Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, Rock Island, with a rosary recited at 4 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Mary, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Orion, at 10:30 a.m. on April 15. Burial will be at the National Cemetery, Arsenal Island. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Mary, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church.
Mr. Fyfe was born on a farm near Ogden, Iowa, on Feb. 24, 1918, the son of William Edward and Viola Pearl Nanke Fyfe. Within a year of his birth his parents moved the family to a farm east of What Cheer, Iowa, where he attended the local country school and graduated from Thornburg High School in 1936.
Prior to World War II, Mr. Fyfe worked for a short time as a clerk for Washington Brothers Foundary in Chicago, and for Modern Woodmen of America in Rock Island. In 1942, Mr. Fyfe was drafted into the Army, served in the European Theatre rising to the rank of staff sergeant with Company "A," 610 Tank Destroyer Battalion.
While in military training, Mr. Fyfe met his future wife, Edna Marie Schaefer, in Indianapolis, Ind. After the war, they were married in Indianapolis on Jan. 14, 1946. She died in 1984. After their marriage, they settled on a farm northeast of What Cheer. During those seven years, five children were born to this couple, two of whom died in infancy.
In 1953, Mr. Fyfe took a job with Midvale Dairy in Moline, moving his family to Rock Island and then permanently to Milan. In 1973, Mr. Fyfe became a custodian for the Rock Island Public School System, retiring in 1983. In his later years, he moved to Orion, to be closer to his son and daughter-in-law.
Mr. Fyfe was a beloved family man and friend to many. He was an avid baseball fan, assisting the Milan Little League and Milan Girls Softball. In retirement, he enjoyed golf, bowling, and trips to visit his children and grandchildren. He was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society.
Mr. Fyfe is survived by two sons, David of Alexandria, Va., and Lynn (Janet), Orion; one daughter, Lela (Lewis) Wendt, Twin Bridges, Mont.; four grandchildren, Dale Murphy, Bloomington, Ill., Michelle (Eric) Emeterio, Brighton, Colo., Brian (Gee Hae) Benedict, Seoul, South Korea, and Michelle (Ryan) Davidson, Crestview, Fla.; three great-grandchildren; and one sister, Eleanor Behrens, Sigourney, Iowa.
Mr. Fyfe was preceded in death by his wife; two infant children, Geraldine and Jospeh; and one sister, Wilma Barnett.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at Illini Restorative Care and the pastoral care ministry at St. Anne's Catholic Church, East Moline for providing the Holy Eucharist to him.
(Rock Island Argus, Apr. 12, 2009)
Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, Rock Island, with a rosary recited at 4 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Mary, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Orion, at 10:30 a.m. on April 15. Burial will be at the National Cemetery, Arsenal Island. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Mary, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church.
Mr. Fyfe was born on a farm near Ogden, Iowa, on Feb. 24, 1918, the son of William Edward and Viola Pearl Nanke Fyfe. Within a year of his birth his parents moved the family to a farm east of What Cheer, Iowa, where he attended the local country school and graduated from Thornburg High School in 1936.
Prior to World War II, Mr. Fyfe worked for a short time as a clerk for Washington Brothers Foundary in Chicago, and for Modern Woodmen of America in Rock Island. In 1942, Mr. Fyfe was drafted into the Army, served in the European Theatre rising to the rank of staff sergeant with Company "A," 610 Tank Destroyer Battalion.
While in military training, Mr. Fyfe met his future wife, Edna Marie Schaefer, in Indianapolis, Ind. After the war, they were married in Indianapolis on Jan. 14, 1946. She died in 1984. After their marriage, they settled on a farm northeast of What Cheer. During those seven years, five children were born to this couple, two of whom died in infancy.
In 1953, Mr. Fyfe took a job with Midvale Dairy in Moline, moving his family to Rock Island and then permanently to Milan. In 1973, Mr. Fyfe became a custodian for the Rock Island Public School System, retiring in 1983. In his later years, he moved to Orion, to be closer to his son and daughter-in-law.
Mr. Fyfe was a beloved family man and friend to many. He was an avid baseball fan, assisting the Milan Little League and Milan Girls Softball. In retirement, he enjoyed golf, bowling, and trips to visit his children and grandchildren. He was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society.
Mr. Fyfe is survived by two sons, David of Alexandria, Va., and Lynn (Janet), Orion; one daughter, Lela (Lewis) Wendt, Twin Bridges, Mont.; four grandchildren, Dale Murphy, Bloomington, Ill., Michelle (Eric) Emeterio, Brighton, Colo., Brian (Gee Hae) Benedict, Seoul, South Korea, and Michelle (Ryan) Davidson, Crestview, Fla.; three great-grandchildren; and one sister, Eleanor Behrens, Sigourney, Iowa.
Mr. Fyfe was preceded in death by his wife; two infant children, Geraldine and Jospeh; and one sister, Wilma Barnett.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at Illini Restorative Care and the pastoral care ministry at St. Anne's Catholic Church, East Moline for providing the Holy Eucharist to him.
(Rock Island Argus, Apr. 12, 2009)
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