Luella S. “Lu” Wiese, 99, a resident of Eldridge, passed away on Friday, June 23, 2023, at the Grand Haven Retirement Community in Eldridge, where she had resided since 2013.
A service to celebrate her life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, at Faith Lutheran Church in Eldridge, where she and her late husband, Bob, were charter members. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the church. She will be laid to rest at Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Faith Lutheran Church or the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Department. Chambers Funeral Home of Eldridge is assisting the family with arrangements.
She was born on a farm near Stockton on Oct. 29, 1923, the daughter of Walter and Malinda (Meinert) Stark. Lu attended a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from Durant High School in 1941.
On March 28, 1942, she was united in marriage to Robert L. “Bob” Wiese at Edwards Congregational Church in Davenport. Bob preceded her in death on Oct. 28, 2013.
Bob and Lu were active members of the Eldridge community for many years. She worked at the family business, Wiese Hardware & Implement in Eldridge for 25 years and later, served as the assistant city clerk of Eldridge for 20 years.
Lu was a member of the Eldridge American Legion Auxiliary Post 0639 and volunteered for many years with the North Scott Food Pantry and the meal-site at the Eldridge Community Center.
She was a tireless volunteer in numerous community projects over the years and was instrumental in preparing the commemorative book for the Eldridge Centennial celebration. In 2021, Lu was named grand marshall of the Eldridge Sesquicentennial Celebration. In gratitude for their commitment to Eldridge, the city named a park and street with the Wiese name.
She was a faithful blood donor and had given over nine gallons of blood over the years.
Those left to honor her memory include her son, David (Kay) Wiese of Scottsdale, Ariz.; her grandchildren, Mark (Natalie) Wanzel of Valley Park, Mo., John Wanzel of Chicago, and Eric Wanzel of Vashon, Wash.; her great-grandson, Alex Wanzel; her son-in-law, Robert Wanzel of Manchester, Mo.; and her close and special friends, Connie Braet, Barb LaFrenz, Judy Kirby and Cheryl Arp.
In addition to her husband, Lu was preceded in death by her daughter, Mary L. Wanzel on July 6, 1995, and her brother and sister-in-law, Harold and Mary Stark.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the wonderful staff at Grand Haven for their loving care and to Genesis Hospice for their professional and compassionate help given to Lu during the last few days.
Condolences may be expressed to the family by viewing her obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.
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