Rev. Stephen Robine' Root Jr.
April 24, 1931 - March 26, 2003

REV. STEPHEN ROOT JR. MUSCATINE, Iowa - Rev. Stephen Robine' Root Jr., 71, formerly of 400 West Eighth Street, died Wednesday, March 26, 2003, at Lutheran Homes where he had been residing. Services will be 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Sweetland United Methodist Church with the Rev. Gerry Kahler. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the Sweetland United Methodist Church following the committal service. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Lutheran Homes Special Care Unit, the Alzheimer's Association or the Sweetland United Methodist Church. Rev. Root was born on April 24, 1931, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Stephen Robine' and Katharine May Jones Root. He married Catherine Anne Kemper on August 30, 1959, at the Sweetland Methodist Church in Muscatine. He graduated from Temple University School of Theology in Philadelphia in 1958. He served as student pastor at Roychester Park, Philadelphia. As a Methodist/United Methodist Pastor he served at the following churches: Ainsworth/ Fredonia United Methodist Church from 1964 to 1966, Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church in Council Bluffs from 1966 to 1970, St. James United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids from 1970 to 1977, West Union United Methodist Church from 1977 to 1985, Trinity United Methodist Church in Albia from 1985 to 1989, St. John United Methodist in Mapleton/Ticonic from 1989-1995, and the Trinity United Methodist Church in Hazelton from 1995 to 1998. He was a member of the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church and served on conference boards. He was very active in the church camping programs. He also belonged to the Rotary International and Kiwanis International organizations. He is survived by his wife, Catherine Root of Muscatine; one son, Timothy Eric Root and his wife, Carol Burgess Root, of Birnamwood, Wisconsin; two daughters, Annette Susan Root Stoelk and her husband, Timothy, of Adel, and Constance Beth Root Nelson and her husband, Barry, of Urbandale; eight grandchildren, Spc. Aaron Woltzen of West Union, Geoffrey Root and Sarah Root both of Birnamwood, Wisconsin, Katie Nelson, Dalton Nelson, Zane Nelson all of Urbandale, and Kit Stoelk and Jessica Stoelk both of Adel; one sister, Katharine Woodland and her husband, Donald, of Elverson, Pennsylvania; and one brother, Roger Root and his wife, Carol, of St. Peters, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, Paul Root.

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