Barbara Ernst

A memorial service for Barbara Ernst, age 85, of Lake Park, will be held Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 2:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Park. Burial will be at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park. Barbara Ann (Telford) Ernst of Lake Park died on Saturday February 18, 2017 at the Pearl Valley Rehabilitation and Nursing at Lake Park. Barbara was born in Emmetsburg Iowa on December 30, 1931 to Charles Orville and Mary (Ferrell) Telford. She graduated from Silver Lake Consolidated School, Ayrshire Iowa. She attended college at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake Iowa where she received her teaching certificate in Elementary education. Barbara taught mostly 5th and 6th grade students in Garfield-Webb Consolidated School District in Webb Iowa; Armstrong Consolidated School District in Armstrong Iowa; Lincoln-Central Community School in Gruver Iowa; and Harris-Lake Park Community School in Harris Iowa. She married Ronald John Ernst on June 1, 1958 at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua Iowa. They traveled around, living where ever Ronald's job of working for the Rock Island Railroad took them; to places like Hope Minnesota, & Gruver, Buffalo Center, Ocheyedan and many other communities throughout Iowa. After returning to Harris in 1978 and then moving to Lake Park Barbara began work at the Lake Park Care Center as housekeeper till her retirement 15 years later. She loved her work, because she got to be with the residence, who as she would say "Spoke her language", and helping them to live a happy normal rest of their life. Barbara enjoyed having cats and dogs around; as well as watching the birds feeding at the feeders in her front window. She also enjoyed square dancing with her husband, bowling, fishing, golfing, Scottish music & poems and going to the Clay County Fair; she also became quite the seamstress having learned from her Grandmother how to do it, and she enjoyed sewing for Ronald and herself plus others she would earn income to have their mini vacations to the Casino. She was also known for finding the best worms to go fishing in Silver Lake, she would get them from the Golf Course late at night and sell to the local fisherman the next day. Barbara was also an avid ham radio operator, and when the computer came along, Barb dove into finding her family's history as well as learning about things that were ailing her. She loved to keep learning, for which helped her at the Care Center and whatever she was doing around the house. In her later years when she could no longer see things on the computer, she enjoyed listening mostly and occasionally seeing the History Channel. There was nothing Barbara would not try to fix or would get fixed to work as she needed it. Her farm girl raising taught her that with enough ingenuity you could get anything to work; plus, you didn't throw to much away, as you might need it someday to fix something else. Barbara was proceeded in death by her husband Ronald, and her parents. She is survived by her step brother Charles and his wife Jackie Telford of Rock Rapids Iowa.