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Gertrude E. (Crabtree) Redmon, 91, a resident of Parkridge Nursing and Rehab Center in Pleasant Hill, formerly of Tama, died Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009, at the center.  Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 11 a.m. at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home in Tama with Rev. Dewey Grimes officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Tama. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 1 from 110-11 a.m. at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home.

 Gertrude was born on May 24, 1918 in Williams, Minn., the daughter of Clyde and Josie Irene (Temple) Crabtree.  She graduated from Tama High School in 1936. Gertrude first worked as a waitress at King Tower Café in Tama. She later began working in the kitchen there. 

After working at King Tower, Gertrude had her own café in downtown Tama until her family moved to Nebraska.  The family later settled in Carroll, Iowa, where Gertrude became a chef at the Burke Hotel in Carroll. Throughout her career, Gertrude worked for many restaurants and hotels throughout Iowa. Cooking and baking was Gertrude’s passion and it brought her great joy throughout her life.  She especially enjoyed making homemade candies at Christmas and sharing them with her neighbors. 

After her retirement, Gertrude enjoyed playing cards and reading, especially romance novels.  She also loved visiting with family and friends on the telephone and in person.  Gertrude was a member of Staves Methodist Church in Des Moines, IA.


 

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husbands, Harold Redmon and Frederick Pates; two brothers, Edgar Crabtree and Joseph Crabtree; and a sister, Della Flowers.


Survivors include three children, Virgil (Carole) Pates of Lady Lake, Fla., Helen (Pates) Calvert of Des Moines, and Roney (Maureta) Redmon of Corydon, IA; five grandchildren, Brenda (Rich) Lucas of Boston, MA, Jarrod Calvert of Adel, Erin (Jacob) McCandless of Cedar Rapids, Monica (Eric) Fitzgibbons of Austin, TX, and Nicole (Jeremy) Voss of Baltimore, MD; and two sisters, Esther Pillard of Tama and Maxine O’Hara of North Mankato, MN.


 A memorial fund has been established.

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