Eleanor Mae Filter, age 87 of Marshall formerly of Tracy, passed away Monday, October 1, 2018 at Heritage Point Apartments in Marshall surrounded by the love of her family. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 6 at Tracy Lutheran Church in Tracy. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m. Friday at Tracy Area Funeral Home with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at church on Saturday. Interment will be in the Opdal Cemetery in Florence. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Eleanor Mae Fust was born to William and Anna (Suurmeyer) Fust on February 3, 1931, at Henning, Minnesota. As her family moved she attended schools in South Dakota, Michigan and Minnesota. Eleanor was united in marriage to Otto Ewald Filter on April 23, 1949 at Springfield, MN. They made their home in rural Tracy and Walnut Grove. To this union nine children were born. Eleanor was a devoted homemaker, raising her children and all the chores that go with that: cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework helper, chauffeur, and playing softball. She loved children and watching them grow. She worked hard and taught them the value of love, kindness and respect. The coffee pot was always on and a fresh home-made treat to go along with it. She was well known for her apple pie, potato pancakes and fried potatoes. Her hobbies and interests included camping, gardening, bingo, playing cards and fishing. She had a special love for music and God put a melody in her heart. You could hear her humming, singing or whistling constantly. Even when her words were no more, there was humming and whistling. Otto died in 1997 and Eleanor moved to Tracy. In 2013 she became a resident of Heritage Pointe, Marshall. Eleanor was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and was a member of Tracy Lutheran Church. She was active in Do-Days, serving funerals and a Luther League mom for seventeen consecutive years. Eleanor’s prayers were answered when God called her home the morning of Monday, October 1, 2018. Eleanor was a loving wife, beloved sister and aunt, wonderful friend but most precious to her was being a mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. She was devoted to her family.
Left to cherish Eleanor’s memory are her children and their spouses: Dorothy (Gary) Meyer of Waltham, Larry (Lana) Filter of Le Center, Carol (Dan) Swanson of Janesville, Bonnie (Jim) Wall of Donnelly, Terry (Kathy) Filter of Walnut Grove, Connie Hoffmann of Marshall, Patricia (Laura Broderdorf) Steuck of Renner, SD, Lori (Greg) Torkelson of Tracy; three siblings: Walt (Joyce) Fust of Brainerd, Betty Fust of Marshall, and Ray (Sherry Kaehn) Fust of Coon Rapids; 14 grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and an infant son Roger.
My deepest condolences to all of Eleanor’s extended family. I always looked forward to her Christmas cards and letters with her beautiful tiny penmanship and great stories of her family. I met her and the family in early 1980 on our trip back to Marshall, Minnesota to visit my mother-in-law (Millie Deem). She invited Jim De Groot (my husband) and I to her and Otto’s home for dinner and we enjoyed her delicious cooking & visiting with some of their children. On another trip back to the Midwest, we stopped to visit Eleanor and Otto and she served us coffee and her delicious home made apple pie. I always admired how she sat patiently, smiling, and listening to Otto tell us his many stories. She was a loving and very kind person. Our Lord has now welcomed her to paradise and she is now united with all her loved ones and free of the ravages of her long, sad illness. I Shall keep her in my prayers and may she rest in peace.
God bless you all – Maria Luisa De Groot (Jim’s Wife)
To all the Filter and Fust Cousins:
My condolences go out to all of you during this period of mourning. Eleanor was a dutiful wife, mother and grandmother. During our visits to the Mid West during the 1980s and 1990s, we almost always made it a point to squeeze in a short visit with Otto and Eleanor to catch up on the status of each family member. During those visits, Otto would do all the talking and Eleanor would listen attentively, smiling and laughing when Otto told a joke. Even after Otto’s passing, we always traded Christmas cards and letters with Eleanor until she was no longer able to do so. She always wrote a very newsy and long letter updating us on the family events.
When my mother was transferred to the old Tracy Nursing Home (Now Park Place on Second St) in the late 1990s, I recall that Eleanor did considerable volunteer work there because my mother was always telling me about her daily interactions with Eleanor at the nursing home during that period.
I will always remember my cousin Eleanor as a silent, smiling listener who dedicated her married life to her husband and children. She is now free of the terrible illness that afflicted her during her last years of life. Our thoughts will be with the family as they struggle through this period of putting her body and soul to rest.
With Sympathy,
Cousin Jim De Groot