WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Elsie Rita (Clouser) Grove, 80, of West Des Moines, formerly of Manning, died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 at MercyOne Hospice House in Johnston.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Grand Junction in West Des Moines. A private, family burial will be at a later date.
Cremation services are under the direction of Merle Hay Funeral Home of Des Moines.
Elsie was born Oct. 6, 1939 in Ames, Iowa to Henry and Ellen (Johnson) Clouser. She grew up in Ames, graduating from Ames High School in 1958. She worked for nearly 20 years with the Commission for the Blind in Des Moines before moving to Denver, Colo. where she worked in the administrative offices at Denver University. Elsie was never one to be idle and continued working into her retirement, assisting at the West Des Moines H & R Block during tax season. In the entirety of her 80 years, Elsie never met anyone who stayed a stranger for long. She was a gregarious soul whose life was enriched by the friendships she cultivated wherever she traveled.
On May 30, 1958, Elsie was united in marriage to Ronald Arthur Grove in Des Moines. Three children were born to this union: Dennis, Dena and Daniel. In 1995 she married James A. Walsmith in Denver, Colo.
Left to celebrate Elsie’s life are her daughter, Dena Davis of West Des Moines, and son Daniel (Chantelle) Grove of Coon Rapids. Her grandchildren: Thomas Davis and Shannon Davis and fiancé Josh Hayes, all of Des Moines; and Zachary Grove of Beloit, Kan. Her step-grandchildren: Tyler (Laura) Hogrefe of Olathe, Kan. and Colin (Michele) Hogrefe of Linn Grove. Her great-grandchildren: Riley and Patrick Emery; Bryson Davis; Everett and Finn Hogrefe; and Cael and Brandt Hogrefe. Her brother, Gary Clouser of Nevada; sister-in-law, Gloria Clouser of Ames; and many beloved nieces and nephews and close family friends.
Elsie was preceded in death by her son, Dennis; her husband, James Walsmith; her parents; her brothers, Galen and Steven Clouser; and her sister, Helen May.
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