H. Earl Shanks

H. Earl Shanks, 85, of Mason City, died Friday, November 1, 2013, at Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, November 4, 2013, at Grace Evangelical Free Church, 440 N. Illinois Avenue with Pastor Scott Davis officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the church on Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Earl Shanks memorial fund in care of the family. Myself, as Paul desire to be with Christ. We know it requires some time in a grave, but it will seem as only a moment in the grave, when Jesus returns and believers are resurrected to be with Christ as God's will be done on Earth. Earl was born in Mason City to Leonard & Gladys (Anderson) Shanks on September 27, 1928. He attended country schools in Riceville & Nora Springs. He went on to public school in Nora Springs, where he graduated in 1948. He helped his father in farming and construction and was also the projectionist in the Nora Springs Theater. In 1950 Earl was drafted into the army to serve in Korea. Earl married Margaret (Freese) in 1952. He was a very loving and devoted husband. It was only natural to see them walking hand-in-hand. After returning from Korea, Earl worked in field drain tiling and then at the Portland grain elevator. He worked for Platt’s Construction before starting Shanks Construction and Custom Cabinets in 1965. He loved construction work and was a true craftsman. Over the next 25 years he built and remodeled many homes in Mason City and surrounding areas. Earl was a gifted carpenter and knew how to get the job done right and never saw a need for cussing. He was proud of the many homes he built by himself, especially a large one across the road from Opportunity Village in Clear Lake. He also did custom cabinetry, shipping many around the country to a restaurant chain. He passed many of his talents on to his sons and was the source of experience they turned to when building their own garages or remodeling their own homes. Earl retired in 1990, but continued to help his family with many projects. He loved to keep busy. And that was usually through a hard day’s work with Margaret right by his side helping. Earl was a genuinely good man; mild-mannered, forgiving and always ready to serve. He had a great wit accompanied by a sweet and contagious grin. Earl and Margaret were married for over 61 years and raised 5 children. Their children are Dennis & Cindi (Knapp) Shanks of Mason City, Bruce Shanks of Mason City, Randy & Cheryl (Smith) Shanks of Des Moines, Terry & Jennifer (Bridgeman) Shanks of Johnston, Mark & Linda (Shanks) Rahm of Mason City. He was also very proud of their four grandchildren: Curtis, Collin, Ryan & Sam Shanks. Earl is also survived by a sister Dorothy and brothers: Burton, Glen, David & Larry. He was preceded in death by his sister Ester, brothers: George and Howard, and parents Leonard and Gladys Shanks. Earl was ordained a deacon in 1978 in a former church. He spent many hours studying his bible and lived his life by it. He was a member of the Grace Evangelical Free Church in Mason City. A few or his favorite bible verses are: Mat. 6:9-10, II Tim. 4:6-8, Psalms 115:16, Dan. 7:27, I Cor. 15:25-28.

Cemetery:
Inurnment will be a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the H. Earl Shanks memorial fund in care of the family.

Visitation:
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the church on Monday.

Service:
Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, November 4, 2013, at Grace Evangelical Free Church, 440 N. Illinois Avenue with Pastor Scott Davis officiating.