Paulson, Elaine 1918-2011

PAULSON, GARMAN, KLINE, PEARSON, CRANDALL

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/8/2023 at 17:19:12

Elaine Pearson
January 25, 1918 ~ November 17, 2011 (age 93) 93 Years Old

Elaine Paulson was born to Anna Ruth Garman and Fritz Hilding Paulson on January 25, 1918 in Moline, Illinois. Elaine graduated from Moline High School with the class of 1936 and attended Moline Business College. She was employed in the addressing department of Desaulniers & Co.

On September 28, 1939, Elaine married Louis Glenn Kline from Melrose, Iowa. They began their family with the birth of their first three children, Louis Jr., David and Joanne. During the war Elaine worked at an airplane factory as a riveter.

In 1946, Louis and Elaine sold the home that they had built in Moline and moved to a recently purchased farm in rural Chariton where they began life in the country growing crops and raising livestock. Three more children, Nancy, Robert and Kathy were born. Elaine was a school bus driver for the Pleasant Township and with her earnings proudly purchased a new dinette set for the family home. In an attempt to expand their farming business, the couple purchased land in Sargent, Minnesota in 1966. Unfortunately, Louis died on November 11, 1967.

On January 25, 1969, Elaine married Lewis S. Pearson and the two continued farming. One of the highlights of their marriage was a trip to Spain in 1975. Family gatherings were very important to the couple. They even renovated their home to accommodate the ever growing group of relatives and family friends who gathered together for holidays and other special occasions. Nobody went away hungry because no matter the reason for being there, Elaine always tried to feed you. Lewis died on November 06, 2004.

As a child Elaine loved to make doll clothes and often made them for friends. This hobby followed her into adulthood where she used her meticulous abilities to patch clothes for her family until her late eighties. For many years Elaine maintained a large garden and used her produce to feed her large family. She also enjoyed her flower gardens and working outside maintaining her lawn. Elaine was a wonderful grandmother and babysat many of her grandchildren while their mothers worked. Grandma was always patient and kind and often entertained the youngsters with stories of her childhood and the many years of life on the farm. Elaine was probably best known for her couponing and recycling and her inability to throw anything away. In her spare time Elaine enjoyed listening to the radio, clipping articles and recipes and watching Wheel of Fortune. Above all she loved to play cards and taught most of her kids and grandchildren to play as well.

Elaine died on Thursday, November 17, 2011 surrounded by her loved ones at Knoxville Community Hospital. She is preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, one sister, her son David and her daughter Joanne Crandall. Elaine is survived by her children Louis (Ruth) Kline, Jr. of Chariton, Nancy Kline of Knoxville, Robert (Dianne) Kline of Chariton, Kathy Kline of Chariton, son-in-law Lee Crandall of Indianola, 14 grandchildren, 24+ great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, brother-in-law Lew Clark of Corydon and many nieces and nephews. ~ The Des Moines (IA) Register Nov 2011.