Roy Ellerhoff

Roy Ervin Ellerhoff, 81, of Tipton, Iowa, passed away on Sunday, August 24, 2008. Roy was born February 7, 1927, to Ervin and Charlene (Pfeifer) Ellerhoff in Burlington, Iowa.

He graduated from Burlington High School in 1944, where he had been president of the Radio Club and a member of the National Honor Society.

He married Eldora Sophia Jipp on
June 10, 1951, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Adair, Iowa.

He served his country during World War II as a U.S. Navy Fire Controlman Third Class. He received his basic training at Great Lakes Training Center and was stationed in Hawaii at the end of the war. Roy graduated with an A.A. in Pre-Engineering from Burlington Jr. College in 1948 and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The State University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1953.

After college Roy was employed by SMH Construction Company in Peoria, Illinois; was a design engineer for the Iowa State Highway Commission in Ames, Iowa; city engineer in Burlington, Iowa; resident engineer with the Illinois Division of Highways in Dixon, Illinois; associate engineer with Boeing in Seattle, Washington; structural engineer for the Bureau of Ships at the Navy shipyard in Bremerton, Washington; senior civil engineer with the Port of Seattle in Seattle, Washington; and county engineer for the following Iowa counties: Taylor, Cedar, and Keokuk until his retirement in 1989. His professional memberships included:
American Society for Testing Materials, American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, National Association of County Engineers, Iowa County Engineers Association, and Iowa Engineering Society.

Roy had a life-long passion for railroading and was a lifetime member of the National Model Railroader's Association. He had been a past member of the Lions' Club.

Roy is survived by their five children: John Ellerhoff of Eldridge, Iowa; Rose Ann (Gary) Bell of Marion, Iowa; Roger Ellerhoff of Iowa City, Iowa; Norman (Betty) Ellerhoff of Tipton, Iowa; and Linda (Rod) Haag of Pueblo, Colorado; three grandchildren: Adam (Michele) Ellerhoff of Tipton, Iowa; Amber (Seth) Talbot of Washington, Iowa; and James Bell of Marion, Iowa; two great-grandchildren: Austin and Abigail Ellerhoff of Tipton, Iowa; a sister-in-law, Bessie Johnk of Atlantic, Iowa; two nieces and three nephews. Roy is also survived by a very special friend, Frances Kuehl, of Tipton, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Donald Ellerhoff; his parents; and his wife of nearly 49 years, Eldora.

A visitation will be held at Fry Funeral Home, Tipton, on Wednesday, August 27, from 4-7 p.m. There will also be a visitation at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Adair, Iowa, on Thursday, August 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. immediately prior to the funeral service. Burial will be at Immanuel Evangelical Cemetery in Adair, Iowa.

Memorial donations may be made in Roy's memory to Immanuel Lutheran Church, Adair, Iowa.