Elke F. Conklin

Elke F. Conklin, 86, of Great Falls, passed away on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Visitation will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 7, 2021. A funeral service will follow the visitation at 10:00 a.m., both at O’Connor Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow the service at Highland Cemetery. Elke was born in Germany in 1935. She lived an incredibly difficult life growing up in Nazi Germany and the aftereffects of post war Germany. She came to the United States at the age of 16 with her sister, Ellen. They didn’t know any English. She was pregnant at 17 and married her first husband. After her 4 children were born in less than 5 years, the family left Michigan to go to Springfield, MO. She attended CBI, a Christian institute with her husband. Life continued to be hard for Elke, but she persevered and got her naturalization certificate in October of 1963. Her faith in God continued to grow even when her marriage ended in about 1966. After all her children were grown, she realized she had many talents. She could make an outfit using 2 or 3 patterns. She made silk flower arrangements, doilies without a pattern, crocheted blankets, made jewelry never making 2 of the same, and last, but not least, she loved to bake and cook. Mom will be missed by many. She hung strong in her faith in Jesus as her Savior.