Almeta Egbert, 88, of Kahoka, formerly of Wyaconda, died Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at her home.
She was born the daughter of Victor Magellan and Imogene Belle (Dieterich) Howell on August 12, 1924 on the family farm north of Luray.
Almeta was the fourth of nine children. She grew up on the family farm near Luray and later on a farm three miles north of Wyaconda. Almeta attended grade school and two years of high school in Luray and then her junior and senior years at the Wyaconda High School. She attended Northeast Missouri State Teacher’s College and taught at Mt. Hope school.
She married Linley Ellsworth Egbert on November 25, 1942 in Wyaconda, a marriage that lasted 60 years. He preceded her in death on October 12, 2002.
Almeta lived her entire life near Luray and Wyaconda, until she moved to Kahoka in 2006.
She was a full –time homemaker and mother until her children were grown. Almeta was employed in later years by the Morgan Oil Company and the City of Wyaconda. After moving to Kahoka, she volunteered at the Clark County Nursing Home.
Almeta loved vegetables and flower gardening at her home at Victory Park in Wyaconda. She enjoyed birdwatching and feeding birds. She was a fan of Sandra Ebeling’s newspaper column, For the Birds. Almeta was an avid reader and collector of old books.
She was of the generation that endured the Great Depression and then World War II and was forever frugal, never comfortable with extravagance or waste. She admired the simplicity and self-reliance of the Mennonite community.
Almeta was a wonderful wife and mother, a loyal and trusting friend. She will be missed by her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband; a sister, Mary Evelyn Howell; brothers Dean Elmo Howell, Loyd Victor Howell, and Emery Delbert Howell; a sister-in-law, Jean Lough-Howell.
She is survived by her daughter, Virginia Egbert Watson of Ft. Madison; sons Van Egbert and wife Sharon of Mason City, IA and Allan Egbert Sr. and wife Marie of Hebron, CT; two sisters, Edna Howell Schuster and husband Leland of Kahoka and Iva Howell McKinney and husband Wayne of Yucaipa, CA; brothers, Glen Wayne Howell and wife Virgie of Ft. Madison and Don Reginald Howell and wife Norma of Wyaconda; grandchildren, Elizabeth Watson of Ft. Madison, Jared Watson of Ames, IA, Rebecca Egbert of Iowa City, William Egbert of Cedar Falls, Allison Egbert of Medford, MA, and Allan Egbert, Jr. of Belmont, MA; sisters-in-law Helen Weber Howell of Fairmont and Freda Dillavou Howell, along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Graveside services are at 10 a.m., Saturday, November 24 at the Wyaconda Cemetery with Pastor Shawn McAfee officiating. Visitation is from 3-8 p.m., Friday, November 23 at the Gerth Funeral Home in Wyaconda with the family greeting friends from 6-8 p.m.
4 comments
Almeta was such a nice lady. When she saw me she would always call me “kid” and sometimes “Pam” because she always said I reminded her of my Aunt, Pam LaFrenz. I always enjoyed visiting with her. Her and Linley were such great people. I am honored to have known them. You have my deepest sympathy….Keri
So glad we got to have a visit with Almeta last week in Steve’s restaurant. She had just finished lunch and came over to our table, pretty in her red coat. She always called Ed “Edwin Lee” which designates that she was either from Wyaconda or LaPlata. Will miss her smiling face and friendship.
My most sincere sympathies to the family and my personal sympathy to Virginia. So very sorry for your loss. I know how you feel. GOD is with you. Take care. Judi Rink
I think it had to have been the early 1970’s the last time I saw Aunt Almeta. I only saw her a few times in my life, but remember her as a gracious lady who was always nice to me. My best thoughts go out to the friends and family that loved and knew her.
By submitting a message you grant Gerth Funeral Service, Inc. a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.