Hilko Schafer

Hilko Henry Schafer, 76, 0f Grundy Center, Iowa, died from natural causes on Saturday, March 17, 2007 at the Grundy Care Center in Grundy Center, Iowa while under the care of Cedar Valley Hospice. Funeral services will be at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Grundy Center with Pastor Daniel C. Graham officiating. The Grundy Center Volunteer Fire Department will take Hilko to his final resting place at Rose Hill Cemetery in Grundy Center where military honors will be provided by Grundy Center Post #349 of the American Legion and AMVETS #17. Visitation is from 4 pm to 8 pm on Monday at Engelkes-Abels Funeral Home in Grundy Center. His family has established a memorial fund that will be directed to the Grundy Center Volunteer Fire Dept., Bethany Presbyterian Church, Cedar Valley Hospice, and the Grundy Care Center.
Hilko was born October 26, 1930 in Holland, Iowa, son of Henry and Minnie (Siebrands) Schafer. He was educated in the Grundy Center School System and lived in the Grundy Center Holland area the majority of his life. He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving from 1951 to 1953, with the U.S. Army in England. He worked for a period with George Canfield as a shoe cobbler and also with the City of Grundy Center before becoming employed as a welder for Viking Pump.

He had been a member of Bethany Presbyterian Church for over 50 years where he had also served as trustee, a 56 year member of the Grundy Center Volunteer Fire Department also serving as their custodian, and the Grundy Center Police Reserve. He had also worked on the high school football chain-gang for 50 years.

Left to mourn Hilko's death are his sisters, Marie Rhoads and her husband Kenneth of Grundy Center and Esther Ubben and her husband Edward of Aplington; six nieces and nephews; and eight great-nieces and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.