Elaine Hilda (Petersen) Reker was born to Ferdinand and Elvira (Cronberg) Petersen on a farm in Rose Dell township in Rock County, Mn. on March 28, 1922. The family later moved to the Petersen homestead where Elaine attended country school # 21 until the 8th grade. She attended Luverne High School for one year completing the 9th grade. She assisted farm wives in the area for several years cleaning homes and caring for children.
In 1944 she traveled to Cheyenne, Wyoming with a friend to work at an airplane reconditioning plant as a "Rosie the Riveter" during World War II. She primarily worked on B17 Bombers. She remained there one year and then came home to Rock County. Elaine then went to work in Sioux Falls, S.D. for the telephone company.
In 1946 she met a handsome young man who had just returned from serving his country as a Ships 1st Class Cook in the Navy during the war. His name was Sylvester Vincent Reker. They married in November, 1946 and started raising a family, living first in the Lismore, Mn. area, then on the Petersen farm where Elaine grew up, and finally buying a farm in Springwater Township in Rock County in 1957. Elaine remained at home during the marriage to raise their children and provide a loving home for the family.
Elaine and Sylvester had six children born to their union, Diane, Robert, Donald, Nancy, Laurie, and John. The couple lost their daughter Laurie at two months of age in 1959 and their son Robert in June, 1969, when he was killed in action during his service in the Marines during the Vietnam War. Elaine lost her husband, Sylvester, to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in June, 1977.
Following her husband's death, she went to work at the Luverne Community Hospital in the dietary department for 11 years. She moved from the family farm into a home in Luverne in 1994 where she remained until moving to Poplar Creek Assisted Living in Luverne, in 2010. She entered the Tuff Nursing Home in Hills, Mn. in 2012 and remained there until her death on July 2, 2014.  Elaine enjoyed gardening, playing cards, word search puzzle books, baking, and especially spending time with her children and grandchildren.  Her apple and pumpkin pies were especially enjoyed by her family at holiday family gatherings.  Her faith was unwavering through the many losses in her life and it helped her to remain strong.
She is survived by her daughter Diane (Ron) Nelson of S. Beloit, Illinois; son Don (Anita) Reker of rural Jasper, Mn.; daughter Nancy (Jeff) Lange of rural Beaver Creek, Mn.;  and son John (Ona) Reker of rural Jasper, Mn. Also surviving are 11 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren, a brother Kurt (Dorothy) Petersen, and a sister Carol (Jim) Drews, two brothers-in-law Milo and Raymond Reker , and sisters-in-law Anita Reker, Betty Reker, Rita Reker, Loretta Petersen, Gwyn Petersen, and many nieces and nephews.
Elaine was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, two children, brothers Ralph and Gordon Petersen, several brothers and sisters in law, Edwin Reker, Roman Reker, Alvin and Marjorie Reker, Fred Reker, and Bernadine Reker; and great grandson Nathan Reker.  Blessed be her memory!

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