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Myrtle E. Stephens, 95, of Grimes, formerly of Storm Lake, died on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022.
Funeral services will take place Monday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. Burial will be in the Wall Lake Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the Funeral Home.
Myrtle Eleanor, the daughter of William V. Geake and Mabel (Law) Geake, was born on the home farm near the small town of Richard, Saskatchewan, Canada on Oct. 7, 1927. She was seven years old when she moved with her parents and sister, Ethel, and brother, Bill, to her Grandfather David Law’s farm near Wall Lake. She attended Viola #4 country school, and graduated as valedictorian from Wall Lake High School in 1946.
Myrt furthered her education at Morningside College in Sioux City, and received her bachelor’s degree in education in 1949. She taught elementary P.E. in Harlan for two years, Ida Grove for one year, and finished her teaching career in Storm Lake, where she retired in 1990. She was always inventing new, fun activities for the children and lots of planning went into the annual elementary track meet that was held each spring.
Myrt was united in marriage to Kenneth R. Stephens on July 6, 1950 in Wall Lake at United Methodist Church, and they celebrated 67 years together before Ken passed away in 2017. Together, they were blessed with three children: Gwen, Bill and Craig.
Myrt was very active in the Storm Lake community. She belonged to Eastern Star where she served as a Worthy Matron, P.E.O. Chapter NM, Red Hat Ladies, and was involved with her church circle group helping serve many luncheons and dinners. She also spent many nights and weekends selling Tupperware products in Buena Vista County.
After her retirement, she worked with the hospital as a weekly scheduler and deliverer of Meals on Wheels and also helped as a precinct director during election time.
Myrt had many collections, with her favorites being turtles and zebras. She loved going to garage sales, estate sales and auctions. She was always good at finding ‘treasures’ and although some might need a repair, Mr. Fix It (Ken) was always willing to oblige.
Myrt loved to entertain her family and friends. She was a wonderful cook and loved to bake. It was always important to her to have plenty of food for everyone and she took great pride in how she decorated her holiday tables.
Myrt and Ken took many wonderful trips, which included Hawaii, an Alaskan cruise, England and many of the states. After retirement, they enjoyed many summers at their condo in Okoboji and they wintered in Arizona, where they gained many treasured friends.
After living over 50 years in Storm Lake, Myrt and Ken moved to Grimes in 2008 to be closer to family.
Those left to cherish her memory include her children: Gwen (Marshall) Enderlin of Norwalk; Bill (Tana) Stephens of McKinney, Texas; Craig (Debbie) Stephens of Minnetonka, Minn.; grandchildren: Heather (Luke) Tingley of Urbandale; Aaron (Anne) Enderlin of Grimes; Blair Stephens of McKinney, Texas; Amanda Stephens (fiancé Henry Kunerth) of Minneapolis, Minn.; Leslie Stephens (Josh Jones) of Minneapolis, Minn.; great-grandchildren: Noah, Evan and Mila Tingley; Kai and Bryn Enderlin; sister-in-law Lucille Geake of Wall Lake; extended family and friends.
Myrt was preceded in death by her parents; husband Ken; sister Ethel Hughes; brother William Geake; and brother-in-law Howard Hughes.
