Donald and Helen Erb

Don and Helen Erb were long-time Boone County residents who spent the majority of their lives living just on the other side of these woods, even gifting the land where they are buried to the cemetery. Don Erb was born near Pilot Mound into a farming family in 1926, the middle of five children. Don’s Grandfather took his place on the farm, enabling him to complete his studies and graduate from Ogden High School in 1944. After graduation, Don enlisted in the army and served in the Philippines from 1945 through the end of World War 2. He was proud of his service, but his role as a gunner was difficult for him to discuss. Don would much rather revisit stories from his time as a cook, like bartering with locals to get fresh meat, which left the enlisted men eating better than the officers! Helen Hedblom was born in 1929 in Boone. The only child of farmers, she was raised a mile north of her final resting place (1359 Quill Avenue). Helen attended school in Luther through her graduation, playing on the girls’ basketball team and making lifelong friends. She enrolled in secretary school in Boone after graduation. Don returned from war and met Helen one Saturday night in downtown Boone. It was love at first sight! They anxiously awaited the end of threshing season so they could travel to Chicago to marry. Don’s best friend Glen Schwolow and his wife Dorothy served as witnesses to their August 1948 wedding. Don and Helen built their life together on the farm at 1435 Quill Avenue. In addition to farm animals and cash crops, they raised 6 children on the farm. Steve, Bob, Dennis, Barb, Brenda and Jeff grew up milking cows, feeding chickens, bailing hay, and having all sorts of adventures in the gulley that cuts through the farm. Don and Helen were generous with their love and resources, serving as foster parents to countless youth through the years. Don supplemented the farm income by working the night shift at the Firestone factory in Des Moines. The extra income allowed the family and sometimes a friend or two to vacation in Branson, Missouri every summer over the 4th of July. Don retired from Firestone in the 1980s and became the Boone County Weed Commissioner. He and Helen spent summer mornings driving the county roads on the hunt for noxious weeds. They added a month in Clearwater, Florida to their travel itinerary and welcomed anyone who wanted to visit them on the beach. Don and Helen relished their role as grandparents. They kept the refrigerator stocked with pop and the breezeway filled with treats. A trampoline in the machine shed, basketballs and bikes in the garage and a row of round haybales made their house the gathering place for their 19 grandchildren, who all grew up within a ten-minute drive. The army of grandkids were enlisted every Memorial Day to place flags on graves in the nearby country cemeteries. Don and Helen were longtime members of Open Bible Church and then Bethel Church. They lived out their faith according to Matthew 22:36-40, loving God and loving their neighbors as themselves. In addition to their faith, they leave a legacy of hard work and close-knit family to their 6 children, 19 grandchildren and 22 (and counting) great grandchildren.