Elda French

ELDA FRENCH

Anamosa

Elda French, 87, died Monday afternoon, Dec. 12, 2016, in the Ed and Joan Hemphill Hospice unit at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Anamosa, where friends may call after 10 a.m. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Anamosa. The Rev. Katheryn Franzenburg will officiate at the services. Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa, is caring for Elda and her family.

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

Surviving are four children, Donna (Jon) Custis of Anamosa, Norma (LeRoy) Nielsen of Audubon and Terry (Evelyn) and Gary, both of Anamosa; five grandchildren, Danielle (Curtis) Derry, Myles and Logan Nielsen, Dawn (Bret) McLaughlin and Daphne Custis-Davis; four great-grandchildren, Kamry, Chase, Bailey and Abby; three sisters, Wilma Cox of Anamosa, Helen Heiken of Monticello and Linda (Marvin) Smulevitz of Savanah, Ga.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a toddler son, Steven; her husband, J. Norman, in 2007; a brother, John Oltmanns; and a sister, Rachel Griffith.

Elda Mae Oltmanns was born July 18, 1929, in Cass Center, Jones County, Iowa, the daughter of William and Irene Guilford Oltmanns. Elda started school in the rural schools of Cass Township and graduated from Martelle High School in 1947. Elda Oltmanns and J. Norman French were married June 5, 1948, in Gallatin, Mo. Elda worked at Reliance Shirt Factory in Anamosa. The couple farmed in the Anamosa area until 1973. Elda then worked at Doerr Electric for 15 years. Elda was a lifelong member of St. Paul Lutheran Church.