Eleonora Petersen

Eleonora Katharine Marie Fett was born March 1, 1916 on a farm northwest of Adair, Iowa. She was the first-born child of Fred W. Fett and Mary J. (Vokt) Fett.

Eleonora was baptized on March 26, 1916 at the home of her parents by Pastor A. H. Duletzki of St. John's Lutheran Church northwest of Adair. Her baptismal sponsors were her grandmothers, Katharine (Guttenfelder) Vokt and Mary (Arnold) Fett, in whose honor Eleonora was named. Eleonora was confirmed on May 19, 1929 by Rev. Theodore Hoemann at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Adair.


Eleonora began country school at Grant No. 8 in September 1922, graduating eighth-grade in May 1929. She then attended Adair High School, graduating in 1933 as Salutatorian of her class. She received an academic scholarship to Buena Vista College at Storm Lake, but didn't use it.

Eleonora wanted to become a teacher and received a Normal Training Certificate in May 1933.
However, as she was still too young to teach, she spent the first year after high school graduation helping on her parents' farm. In September 1934, Eleonora began teaching at Grant No. 4 country school in Guthrie County, teaching there for two years. Next she taught at Grant No. 8 for four years, followed by Grant No. 6 for five years. Eleonora then taught at Menlo Consolidated Schools for one year, followed by two years at the Adair Independent School, and then five years, from 1948 to 1953, teaching fourth grade at Lincoln School in Atlantic.

During the 1940s, Eleonora attended summer sessions at Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, where she was a member of the Kappa Delta Pi honor society and received the Purple Arrow Award. On August 19, 1948, she graduated with an Elementary Teacher's Diploma.

While teaching at Atlantic, Eleonora met Lloyd Robert Petersen, the son of Carl M. and Christine (Anderson) Petersen of Atlantic. Lloyd and Eleonora were married on June 21, 1953 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Adair. After their marriage, the couple farmed near Atlantic for several years, moving to a farm north of Adair in the fall of 1956.

The couple had three children, Cheryl, Arland, and Milton, and Eleonora spent a number of years as a busy homemaker, raising her family.

Eleonora began serving as a substitute teacher in the Adair-Casey Community Schools when her own children reached school age. She returned to teaching full-time in September 1968 and taught at the Cumberland-Massena Community Schools for fourteen years. During this period, she also returned to college part-time, graduating from Drake University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1972. When she retired in 1982, Eleonora had taught a total of 33 years.

Eleonora loved nature and enjoyed living at the family farm north of Adair for many years, until finally moving into Allen House, an assisted living facility in Atlantic, in 2006.

She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Adair and was active in Altar Guild and the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), holding various offices over the years. Prior to moving to the Allen House, Eleonora was also a member of the local Iowa Retired Teachers group and the Adair Civic League.

Eleonora was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd, in 1985, one sister (Ruth), one brother (Emerson), and her parents. She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl and husband Wesley Siebrass of Springfield, Illinois, her son, Arland Petersen of Adair, her son, Milton Petersen of Chicago, Illinois, two grandchildren, Keralyn and Aaron Siebrass of Springfield, and one sister, Erlene Fett of Adair.

A visitation will be held on Friday, March 19, 2010 from noon to 7:00 p.m., with family present from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Hockenberry Family Care in Adair, Iowa.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 20, 2010 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Adair.

Burial will follow in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery north of Adair.

Hockenberry Family Care in Adair, Iowa is in charge of the arrangements.