Funeral services for 94-year-old Elta E. Barker of Westbrook, Minnesota, were held Thursday morning, February 23, 2017, at the United Methodist Church in Jeffers, Minnesota.
Interment was in Memory Gardens in Windom, Minnesota.
Elta E. Barker passed away on Sunday, February 19, 2017, at the Good Samaritan Society in Westbrook.
Elta Elsena (Menken) Barker was born on November 13, 1922, on the farm in Amboy Township, Cottonwood County, Minnesota, the daughter of Tebbo H. and Etta J. (Eucken) Menken. She was baptized and later confirmed at Jeffers Methodist Church in Jeffers. She received her education from Jeffers Public School and then went to Mankato Business College for a year.
On December 30, 1950, Elta was united in marriage to Myron Sweeney at the St. Augustine Catholic Church in Jeffers. This marriage was blessed with three children, Charles, Gordon and Mary Jo. Myron passed away on December 3, 1954.
On August 28, 1958, Elta married Bill Barker in Waseca, Minnesota. This marriage was blessed with two sons, Robert and Larry. Elta and Bill made their home in the Jeffers area. Elta worked for many years as a bank teller at Jeffers State Bank. Bill passed away on January 8, 1985.
After his death, Elta continued living in Jeffers and eventually moved into the Good Samaritan Society in Westbrook.
Elta was a member of the Jeffers Methodist Church, where she was in the Ruth Circle and was a Sunday School teacher. She was a member of the Jeffers Legion Auxiliary for over 63 years and was the treasurer for many of those years. Elta enjoyed dancing in her younger years, fishing, the Minnesota Twins, birdwatching, visiting with friends, Bingo, playing cards – especially Solitaire and was in Bridge Club.
She is survived by three children, Charles (Lynn) Sweeney of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Mary Jo (Jim) Umscheid of Spencer, Iowa and Robert (Julie) Barker of Jeffers; four step-children, David Barker of Rock Springs, Wyoming, Diana Dusek of Havre, Montana, Maureen (Marlin) Palm of Mountain Lake, Minnesota and JoAnn (Pat) Flaherty of Butterfield, Minnesota; four granddaughters; four great-grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchildren; four siblings, Richard (Irene) Menken of Windom, Hilda (John) Brand of Jeffers, Elsie Vieregge of Apple Valley, Minnesota and Anne (Donald) Roefer of Round Rock, Texas; brothers and sisters-in-law, Boonying Menken of Thailand, Peggy Matter, Wilma Holck, Dick and Dudi Moots and Ron Freyholtz and a large extended family.
Preceding her in death were her parents; two husbands, Myron Sweeney and Bill Barker; two sons, Larry Barker and Gordon Sweeney; four brothers, George Menken, Tebbo G. Menken, Edwin Menken and John Menken and one sister, Esther Rasmussen.
