Obituary of Elnora Williams

Edith Elnora was born December 10, 1924 to Russell and Hazel (Taylor) McAlpin in New Market, Iowa.  She passed away on October 30, 2019 at Clarinda Regional Health Center.

Edith Elnora Williams was a wonderful woman.  But you didn't dare call her Edith.  For some reason, she never liked that name and always went by Elnora.  Of course, when son, Kevin, found that out, he loved calling her Edith just to tease her.  But you had to be careful teasing Mom.  She could dish it out just as well as she could take it.  And she often dished first.  If you happen to be watching a football game with her (she did like to watch football) she would ask which team you were rooting for just so she could root for the other team.  (I really hated that).  

She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to have fun with people.  Even toward the end of her life, as she lay in her hospital bed, one of the nurses came in and softly asked her if there was anything at all she could get for her.  Mom, barely able to speak, replied, "You got any money?"   Joking until the end. 

Mom was never one to just sit around and do nothing.  And with a family of nine kids, there was always something to take care of, and she did.  Even with a full-time job working nights at the Clarinda Company, she still found the time to get things done.  She cooked, she cleaned, she canned, she shopped, she did the wash, hung clothes on the line, did ironing (LOTS of washing...LOTS of ironing), Even with all this she still found time to work in our big garden and yard.  And, when Dad got ill and became bed-ridden, she took care of him at home until the day he died. 

Mom did a lot of things very well.  One of things she really loved to do was bake.  Well, I guess I can't say she really loved to bake but the whole family really loved her baking.  She would prepare a big batch of raw dough, put it in a dishpan covered with a damp tea towel and place it at the top of the first set of stairs to rise.  Then she would make the best buns, loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls and fried bread!  Grandma taught her well.  I will say that having the pan of raw dough at the top of the first set of stairs wasn't always the best place.  I'm positive that more than one of us kids opened that stair door unaware of what our next step was going to put us in.  Thank goodness for the tea towel.  

Canning was an especially "fun" thing our mother did.  I say "fun" because we kids were always volunteered to help.  Our Uncle Jimmy would bring us (or we would go pick) ears and ears of sweet corn.  If you've never shucked and cut sweet corn on a warm, humid, sticky day, you don't know what you're missing.  Mom (and Grandma) also canned tomatoes, beets and made homemade pickles.  I have to say, for a family of eleven, though we certainly weren't "rich", we always ate very well.  

There's so much more that could be written about our mother but I have very little time and this needs to get wrapped up.  But I have to add that our mother was one of the kindest, most caring people on this earth.  Most of our friends called Mom "Mom" and they still do.  She was always inviting and always had a kind word to say or something funny to make you laugh.  And, anyone that knew our mom well, knew that she had a faith in God as strong as anyone could have.  Amazingly, she used to say that she was concerned that she wouldn't make it to heaven.  I told her that if that were true, then the rest of us don't have a prayer of making it.

Elnora is preceded in death by her parents; husbands: Ivan Winter, Francis Fahey and Calvin Williams; son Kris, daughter Mary Lou and sister Lucille.

She is survived by her daughters, Mary Grebert, Kathleen Briggs and Kristine (Dwight) Wagoner; sons, Paul (Delinda) Fahey, Mike (Shelly) Fahey, Pat (Nancy) Fahey, Kevin Fahey and Eugene (Becky) Fahey; brother Jim McAlpin; 21 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren.

If our mom isn't in heaven right now talking with God, then there is no heaven.

We miss you, Mom, will always think of you and will love you forever!!!