Earl Pieken

Earl Edward Pieken, one of five children of John and Lillian (Pross) Pieken, was born on May 8, 1926 in Atlantic, Iowa. He attended Atlantic High School and then joined the U.S. Marines during WWII, serving on the Pacific Islands of Okinawa and Ryukyu and later in Japan during the military occupation. Earl and Donna Ogden were married on December 20, 1947 and the marriage was blessed with two daughters, Judith and Janice. In 1951, Earl became the Chief Plant Engineer for the State Hospital School in Glenwood, Iowa.
On February 14, 1955, Earl married Margaret Marie (Culver) Wood and with this marriage Gary and Connie joined the family. Their marriage was also blessed with son Hobbie. Earl was a member of the United Methodist Church in Atlantic and the Glenwood American Legion Post for 55 years. He was a member and past president of the National Association of Power Engineers and received the Engineer of the Year Award. Earl retired from the Glenwood Hospital School in 1988 and he and Margaret moved to Emerson, Iowa.
In 1998, due to failing health, Earl moved to the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Villisca, Iowa where he died on July 24, 2002. He had attained the age of 76 years, 2 months, and 16 days. Earl was preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother, sister Frances Taylor, brother Leo Pieken, and son-in-law Edward Gladwin.
Earl is survived by his wife Margaret of Glenwood, Iowa; daughters Judith Gladwin of Ft. Collins, CO, Janice Irick of Glenwood, and Connie Parks and husband Layne of Glenwood; sons Hobbie Pieken and wife Debbie of Silver City, Iowa and Gary Wood of Emerson, Iowa; 10 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.