Ethelyn Flora, 92 / Oct. 20, 1918 — April 24, 2011
Published 8:34 am Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ethelyn M. Flora, 92, of Oak Street in Niles, died at 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 24, 2011 at West Woods of Niles following an extended illness.
Flora
She was born Oct. 20, 1918 in New Market, Iowa to Thomas A. and Jesse (Shore) Harris. She graduated as valedictorian from New Market High School; completed her teaching certification two years later at Northwest Missouri State Teacher’s College; earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University; and earned a master of science degree from Michigan State University. She also completed 30 hours of post-graduate work at Eastern Michigan University.
Mrs. Flora began her teaching career in one-room schoolhouses in Iowa, and taught in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana prior to moving to Niles in 1945. She taught English at Ring Lardner Junior High School for 25 years, and retired in 1987, completing a 50-year teaching career.
She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Niles. She was also a member of the local, state and national education associations and the local and state retired educator associations; was a member of the American Association of University Women and the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Sorority; the Niles Piecemakers Quilt Club; and was a founding member of the Ring Lardner Retirees’ quarterly luncheon.
Ethelyn enjoying traveling, completing nine trips to Europe; and extensive tour of China;l and visits to 44 of the states and five Canadian provinces. Yellowstone National Park was a favorite return visit. She was also an avid reader of books, newspapers and magazines; a genealogist of her family’s lineage; and a seamstress with a special interest in quilting.
On Aug. 8, 1944 in Chicago, she married George William Flora, who was also a teacher. He was a director of the music department at Niles High School and choir director at First Presbyterian Church. George died unexpectedly on Aug. 7, 1969, one day short of their 25th wedding anniversary.
Ethelyn is survived by their children, Margaret Ann McClintic of Houghton Lake, Mich. and Robert Harris (Paulette) Flora of Troy, Mich.; granddaughters, Jessica (Brian) Rauch and Erin (David) Tanenbaum; great-grandsons, Derek Michael and Ian Joshua Rauch; step-granddaughter, Sarah Pallazzolo; and Ethelyn’s sister-in-law, Mary (Lyle) Harris of Clarinda, Iowa; and a dear friend, Carol Lans of Niles.
In addition to her husband, Ethelyn was preceded in death by a daughter-in-law, Robert’s first wife, Dinah Bundy; and a brother, Lyle V. Harris.
The funeral service for Ethelyn M. Flora will be at 11 a.m. Monday, May 2 at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles with the Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence of First Presbyterian Church officiating.
Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.
The family will receive friends and relatives from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
Contributions in memory of Ethelyn may be made to the scholarship program of Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International.
