Eleanore E. Knuth

Eleanore E. Knuth, 88, of Davenport, passed away Monday, April 24, 2017, surrounded by her family at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf. Funeral services will be at 12:00 Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Runge Mortuary. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm Friday, April 28, and one hour prior to the service on Saturday. Burial will follow at a later date at the Rock Island Arsenal Cemetery. Eleanore was born in Brooklyn, NY, to loving parents Oskar and Emilie (Stengel) Leidenfrost. When Eleanore was five the family including her younger brother moved to Davenport where she resided for the rest of her life. Eleanore was proud to be the very first Maypole Queen at Jefferson Elementary School and attended Davenport Central High School. On June 14, 1947, Eleanore was united in marriage to Glen Herrman. They had three daughters. He died unexpectedly in 1976. She later married Martin L. “Dick” Knuth on December 29, 1981 gaining two stepchildren. He died in 2000. At a young age, Eleanore helped at her parents’ grocery store, the Quality Market on 8th and Brown Street. She then worked at the Trio Restaurant and Ben’s Gourmet House. She enjoyed caring for others, working at St. Luke’s Hospital as a Nursery Aide and later as a Certified Nursing Assistant for her dear friend Dr. Stan Bean. For 16 years, she worked at Ridgecrest Nursing Home providing health care for elderly patients including her father. After retiring, she provided home care for her mother. She was known for her smile, positivity, kindness, generosity, and was a friend to everyone. Eleanore was actively involved in the community throughout her life. She was a member of the Jaycettes, Northwest Turners, Loyal Order of Moose, Eagles, Elks, C.A.S.I., the German American Pioneer Society, and the Red Hat Society. Eleanore loved her card clubs and enjoyed playing pinochle, 500, and euchre. She also enjoyed travelling, wine tastings, hosting parties and cheering for the Hawkeyes. Her Sunday afternoons were regularly spent reading the newspaper from front to back and catching up with family and friends on the phone. Those left to honor her memory include her children: Marla (Buster) Miller, Diane (Randy) Sehmann, and Juli (Mark) Fritz; stepchildren Dick (June) Knuth (all of Davenport), and Kathie (Al) Eckloff (Prior Lake, MN); 14 grandchildren and their spouses, 18 great-grandchildren, a sister-in-law, Barbara Leidenfrost (Los Angeles, CA), and nieces, nephews and cousins in Davenport, Minnesota and Florida. In addition to her parents and husbands, she was preceded in death by her brother, Oscar Leidenfrost and two grandsons: Corey Sehmann and Matthew Miller.