Mrs. Hilkea Bode

BODE

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 1/2/2017 at 10:05:50

Mrs. Bode Observes 100th Birthday Anniversary Sunday

Mrs. Hilkea Bode, mother of Dr. W. Bode, former head of Grundy College, and of Rev. H. C. Bode, for many years pastor of the First Christian Reformed church at Wellsburg, observed her 100th anniversary at her home at Austinville last Sunday. Relatives and a large number of friends called at her home on her anniversary to extend congratulations.

Grandma Bode, as she is known to her many friends and relatives, was born in Bonderhee, Ostfriesland, Germany, in 1841. She lived in Illinois and Michigan before coming to Austinville with her husband, the late Rev. C. Bode, who was pastor of the Christian Reformed church south of Austinville for 14 years.

After leaving here Rev. and Mrs. Bode went to Kanawha, Ia., where Mr. Bode died after 14 years as minister of the Christian Reformed church there.

Mrs. Bode after the death of her husband, returned to Austinville, where she has lived since.

Grandma is exceedingly nimble in that she travels from the home of her daughter, Mrs. Peter Limburg, with whom she lives, across the street to the post office to receive her mail each day.

Mrs. Limburg said that her mother reads and writes a lot. Grandma speaks English, Dutch and German and also writes in those three languages.

In a short interview Mrs. Bode with the aid of an interpreter (she prefers to speak Dutch) said that she has voted many times since woman suffrage came in and she added that she voted for Willkie in the last election in November, 1940.

Grandma has four sons and two daughters, a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren.

Her four sons are Dr. Wm. Bode, Clara City, Minn.; Rev. H. C. Bode, Kalamazoo, Mich.; J. Bode, Kesley, and R. C. Bode, Austinville. The two daughters are Mrs. J. C. Arends, Alexander, Iowa, and Mrs. Limburg.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 16 January 1941, pg 12