Walter-B_-Eyre-95040

Obituary

Walter B. Eyre, 74, former banker and civic leader, died early Tuesday, Oct. 12, in Burlington Medical Center. He was admitted Monday night. His wife, Helen, 69, was taken to the same hospital Tuesday after learning of his death. She died there at 10:30 a.m. Both deaths were attributed to heart attacks. They lived at 916 Bartlett. He was farm representative and assistant cashier of Farmers and Merchants Bank and held posts in several local organizations in past years. He was former farm columnist for the Hawk Eye writing "Off the Cob." He had served as a member of the Burlington hospital board, and was a member of the Burlington Rotary club of which he was president in 1956. He was a longtime member of the Burlington Hawkeye fair board, a member of the Agriculture committee of the Chamber of Commerce and served six years on the Burlington school board. He was school board president in 1958. He was born March 25, 1902, at Hillsboro. Mrs. Eyre was born in Burlington Jan.4, 1907, the daughter of Gustav and Johanna Hauber. The couple was married in Burlington, June 10, 1936. He was a 1926 graduate of Iowa State university, Ames; she graduated from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Surviving: Three daughters, Mrs. Robert (Janet) Roth, Mt. Pleasant, Mrs. Terry (Nancy) Monroe, Kansas City, Mo., and Ruth Eyre, Dallas, Tex.; son, David Houston, Tex.; two grandchildren, Mrs. Eyre is also survived by a sister, Gertrude Vahl, Burlington. Both were members of First Congregational church, where he had served as trustee. He was the first layman ever elected president of the Burlington Council of Churches. He was former Des Moines county extension director and served as commissioner of the Des Moines county soil conservation district. He was chairman of the 1966-67 Community Chest campaign in Burlington and was Chest president in 1968. He served as president of the local Executives club, and in 1957 was named chairman of the State Advisory Committee of the Farmers Home Administration. He was the second male named an honorary member of the county girls 4-H club. Services are pending at Prugh's Chapel.