Earl Hiller

Earl Carl Hiller was born May 18, 1931, the son of Carl and Anna Thun Hiller. He passed away Thursday, April 25, 2013, at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 81.
Earl was born in rural Arion, Iowa. He was baptized in Christ on June 7, 1931, and confirmed March 25, 1945, at St. John Lutheran Church in Charter Oak, Iowa. He received his education in the St. John Lutheran and public schools in Charter Oak. As a young boy Earl competed in Schuetzen Verein King Shoot at Westside and he worked in his grandfather Hillers blacksmith shop in Charter Oak. After finishing his education Earl attended technical school in Denison while working at a body shop. He also worked on the crew that built the Fort Randal Dam in South Dakota. Earl joined the National Guard in 1947, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in1948, being honorably discharged in 1950.
Earl was united in marriage to Delores Miller on July 14, 1949, at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison by Rev. C.W. Schmidt and to this union was born two children. After his discharge from the Marines, the couple settled on a farm near Dunlap and later moved to Charter Oak where Earl continued to farm three miles west of Charter Oak. In 1956 Earl and Delores owned and operated Earls Lanes and Caf. He also worked at the Charter Oak Grain Company and was later appointed the interim Postmaster in Charter Oak, carried rural mail and worked in the Carroll Postal Center until his appointment as Postmaster in Ute in the late 1970s to 1991 when he retired. Earl was President of the National League of Postmasters and in 1989 was named Postmaster of the Year in Iowa.
Earl was a hard worker as he provided for his family and was very active in his community serving in the positions of President of the Community Club, Crawford County Extension board, and St. Johns Lutheran Church in Charter Oak. He was a Charter Oak Boosters 4-H Club leader and helped establish the fairgrounds in north Charter Oak. He liked to laugh and in his leisure time enjoyed being outdoors golfing, fishing, and camping. Dancing and playing cards with friends were also favorite activities Earl and Delores enjoyed together. In the winter they were able to go to Florida and Texas to take in the warmer climate. In 2009 Earl and Delores moved into Assisted Living in Glenwood, Iowa, and when Delores moved to the Maple Heights Nursing Home in Mapleton, Earl returned to his home in Ute.
Earl was preceded in death by his parents; two great-grandchildren, Andrew Lauby and Charles Hiller; one sister, Sandra Hiller in 1957; and one brother-in-law, Karl Mantey. Survivors include his wife, Delores; two sons: Barry Hiller and his wife, Patricia of Glenwood; and Tom and his wife, Jean of Urbandale, Iowa; two grandchildren, Brett Hiller and his wife, Ranita and their children, Jenna and Abigail; and Melissa Lauby and her husband Todd and their son, Jacob; and one sister, Betty Mantey of Wilmington, North Carolina; other relatives and friends.

The family requests memorials be given to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Ute.