Elliot-Whitlock, Evelyn Fredrick

Evelyn Fredrick Elliot-Whitlock - Strawberry Point, Iowa

On April 12, 2013, Evelyn Fredrick Elliot-Whitlock, 89, of Strawberry Point, went to rest in the arms of her Lord. She died of age-related causes at the Regional Medical Center in Manchester, Iowa.

Memorial Service: 11 a.m., Thursday, April 18, 2013, at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Strawberry Point, with Pastor Scott Roser officiating.

Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at Leonard-Muller Funeral Home in Strawberry Point.

Online condolences may be sent to .

In lieu of flowers, memorials for Evelyn may be donated to EWALU Bible Camp or Emanuel Lutheran Church.

Evelyn is survived by four children, sons, George Elliot of Strawberry Point, William (Annette) Elliot of Moscow, Idaho, Thomas (Sally) Elliot of Strawberry Point, and daughter, Julie Elliot (William Smith) of Iowa City; two grandchildren, John Elliot of Portland, Ore., and Tamsin (Matthew) Holmstrom of Portland, Ore.; and her sister-in-law, Jean Carran Fredrick of Waverly. Also surviving are three stepchildren, Nadine (Walt) Nowosad, Kathy Shuey, and George Whitlock, and their families.

Preceding Evelyn in death were her parents, Walter and Bertha Fredrick; her brother, Walter Fredrick, Jr.; her first husband, Sgt. Judson Elliot; her second husband, Captain Duane Whitlock; her daughter, Rosa Lee Elliot; and her nephew, Steven Fredrick.

Evelyn was born May 19, 1923, on the family farm owned by her parents near Strawberry Point, Iowa. She was baptized by the Reverend Fritschel and later confirmed by the Reverend M.O. Jahr at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Strawberry Point where she was a lifelong member. She attended District Number 4 rural school in Cass Township followed by Strawberry Point High School where she graduated in 1940 as class Valedictorian in a class of 40 students. Following graduation, she attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, for a year and became a member of the choir. She then began a lifelong love of teaching at a rural school east of Strawberry Point for three years. She briefly served as a clerk at the Strawberry Point Post Office until her marriage.

At Emanuel Lutheran Church, Evelyn married Sgt. Judson Elliot, when he returned from New Guinea after serving in the Army Signal Corps for three years during World War II. The wedding, officiated by Pastor Stumme, took place on Dec. 16, 1944, at Emanuel Lutheran Church, the day after an enormous blizzard struck Clayton County. Evelyn and Judson took over her parents' family farm west of Strawberry Point where they proudly raised five children, two daughters and three sons. Their eldest child, Rosa Lee, died at the age of 22 months in a tragic farm accident.

Evelyn returned to teaching in the early 1960s in Elkport where she taught a combination of grades 3-4 one year, then grades 5-6 the next. She then transferred to the Starmont school system, teaching a year of 5th grade, 13 years of junior high, and then on to the high school to teach language arts and to serve as a speech coach until her retirement in 1988. Following her retirement, she and the Reverend Al Hock co-authored the History of the Strawberry Point School published by the Clayton County Historical Society. Later, Evelyn taught freshman composition for two years at the Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta and conducted GED classes in the Strawberry Point area.

During her teaching career, Evelyn furthered her own education by enrolling in night and summer classes at Upper Iowa University in Fayette. She graduated cum laude in 1967 with a degree in elementary education and English.

Evelyn obtained her Master's degree from Western New Mexico University and became an adjunct professor for Drake University, offering six different evening and summer extension classes for teachers throughout Eastern Iowa for 20 years. During this time, she taught more than 2,000 teachers in skills to enhance classroom methods.

On March 11, 1995, Evelyn married Captain Duane Whitlock. They enjoyed 12 years together in Danville, Calif., and Strawberry Point, until Duane's death in April 2007.

Evelyn was a lifelong member of Emanuel Lutheran Church in Strawberry Point. Serving her church was always a priority - Sunday school, singing in the choir, and president of the Ladies' Aid Society.

Evelyn was the first female officer of the Strawberry Point Lion's club, and had a continuing interest in her family, friends, local politics, gardening, and wildlife. She served on the board of directors for the Strawberry Point Community Center and the Clayton County Conservation Board at Osborne. She was a generous benefactor of many local, national, and international charities, and she touched many with her love, counsel, and encouragement. She had a passion for serving others through volunteerism.

Published April 14, 2013 in The Gazette