Baker City, Oregon
Elizabeth M. Gronke, 87, of Baker City, died Jan. 16, 2001, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
Her graveside funeral will be Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 1 p.m. at City View Cemetery in Salem. Pastor John Maas of Christ Lutheran Church will officiate.
Mrs. Gronke was born March 3, 1913, at Aurora to Henry and Hulda Ida (Kupkee) Muessig. She was raised across the river from Wilsonville and received her schooling in Wilsonville and Canby.
After graduation from high school, she attended one year of nursing training until her marriage took priority. On Aug. 20, 1933, she married Otto William Gronke at the Meridian Reformed Church, otherwise known as the “Frog Pond Church,” in Wilsonville. They made their home in Salem.
In 1998 Mrs. Gronke moved to Baker City, where her daughter lives.
Mrs. Gronke loved singing in the church choir and playing her organ, a skill she taught herself. She also enjoyed painting, drawing, cooking and gardening. She was a member of the Christ Lutheran Church in Salem and an associate member of the First Lutheran Church in Baker City.
Mrs. Gronke is survived by her daughters and their husbands: Ida Jo and Bill Bradford of Salem, Barbara and Frank Robinson of Tacoma, Wash., and Charlene and Robert Carlton of Baker City; nine grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Otto; and by two brothers and two sisters.
Contributions in Mrs. Gronke’s memory may be made to the First Lutheran Church in Baker City or Christ Lutheran Church in Salem, in care of Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, January 19, 2001
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor