Irene A Teut

Irene Anna Teut was born on the family farm in Charter Oak, Iowa, Willow Township, on March 1, 1920 to Ferdinand and Elsie Jacobs Pautsch. She was given her middle name in honor of her father’s mother. She was baptized into the Lutheran faith at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Charter Oak on April 4, 1920 and confirmed there April 9, 1933. Irene attended country schools and went to 7th grade and part of the 8th grade at St. John’s Lutheran School in Charter Oak, then finished the 8th grade in country school. The family used horses on the farm until the 1940s and she rode one to Charter Oak when she went to Lutheran School. As a child, Irene helped with housework and on the farm, and left school in 1934 to help her mother take care of her younger siblings. She left home at 16 to work as a “hired girl” earning $3 plus room and board for a seven-day work week.
Irene met Kermit Albert Allen Teut at a dance in Ute and they were married on November 26, 1939, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Charter Oak. She was 19 and Kermit was 25. Irene and Kermit had four children—Roger, Ronald, Corvin, and Myron. After they were married, Kermit and Irene farmed on rented land for eight years, then moved in 1948 to Kermit’s father’s farm in Soldier Township. They bought this farm from Kermit’s father in 1950 for $175 per acre. The family attended church in Soldier Township and then at St. Luke’s Lutheran in Ricketts, where she taught Sunday school and was a member of the Ladies Aid. Irene and Kermit moved to Denison in 1965, where Kermit worked for a lumber yard until health problems forced him to retire in 1975. They sold their farm to their sons Roger and Ronald in 1967. Kermit became a resident of the Denison Care Center after he began to suffer from Parkinson’s disease, and passed away September 17, 1979, a month before his 65th birthday. Irene worked at Roscoe’s Jewelry Store in Denison from 1965 to 1994, when she retired.
Irene was kind, thoughtful, gentle, and loving. She was selfless, always putting the needs of others before her own. She enjoyed playing cards, and socializing with friends and family. She had a very strong work ethic. She valued her family and was especially proud of her grandchildren, great grandchildren and her new great-great grandchildren, displaying all their photos. She kept an up-to-date list of family history and never missed a birthday. She was a wonderful cook and loved to bake. She always read the Denison newspaper and the weekly church bulletin. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Denison until her death. She was a long-time active member there, as a member of the Ladies Aid as well as other volunteer activities.
In addition to her husband Kermit, she is preceded in death by her parents, Ferd and Elsie; her son, Ronald; one infant grandson, Jay and one infant granddaughter, J’Lynn; two sisters, Lavina and Marian; one brother, Lloyd; two brothers-in-law, Ernie and Russell; and one sister-in-law, Arlene. She is survived by three children; Roger; Corvin; Myron and his wife Sheri; a daughter-in-law, Carol; 10 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; two brothers, Lester; Russ and his wife Mary; one sister, Orpha and her husband Burdell; one brother-in-law, Gilbert; two sisters-in-law, Arlene and Jennie; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.