116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Kluss, Esther
Esther Kluss, longtime resident of Cedar Rapids and Jamaica, N.Y., passed away peacefully Monday, Feb. 28, 2011, at Hallmar (Mercy Medical Center) where she had lived under kind and dedicated care for many years. She was 92 years old.
The daughter of Frederick and Maude Kluss, Esther was born in Cedar Rapids and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1937. She graduated from Cornell College (1941), the University of Denver (1951) and took her first job as a social worker in Council Bluffs. She moved to New York where she dedicated many decades to educational service as a librarian for the New York City library system, beginning in the Highland Park branch and later serving as chief reference librarian in the Queensborough Public Library. After retirement, Esther returned to her beloved Cedar Rapids. She remained an avid reader and reliable reference to literary resources right up until the end of her life.
Esther was a devoted sister to Wilfred (“Bud”) Kluss and his family. She is survived by nephew, Stewart Kluss; nieces, Annette Kluss Alvarez and Suzanne Kluss Crawford; great-nephew, Stephen Kluss; and great-nieces, Morgan Kluss and Genevieve Malkin.
A memorial service will be held at 5p.m. Friday, March 4, at the St. Paul's United Methodist Church Chapel, Cedar Rapids. (319) 363-2058.
Donations may be made to St. Paul's UMC.
Daily Newsletters