Edna H. Groenewold

Edna H. Groenewold

Edna H. Groenewold, 102, of Forreston, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 30, 2017 at Manor Court in Freeport. Edna was born on August 2, 1914, the daughter of Hinderk "Henry" and Antje "Anna" (Meyer) Heeren on the family farm northwest of Forreston.

Edna married George Groenewold on June 4, 1943 at which time she became step-mother to Grant Groenewold and occasionally to his sister Gretchen Groenewold, later Korzak. Mr. Groenewold died on October 22, 1981.

Edna was a member of Forreston Reformed Church, where she served as the church organist for more then 60 years starting in 1930, when she was 16 years old.

Edna enjoyed traveling, especially the American West. Edna and George also made several trips to Germany.

Along with being a homemaker, Edna served as bookkeeper for George's many businesses. Together with him, she managed an antique store in Forreston in their retirement years.

Surviving are son, Gerald (Connie Triplett) Groenewold of Grand Forks, N.D.; daughter-in-law, Beverly Groenewold of Forreston; grandchildren, Gerd (Stacey Wilber) Groenewold, Nikolaus (Samantha Grimm) Groenewold, Justin (Allison Ho, M.D.) Groenewold, M.D., Gregory Groenewold, Gary (Catherine) Groenewold, Guy (Dawn) Groenewold, Elizabeth (Ekkehard) Schoettle and John Korzak. Also surviving are 11 great-grandchildren and 7 nieces and nephews.

Edna was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother, Harry (Marie) Heeren; and two sisters, Elena (Clarence) Ratmeyer and Amanda (Roy) Leeman, step-son, Grant Groenewold; and son-in-law, John Korzak.

Special thanks to Gwen (DeVries) Wiedman for many years of faithful caretaking in Edna's later years.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday February 2, 2017 at Forreston Reformed Church. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will be in White Oak Cemetery. A memorial has been established for Forreston Reformed Church in Edna's memory. Please sign her guestbook book at www.burketubbs.com