W. Eves Cadwallader
W. Eves Cadwallader
W. Eves Cadwallader
July 11, 1921 – March 2, 2016
Oskaloosa, Iowa | Age 94
Warren Eves Cadwallader, 94, of Oskaloosa, died on March 2, 2016 at Serenity House in Oskaloosa after a brief illness. Eves was born July 11, 1921 to Morris Warren Cadwallader and Mary Rachel Eves. He was born in the farmhouse southeast of Oskaloosa in which he lived all his life.
Eves was a birthright member of the College Avenue Friends Meeting (Quaker church). During his lifetime he served there in many capacities, particularly on the Peace and Social Concerns committee. He also served on Peace and Social Concerns Board of Iowa Yearly Meeting and of Friends United Meeting, a worldwide ministering body.
Eves graduated from 8th grade at the Red School in North Harrison Township, from Oskaloosa High School in 1939, from William Penn College in 1947, and from Northeast Missouri State University with a Masters in Guidance and Counseling.
As a youth Eves was involved in 4-H, earning a trip with other county winners to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. He served as a Leader of the Harrison Hustlers 4-H Club for many years.
Eves lived his faith daily, and in World War II was a Conscientious Objector. He entered Penn College in 1940 but was soon deferred to the farm because the Grade A Holstein Dairy production of milk was considered essential for the war effort. During his deferment he completed a Science Special Project at Penn, and learned beekeeping for the initial purpose of providing honey for the family as sugar was rationed. He continued beekeeping until macular degeneration forced him to sell the operation in 2011.
On August 12, 1948 Eves was united in marriage to Iola Mae Powell of Plains, Kansas. Eves and Iola were blessed with three children: Mariann Dee, Warren Lee and Jane Powell.
Eves served on the Red School Board in North Harrison Township, supporting the consolidation of the one room country schools into nearby town educational systems. Later, he served on the Oskaloosa Board of Education as a representative of Harrison Township.
Most of his lifetime was spent farming, raising hogs on a small scale while engaged in improving production records of a Holstein Grade A Dairy Herd. As the fourth generation on the land, Eves was committed to sound practices in soil and water conservation and overall preservation of the lifestyle and legacy inherent in farming.
In 1965, the dairy operation was sold due to health reasons, and Eves pursued a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling. He entered a new career, teaching chemistry at Oskaloosa Senior High School, and soon became a Guidance Counselor there. While there, he developed the Human Relations and Peer Counseling Program with a dear colleague, which greatly helped students. He enjoyed his interactions with students, faculty and staff, and the new challenges and friendships that developed.
His commitment to environmental sustainability led to the planting of 4,000 trees on marginal land to control erosion, improve water quality, and provide for wildlife habitat and recreation. He harvested lumber for projects including beautiful stools, benches and bookcases, and as his vision faded, he created lovely puzzles and breadboards. His love of woodworking was both utilitarian and artistic. He enjoyed sharing his woodshop with family and friends and lending a helping hand in their projects.
He delighted many families and groups of children with tours of the farm, sometimes teaching them to identify trees and make leaf collections. He was a natural teacher, eager to share whatever he had learned about bees, trees and the wonders of nature. He carried a lifelong sense of wonder about the natural world, which he expressed through photography for many decades, and poetry in his later years. He enjoyed writing his memoirs as well.
His love of learning and desire to share led him to start a beekeeping group that grew into the Back-to-Basics Bee Club with multi-county participation, for the purpose of educating new beekeepers in the importance of bees as the major pollinators in the world’s ecological system.
His grandchildren were a special joy to him. He delighted in their early years, encouraged their dreams and aspirations as they grew older, and celebrated their many accomplishments. He has been a significant role model for them, as well as for countless others.
Left to mourn his passing are his beloved wife, Iola; his children: Mariann Harris (& Greg) of Leawood, Kansas; Julie Cadwallader-Staub, (Warren’s widow), of South Burlington, Vermont; Jane Cadwallader Howe (& Geery) of West Branch, Iowa. He will be sorely missed by his grandchildren: Christine Elizabeth Harris, Katherine Ann Harris, Benjamin Eves Cadwallader-Staub, Mary Rachel Cadwallader-Staub, Nora Marie Cadwallader-Staub, Ryan Lee Howe (& Lucy Zai), and Jacob Aaron Howe; two sisters: Warrene Webber (& Kenneth) of Hedrick, Iowa and Eleanor (& Lee, deceased) Lumpkin of Losantville, Indiana; a sister-in-law, Audrey Burdette of Mulvane, Kansas; hosts of nieces and nephews; and many friends who will also miss him.
Eves was preceded in death by his son Warren; his parents, Warren and Mary (Eves) Cadwallader; his maternal grandparents, J. Walter and Amanda Worthington Powell; and his paternal grandparents, Morris and Clara (Kirk) Cadwallader.
A Celebration of Life service will be held Mid-April at College Avenue Friends Meeting (Quaker church) with Pastor James Tower officiating.
Burial of the Urn will be in the Friends Cemetery in Oskaloosa. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Visitation will be held the evening before the service in Mid-April.
Dates and time will be announced at a later date.
It is Eves and Iola’s wish that gifts in memory of Eves be given to the Spencer Chapel Renovation Fund at William Penn University. The address is: Advancement Department, William Penn University, 201 West Trueblood Avenue, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 52577.
The website is: http://www.wmpenn.edu/Support_Penn/Every_Contribution_Matters/
*Choose “unrestricted” and specify “Spencer Chapel” in the memo line.
