Erma L. Grill

Erma Laverna (Rohlk) Grill was born the second of eight children to Hans and Rhoda (Goettsch) Rohlk on a farm in southern Cherokee County on November 3, 1917. She spent her childhood on the Rohlk ancestral farm northeast of Holstein, Iowa. She received her education in Galva Township #4 school following which she entered domestic service in the Holstein area and in Storm Lake and Odebolt.
On August 4, 1939, she married Octavus Grill at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa, with her sister Esther and her husband, John Ehlers, as witnesses. In 1940 they took over the operation of the Grill family farm southeast of Schleswig at 2426 F Ave. She shared in the efforts and rewards of farm life which also included hardships such as losing almost all of her possessions in a house fire.
She was a gentle soul who enjoyed visiting and possessed a near encyclopedic knowledge of birth dates and relationships. She always conducted herself with dignity and decorum and made friends easily. She enjoyed a wide variety of craft work from quilting to embroidery, to seasonal decorations as well as gardening. She was a member of the United Church of Christ, the Ladies Aid Society, and the Schleswig Senior Citizens.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Hans and Rhoda Rohlk; her husband, Octavus; a daughter, Rosesarah, in infancy; four sisters: Esther (Mrs. John Ehlers); Dorothy (Mrs. Wesley Volkert); Frances (Mrs. Thomas Pope) of Sioux City; and Florence Rohlk of Ida Grove; and brothers: Wilbur Rohlk and Wesley Rohlk of Ida Grove; brothers-in-law, John Ehlers of Holstein and Wesley Volkert of Aurelia; and sister-in-law Marian Rohlk of Ida Grove. She is survived by two sons: Larry Grill of Schleswig; Bruce Grill & daughter-in-law, Mary Jo of Hot Springs, South Dakota; and a brother; Delbert (Sheila) Rohlk of Ida Grove; brother-in-law Thomas Pope of Sioux City; sister-in-law Mary Rohlk of Ida Grove; three grandchildren: Jeff (Diana) Grill of Ardmore, South Dakota; Laurie (Vern) Ward, of Fruitdale, South Dakota, and Brad (Trixie) Grill of Hot Springs, South Dakota; nine great-grandchildren: Chance, Taylor & Cade Grill, Fehrin, KeAnna, Sierra, and Mataya Ward, and Braden & Brylee Grill; and a number of nieces and nephews and other relatives.