ELAINE RUTH TOMLIN

BLOOMFIELD.  ELAINE RUTH TOMLIN, age 88 of Ottumwa and former Bloomfield resident died March 21, 2007 at Ottumwa Regional Health Center.  She was born September 27, 1918 in Wyoming to Emil and Signa Erickson Sundling.  Elaine was the fifth of six children born to Emil and Signa both of whom were born in Sweden before coming to the United States where they met and married.  Elaine married Alfred Robert Tomlin on February 16, 1936 in Sutton, Nebraska where they lived until 1942 when they moved to Iowa looking for better farming country.  They farmed near Drakesville, Iowa and later moved east of Bloomfield where they farmed until Robert’s death, December 6, 1981.

Elaine was a member of the Bloomfield Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where she was active in the women’s group, she was a leader in 4-H in Davis County and was active in Rebekah Lodge #1 where she held offices at the local and state levels.  She and Bob were members of a pitch club and loved dancing, but her true love was the outdoors and fishing was her favorite pastime.  She was not opposed to leaving the dinner dishes on the table while she made a mad dash to cast a line in the pond with hopes of catching the next meal.  She was a creative person who could construct, repair and restore just about anything whether she had the “correct” tools or not.  She was not opposed to using her shoe for a hammer if it meant getting the job done in a timely manner.  When she thought they needed a barbeque in the backyard, she gathered the brick and mortar and confiscated the grate from a furnace and commenced to building it herself.

Elaine is survived by her daughter  Roberta Joyce (Dennis) Archer of Ottumwa, Iowa, 2 grandchildren  Kevin Clair (Jennifer) Archer of Albia, Iowa and Carrie Denise (Eric) Hines of Denver, Colorado and a great grandson Gavin Robert Archer.

She was preceded in death by her parents;  her husband  Bob and her siblings  Melvin Sundling, Hjalmer Sundling, Burnette Sundling, Adeline (Sundling) Bingel and Ina (Sundling) Wilson.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM Saturday  March 24, 2007 at the Bloomfield Christian Church with Rev. James Wakelin officiating.  Burial will be in the IOOF Cemetery in Bloomfield, Iowa.  Visitation will begin at 1:00 PM Friday at the Wagler Funeral Home in Bloomfield with the family present from 6:00-8:00 PM.  Memorials have been established to the Rebekah Lodge and the Bloomfield Christian Church.