Services
Obituary
Edward H. Albers, 94, of Mason City and formerly of Belmond, Klemme and Goodell, passed away peacefully with family at his side on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at MercyOne North Iowa Hospice in Mason City.
Funeral services for Ed Albers will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, January 17, 2020 at Ewing Funeral Home, 111 Luick’s Lane South in Belmond. Burial will take place at the Amsterdam Cemetery in Goodell.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 16 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Knights of Columbus Hall, 551 South Taft Avenue in Mason City. Visitation will also be held prior to the funeral service on Friday at Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond, beginning at 11:00 AM.
Edward Harvey Albers, the youngest of Fred and Anna Zell (Stadtlander) Albers’ seven children, was born January 2, 1926 in rural Klemme. He attended country school and graduated from Goodell High School.
Following high school graduation, Ed served with the United States Marine Corps during Korea, where he was twice awarded the Purple Heart. He served as a stretcher-bearer, helping carry his wounded and fallen comrades from the battlefield. When stateside, he worked in logistics, ordering and maintaining inventory for the mess hall. Semper Fi.
Upon his honorable discharge from the Marines, Ed returned to the Belmond area, working for General Mills and Soya, and later sold insurance for a number of years, earning many sales awards. He did all of this while continuing to farm the family farm, 3 miles south of Indian Lake.
Ed was united in marriage to Jacquelyn Abel in 1952, and to this union, daughter Christine Anne was born. Ed later married Barbara Jeannine Shackelford on December 8, 1967. The couple were married 46 years until Barbie passed away on May 28, 2014.
Ed participated in a number of sports, including playing baseball with the Marines, but bowling was the love of his life. Ed was a 12 time Iowa State Bowling Champion, was inducted into the Mason City and Iowa Bowlers Halls-of-Fame. He rolled numerous 300 games throughout his career and attended and participated in countless national tournaments over the years. He ran the pro shop at the Rose Bowl in Mason City for a number of years. It was through bowling that he had the opportunity to mentor many young men and acted as a father figure to them. He was their hero.
Ed took great pride in his home, and looked forward to decorating the house with Christmas lights every year. It was a tradition that he bought his daughter Chrissy a doll each year for Christmas. He loved mowing and de-thatching his and his neighbors lawns each spring and fall and grew beautiful flowers.
Ed had a very quick wit and excellent sense of humor. Everybody he knew ended up with a nickname, including his beloved family members. He was known to always share a smile and a word of encouragement with those he came in contact with.
Ed is survived by his daughter, Christine (Mike) Uhlenhopp of Alexander; step-children Patrick Dunavan of Mason City, Dixie (Jody) Holmes of Mason City and Steve (Barbe) Shackelford of Rustburg, Virginia; grandchildren Jeffrey (Amanda) Uhlenhopp and their daughter Katherine of Belmond, Emily (Chelsie Parks) Uhlenhopp of Roland, Iowa and step-grandchildren David (Jessi) Holmes and their daughters Kathrine and Lilly, Brian (Milly) Shackelford, Sandy (Jonathan) Rudolph along with their families; nieces and nephews, other extended family members and friends.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Barbie, his sisters Jennie Lieuwen, Anna Churchhouse and Johanna Albers, and his brothers Fred, Alvin and Johnny Albers.