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Anna Marie Gruber | Service:
Friday, March 13, 2009
2:00 PM
Kirsch Funeral Chapel
405 W. Thomas Ave.
P.O. Box 277
Shenandoah, IA 51601
Special Services:
Burial will be in the Locust Grove Cemetery at a later date. There is open visitation at the funeral home.
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| | | Anna Marie Gruber, age 90 of Shenandoah, Iowa was born April 12, 1918 in Locust Grove Township, Fremont County, Iowa, the eldest of three daughters of Oscar and Fern (Mackoy) Gruber. She passed away on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at Gardenview Care Center in Shenandoah, Iowa. Anna Marie was named for her two grandmothers and an aunt.
Anne Marie attended Locust Grove rural school and graduated as county valedictorian; Farragut Consolidated High School in 1937 with a Normal Training Certificate. She taught for six years at Summit and Locust Grove rural schools, Fremont County, Iowa. Anna Marie attended Colorado College of Education in Greeley, Colorado where she obtained her B.A. and M.A. degrees. She received her Ed. D. from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
After teaching in Fremont County rural schools, Anna Marie taught in Westboro, Missouri junior high one year, then three years in Tabor, Iowa under her high school superintendent, R.C. Polton. The remaining nine years in Iowa, she served as Elementary Supervisor in Shelby and Woodbury Counties. In 1958, she joined the College of Education staff at Western Illinois University (WIU), Macomb, Illinois. Her teaching emphasis was in the fields of language arts, creative education and early childhood education. When the college reorganized, she became chairman of Elementary Education, a position she held until retirement in 1978. She highlights at WIU were establishing early childhood area of concentration, curriculum team teaching assisted in establishing five day cares, Reading Information Service (RIS) for the visually handicapped via radio, trained Head Start teachers and had modal school on campus, College of Education’s representative in Presidential Selection Committee, Illinois President of Association of Childhood Education (ACE) as well as WIU advisor of ACE.
Anna Marie’s professional life was dedicated to the betterment in the field of elementary education. With Gladys L. Jackson, The Science of Sound and Spelling was written and published by Desaubniers Press, 1971, “…Are he Spaceships of Fairies” was published in the Illinois Journal of Education in 1970. She has served on many committees and councils in the university, her church and organizations in which she participated. She held life memberships in Pi Lambda Theta, Alpha Delta Kappa, was the first woman member and president of Phi Delta Kappa at WIU, and served and supported Kappa Delta Pi and ACE, student organizations. Each year student members of ACE attended the International Conference.
In retirement, Anna Marie filled her days with volunteer work: transportation for cancer patients, therapy for two multiple sclerosis patients, taught 55 Alive, Mature Driving, SHIP-assisting senior citizens with their health insurance, Felheimer Committee board member and chairman, Wesley Village Retirement Center Board member, visitor and wrote its first Eagle Evaluation, Reading Information Service (RIS) (reading to visually handicapped on the radio) as member, and president, served on various church committees as well as meal preparation for senior citizens XYZ, co-chaired bazaar, directed a quilt and a Fashion Show of Yesteryears.
Anna Marie is survived by one sister, Barbara Bredensteiner of Shenandoah, Iowa; a niece, Lo Ann Brdensteiner Beran and her husband Joe of Northboro, Iowa; nephews, Scott Bredensteiner and his wife Sandy of Pfugerville, Texas and David Bredensteiner and his wife Shary of Bedford, Iowa; along with many other relatives and friends.
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