ELLEN ELOISE SHEPARD

A service honoring Eloise’s life will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 29, in the Tompkins Celebration Center at Friendship Haven with the Rev. Allan Redenius and the Rev. Anthony Clerkin officiating. Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. at Friendship Haven. Burial will be at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Waterloo, Iowa, at 3:00 p.m. Memorials may be left to Friendship Haven’s Good Samaritan Fund or to the family’s discretion. Arrangements have been entrusted to Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Eloise is survived by her grandchildren, Denise (Paul) Halverson, Fort Dodge; Richard Snyder, Gowrie; great-grandson, Miles McLellan; great-great-granddaughter, Kinley McLellan; and brother, Wesley (Sharon) Francis of Waterloo. She is also survived by step great-grandchildren, Jason (Christine) Halverson, Jerod (Amy) Halverson, Andrea Marshall and Natalie Halverson, along with step great-great-grandchildren Cole, Addison, Bennett, Emersyn, Mason and Owen. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth and Charles Francis; husband, Ruel Shepard; brother, Donald Francis; son-in-law, Richard Snyder; and, daughter, Ellen Snyder.

Ellen Eloise Shepard, the adopted daughter of Elizabeth and Charles Francis, was born on June 23, 1921, in Waterloo, Iowa. She graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1939. During her high school years, she played the flute in the concert band, and she served as drum majorette for the marching band and VFW Drum Corps. She was also an award-winning mezzo soprano and featured soloist for the Waterloo East High School baccalaureate service.

Her penchant for music led her to Epworth Methodist Church where she sang in the choir and met the love of her life. She was united in marriage to Ruel Elton Shepard in 1940, and together they made a wonderful, loving home for their only child, Ellen Colene. Along with being an accomplished homemaker, Eloise possessed a strong work ethic that led to her long-time career as a clerk in the foundry at John Deere & Company in Waterloo, IA.

Eloise and Ruel shared their gift of hospitality with family and friends, loved Dixieland jazz and photography, and traveled extensively during their marriage. Many of their trips involved visits to Fort Dodge to spend cherished time with their grandchildren.

Eloise was a long-time member of Kimball Avenue Methodist Church in Waterloo. She will be best remembered for her willingness to serve others, sage wisdom, compassionate heart, strong belief in God and her favorite promise, “I will pray for you, dear.”