Elinor Almquist, 97

Elinor F. Almquist, 97, Red Oak, passed through death to life with Christ forever on Monday, April 6, 2026, at Montgomery County Memorial Hospital.
Elinor Frances Chase was born May 6, 1928, in Ames, the third of five sisters. Her parents, Nellie Shaw Chase, originally from Grinnell, and Francis Chapin Chase, from Royalston, Mass., met at the Iowa State College (ISC) Library.
Elinor attended elementary and high school in Ames, graduating in 1946. While still in high school, she worked at various ISC departments to earn money for college expenses. She graduated in 1950 with a bachelor of science degree in Home Economics (Food minor) and Journalism. She held a job writing and editing for a trade journal in Marshalltown, then returned to Ames to join the ISC Alumni office staff.
Life changed when she met Erland Almquist, a native of southwest Iowa, who had come to Ames to attend his sister’s wedding. Erland and Elinor were married on March 21, 1954, in the First Congregational Church, Ames. They lived on a farm south of Wales, near Red Oak. Two children were born, Dennis in 1956 and Mary in 1958. A few years later they moved to Red Oak and two more little girls were added, Sharon in 1962 and Diane in 1965.
Elinor worked in Red Oak for many years, first as a bookkeeper for Dannen Mills, Inc., where she learned much useful knowledge about farming and trucking for a “city girl.” Later she used her background in publishing to work as a proofreader in the composing room of the Thomas D. Murphy Company, a position she held for 27 years. She also worked five more years in the production department after the company was sold to JII/SPAI, retiring in 1995.
Elinor was a longtime member of the VFW Auxiliary, active in Post 1107 in Ames, 2265 in Red Oak (where she was treasurer for several years), and currently Post 7064 in Tabor. She was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and active in its women’s group, tying quilts. In her younger years, she also played the piano and violin.
 She was an avid bowler, starting in a league in Marshalltown, then Ames, and was a bowler in Red Oak for more than 40 years. Elinor loved to play Scrabble and was very competitive. She also enjoyed Boggle and other word games and regularly completed the daily crossword puzzle and Jumble in the newspaper. Her hobbies also included reading, doing jigsaw puzzles, and cheering on ISU sports teams.
Left to cherish her memory are her son, Dennis (Brenda) Almquist, and daughter, Mary (Wallace) Wanek; two sons-in-law, Philip Napolitano and Daniel (Judy) Schweer; eight grandchildren, Lane Almquist, Carly Almquist, Kathryn Napolitano, John Napolitano, Brian (Stephanie) Schweer, Lynn Schweer, Sandra (Josh) Walker, and Carlene (Austin) Keeler; three great-grandchildren, Emily Walker, Henry Keeler, and Finley Keeler; several nieces and nephews and their families, her church family, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Erland Almquist; two daughters, Sharon Napolitano and Diane Schweer; four sisters, Doris Cascio, Betty Chase, Janet Collins, and Mary Geiger, as well as her parents, Francis and Nellie Chase, and other relatives.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, with burial in the Evergreen Cemetery. The visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, at Sellegren-Lindell-DeMarce Funeral Home.
Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.sldfuneralhome.com. Memorials may be given to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Red Oak, or for wishes of the family, c/o Dennis Almquist.
Sellergren-Lindell-DeMarce Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.