Rachel Griffith

RACHEL GRIFFITH

Monticello

Rachel Griffith, 91, died Thursday, March 3, 2016, at the Anamosa Care Center following a brief illness.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Monday, March 7, at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Monticello, with interment in Oakwood Cemetery. Friends may call after 10 a.m. Monday at the church. The Rev. Dr. T. Edwards Breed will officiate at the service. Rachel's care and services have been entrusted to Goettsch Funeral Home, Monticello.

Thoughts, memories and condolences may be left at www.goettschonline.com.

Memorials may be made to Jones County Special Olympics or St. Matthew Lutheran Church.

Surviving are eight children, Robert (Sherry) of Anamosa, Rodger (Mary) of Marion, Diana (Jim) Peterson, David (Jean Robison) and Sharon (Rick Goedken) Grams, all of Monticello, Cynthia Griffith of Dallas, Texas, John (Deb) of Oak Hills, Calif., and Joann (Jim) Feild of Cedar Rapids; 16 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and four sisters, Wilma Cox and Elda French, both of Anamosa, Helen Heiken of Monticello and Linda (Marvin) Smulevitz of Savannah, Ga.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bill; a son, Merle; a brother, John Oltmanns; a son-in-law, John Grams; and four grandchildren (Fawn, Jason, Amanda and Rebecca).

Rachel Marion Oltmanns was born Jan. 13, 1925, in Cass Center, Jones County, Iowa, the daughter of William and Irene Guilford Oltmanns. Rachel started school in the rural schools of Cass Township and graduated from Martelle High School in 1943. She lettered in basketball while in high school. Rachel started working at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids and during the war years worked for Alcoa Aluminum in Spokane, Wash. Rachel married William Griffith on June 30, 1945, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Anamosa. The couple farmed in Jones County before moving to Monticello in 1965. Rachel worked for the Jones County Extension Service and was a contract mail carrier from the Monticello post office.

Rachel was a life member of the VFW Auxiliary and for many years organized the auxiliary craft show. She was well known for her kitchen scrubbies she crocheted. She loved to travel, go fishing with her family, bake bread and garden, then can and freeze the produce.

She always looked forward to the Fourth of July parade in Monticello.

Rachel's family would like to thank Eastern Iowa Visiting Nurses, especially Danielle Capron, for their many years of care, her personal companion, Jennifer Klaren, Above and Beyond Hospice and Anamosa Care Center for all the wonderful care and concern during Rachel's final illness.