Elaine Staab, age 100, of Remsen, IA, passed away April 7, 2026, at Happy Siesta Health Care Center in Remsen, IA.

Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Remsen, IA with Rev. Timothy Pick officiating and Deacon Doug Heeren assisting. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Remsen. Visitation with family present will be 4-6:30 p.m. on Monday, there will be a rosary and vigil prayer service at 5 p.m. all at Fisch Funeral Home & Monument in Remsen. Visitation will resume from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Services have been entrusted to Fisch Funeral Home & Monument in Remsen, www.fischfh.com

Elaine was born on October 6, 1925, in Le Mars, the daughter of Peter and Mary (Ludwig) Tentinger. She grew up in rural Oyens, Iowa, attending country school and St. Catherine’s for a couple of years. She was a junior at Le Mars Community School when her family moved to Slayton, MN, in 1941. She graduated from Slayton Public High School in 1943. She followed her childhood dream of becoming a nurse and graduated from the nursing program at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls in 1947. She worked at the VA Hospital in Sioux Falls for a couple of years before moving back to Slayton, where she continued working at the hospital until her marriage.

On May 29, 1951, she married Richard Staab at St. Mary’s Church in Remsen. The couple lived on the Staab family farm north of Remsen, where they raised crops, animals, and their seven children: Roger, Sue, Mark, Jane, Mary, John and Philip. Elaine later returned to nursing and worked at Dr. George’s office in Remsen, Sacred Heart/Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars, and later at Happy Siesta in Remsen. In November 2000, Elaine and Richard moved into Remsen. She continued working as a registered nurse well into her 80s, earning the title of “Siouxland’s Best Nurse” by the Sioux City Journal at age 83.

She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and an active member of the church guild. She enjoyed crocheting and knitting in her younger years, as well as playing pinochle and bowling with family. In 1992, she got her first computer and enjoyed research and keeping up with technology. In her later years, she liked to play Scrabble and solitaire on her phone. Most of all, she cherished spending time with her family.

Survivors include her children: Roger (Renee) of Rapid City, SD; Sue Hoesing of Apache Junction, AZ; Mary (Dave) Plathe of Remsen, IA; John (Kathy) of Le Mars, IA; and Philip (Diane) of Remsen, IA; 9 grandchildren; 5 step-grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; 10 step great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Richard, in 2004; a son, Mark, in 1972; a daughter, Jane, in 2005; siblings, Emmert (Bernice) (Norma) Tentinger, Evelyn (Victor) Heuertz, Melvin (Alvira) Tentinger, Mildred (Carl) Kestel, Ralph (Marge) Tentinger, and Richard in infancy; son-in-law, Gary Hoesing; parents-in-law, Frank and Minnie Staab; and siblings-in-law, Ralph (Rosemary) Staab, Milo (Marion) Staab, Thelma (John) Brown, and Olga (Bill) Stoffel.

Casket bearers will be Drew Staab, Tony Staab, Corey Staab, Nick Hoesing, Kylan Gerlick, and Jeremy Plathe.

Honorary pallbearers will be Lindsey Marienau, Emily Gerlick, Kristine Wolbrink and David Plathe Jr.