Ernest Claypool

ERNEST HARLAN CLAYPOOL

Ottumwa

Ernest Harlan Claypool, 82, died March 9, 2020, at Wapello County Hospice in Ottumwa. He was born Nov. 22, 1937, near North English, Iowa, to Kenneth William and Margaret Cora Holderness Claypool. He attended school in North English and served in the U.S. Navy. He was married to Sharon Flynn, they later divorced. On June 10, 1988, he married Mable (Bodeman) Pringle in Washington, Iowa. Ernie worked at Amana Refrigeration for seven years, worked as a farm hand near Brooklyn and later worked 26 years at River Product Quarry, retiring in 2004. They lived in Washington and moved to Ottumwa in 2015.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mable, on April 3, 2019; stepson, Danny Pringle; four brothers, Merlin, Bill, Norman and Ronald Claypool; and one sister, Evelyn Osweiler.

He is survived by his daughter, Connie (Tom) Wide of Washington; stepdaughters, Cathy (Jack) Maletta of Ottumwa, Cindy Pringle of Prairie City and Kelly (Mark) Fitzsimmon of Red Wind, Minn.; 14 grandchildren, Brittany (Andy) Rogers, Jamie Wide, Ryan Moode, Jessica (Grant) Jordan, Adam (Alicia) Moode, Chris (Trish) Clingan, Cody Clingan, Brady Pringle, Dayton Pringle, Allison Fitzsimmons, Nathan Fitzsimmons, Marissa Fitzsimmons and Stacy Walters; nine great-grandchildren; one sister, Lorene DeWitte of Brooklyn; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral service: 11 a.m. Thursday at Holm Funeral Home in Sigourney. Visitation: one hour before the service Thursday at the funeral home. Arrangements Holm Funeral Home, Sigourney.