Adams, Myrtle

Myrtle Adams

After a long and eventful life marked by caring for others, Myrtle Viola (Kyrklund) Adams, 100, went to join the Lord and many of her loved ones on Feb. 17, 2011.

She was born to C. Herman and Julia Kyrklund on Sept. 8, 1910, in Winthrop, Minn. She grew up on a farm near Winthrop and graduated from high school there. She earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Minnesota. She worked as a nurse in several hospitals in Minnesota and was a nursing supervisor at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Later, she became director of nursing at Sprague Hospital in Huron, S.D. On Sept. 25, 1941, she married Dr. Harold P. Adams in Huron. After the outbreak of World War II, she moved with her husband to military bases in Mountain Home and Boise, Idaho. While in Idaho, their son, Harold Jr. was born. After Dr. Adams was reassigned to military duty in the European Theater, Myrtle and her son returned to Minneapolis to live with family. After the war, the family returned to Huron, where her husband practiced medicine for almost 50 years.

She was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. She enjoyed being with her family and friends. In particular, she relished the annual family fishing trips. She was an accomplished gardener. Myrtle won numerous blue ribbons for her flowers and her floral arrangements at the South Dakota State Fair. She was active in the American Lutheran Church in Huron and she was a member of the Huron Garden Club. In addition, Myrtle was an adviser to the Future Nurses Club at Huron High School.

After her husband died in 1997 and because of failing vision, Myrtle first moved to Sunquest Village in Huron. She endowed the Kyrklund-Adams Scholarship at First Lutheran Church in Winthrop in memory of her parents and her husband.

In 2002, she moved to Iowa City, Iowa to be closer to her son and his family. For the last four years, she resided in Atrium Village in Hills, Iowa.

Besides her husband, Myrtle was preceded in death by her parents, and her brothers, Stanley and Norman.

She is survived by her son, Dr. Harold P. Adams Jr. and his wife, Leah, of Iowa City; her grandchildren, John of Marina del Rey, Calif., Julie of Washington, D.C., and Jessica of Brookline, Mass.; five nieces and nephews; and sister-in-law, Lavonne Kyrklund of Eden Prairie, Minn.

A family graveside service is planned at Winthrop.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to American Lutheran Church, 155 Fourth St., Huron, SD 57350; First Lutheran Church, 13 North Hennepin St., Winthrop, MN 55396; or Atrium Village, 117 South Third St., Hills, IA 52235.

Online condolences may be sent for her family through the web at

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for her arrangements locally.