Anna Ruth Altenhofen

ANNA RUTH (LILLIG) ALTENHOFEN

Newton

On Sept. 20, 2019, Anna Ruth (Lillig) Altenhofen, 96, completed her life's journey at Garden View Memory Care Household at Park Centre in Newton. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Wallace Family Funeral Home & Crematory in Newton. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Newton, where she was a

long-time member. Final burial will be held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Memorials may be left at Wallace Family Funeral Home or at the church on the morning of the service. If you are mailing your memorial to the funeral home, please add Attn: Altenhofen Family on the envelope.

Anna Ruth Altenhofen came to this world on Sept. 3, 1923, the eldest child of Frank P. and Veronica (Woltering) Lillig of Keota, Iowa. Anna Ruth spent her early years on the family farm. During the Depression, her family left the farm and moved to town, where her father operated Lillig Feed Store. Anna Ruth graduated from Keota High School in 1942. After graduation, she began working at Miller's 5 Cent and $1 store in Keota, where she was a valued employee and developed her business acumen. With the advent of World War II, Anna Ruth was entrusted to manage the store when the owner joined the service.

Anna Ruth met Keith John Altenhofen of Harper, Iowa, who had recently returned from the front in Italy during World War II. They married Dec. 27, 1945. They owned and operated a restaurant in Sigourney. They lived in Sigourney, Fairfax, then Cedar Rapids, where Keith began his furniture career working for Sears Roebuck in the furniture department, while Anna Ruth raised the first three of seven children. In the 50s, the family moved to Grinnell to operate their own business, Holiday Furniture, where Anna Ruth (now going by Ann) was bookkeeper and salesperson. In 1961, a move was made to Newton with the opening of Holiday Furniture on the east end of town. The business continued to grow with the purchase of Newton Furniture in downtown Newton and the change of Holiday to Discount Furniture.

Ann and Keith expanded again with the consolidation of both stores in Newton to a new building built on the west end of Newton in 1979 (the present day Newton Furniture). In the early 80s, they started another furniture business in Spencer with the purchase of Matt Furniture.

Ann worked full time at the business in Newton after the death of Keith in 1984, until her retirement at age 75.

Ann was preceded in death by parents, Frank P. and Veronica Lillig; husband, Keith John Altenhofen; her youngest son, Michael Jon Altenhofen; brother, Mike LeRoy Lillig; grandchildren, Emily and Sara Altenhofen; and a great-grandchild, Milo Stadsvold.

Ann is survived by daughters, Sharon Kay (Paul) Stadsvold of Las Cruces, N.M., Twyla Ann (Ken) Rush of Edina, Minn., and Cindy Louise (Joel) Peterson of Peoria, Ill.; sons, Thomas John (Jane) Altenhofen of Ankeny, Tim James (Karen) Altenhofen of Pella and Gary Joesph (Pam) Altenhofen of Spencer; 14 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. She also is survived by two sisters, Mary Jane Schaffer of Washington, Iowa, and Barbara Lyle of Sigourney.