching duties then ran home to tend to her mother.

Teaching wasn't Evelyn's only interest. Evelyn enjoyed yearly visits to the Iowa State Fair and to the Clay County Fair. Evelyn even enjoyed tractor shows, which she preferred antique tractor shows. Evelyn kept in touch with her students and fellow teachers even after retirement through various meetings, and letters. Although she traveled the Western U.S.'s deep gorges and rugged mountains, those didn't appeal to her. Evelyn preferred Iowa. She liked to visit her nieces and nephews and remembered them with gifts on their special days. Family dinners, reunions and various family activities were among her list of enjoyable things.

After retirement, Evelyn continued to reside in Klemme and shared a home with her brother, Wilbur Arnold. She grew frail, but energetic and continued on with the activities she loved. It is impossible to summarize her life in a few paragraphs and her life touched so many others in their memories.

Evelyn is survived by her brothers Wilbur and Bruce Arnold and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Evelyn is preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Nellie Arnold; brothers Curtis and Roy Arnold; and several aunts and uncles. Funeral service arrangements are being held by Andrews Funeral Home, Klemme, Iowa.

source: Mason City Globe Gazette, 11 Mar 2012

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