Ellen L. Yoder

Ellen L. Yoder
June 07, 1924 - July 09, 2011
Kalona, Iowa
Visitation: 2-8 p.m. July 12, 2011 at Yoder-Powell Funeral Home, Kalona
Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m. July 13, 2011 at Kalona Mennonite Church
Interment: July 13, 2011 at Sharon Hill Cemetery, Kalona
Ellen L. Yoder was born June 7, 1924, in rural Kalona, Iowa the daughter of Sherman and Emma (Miller) Miller. She attended rural Prairie Dale School. In her youth she accepted Christ as her Savior and was baptized at the East Union Mennonite Church. On October 14, 1944 she was united in marriage to Duane E. Yoder at the East Union Mennonite Church. She has lived in the Kalona community all of her life. In 1954 Ellen and Duane opened Duane's Feed Service in Kalona, they owned and operated the Kalonial Townhouse restaurant from 1968-1974, and Ellen owned and operated Ellen's Sewing Center from 1975 - 2006. She was a member of the Kalona Mennonite Church and the Kalona Optimist Club. She enjoyed to sew, and she embroidered a quilt for all of her grandchildren when they got married and she made a baby quilt for each of her great grandchildren. She enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, and playing scrabble and card games. Ellen died suddenly on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at the Pleasantview Home in Kalona at the age of 87 years. Ellen is survived by seven children - LaVerta Butterbaugh (David) of Kalona; Jerry Yoder (Liz) of Bridgewater, VA; Susan Gingerich (Firman) of Perkasie. PA; Jane Borntrager (Ivan) of Goshen, IN; Miller D. Yoder of Wilton, WI; Verle Yoder (Helen) of Valley Center, CA; Colette Ferguson (Don) of Kalona; 16 grandchildren - Chad Eberly, Corey Eberly, Peter Eberly, Stanley Butterbaugh, Jeremy Yoder, Adam Yoder, Amy Gingerich, Fred Gingerich, Clint Borntrager, Emily Woodring, Sarah Dippen, Andrea Yoder, Eli Yoder, Kevin Cortum, Sean Cortum, Ryan Cortum; 22 great grandchildren; and two sisters Nita Miller (Daniel) of Kalona and Barbara Eichelberger of Hesston, KS. She was preceded in death by her parents, her step mother Ida, her husband, two sons-in-law, a granddaughter-in-law and a sister Ruby Schrock. Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at the Kalona Mennonite Church. Rev. Scott Swartzendruber will officiate. Private family graveside service will be held prior to the service in the Sharon Hill Cemetery in Kalona. Visitation will be held from 2-8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Yoder-Powell Funeral Home in Kalona where the family will greet friends from 4-7 p.m. A memorial fund has been established for Kalona Mennonite Church and Pleasantview Home.