Jewel D Aeilts

Jewel D. Aeilts, 96, of Carthage, passed away Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 7:40 PM at Memorial Hospital in Carthage.

Jewel was born August 14, 1927 in Britton, South Dakota. She was the daughter of Howard and Ellen (Rapp) Carson. While living in South Dakota, she graduated from Langford High School and received her teaching certificate from Northern State University in Aberdeen. On June 18, 1950, Jewel married Lester Aeilts. He preceded her in death in 2006.

One of Jewel’s favorite Bible verses was Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Through her trust and obedience to the Lord, Jewel served her family and community faithfully in her time on earth. She worked as an elementary school teacher and also taught Sunday School for years. Jewel intentionally invested in the lives of others by serving in many local community organizations such as Girl Scouts, Meals on Wheels, Shepherd’s Pantry, and reading to residents at local care centers. She loved writing personal notes to people for special occasions, holidays, and birthdays. One of the many gifts to her grandchildren was a $5 bill tucked inside a note card for each holiday and her singing “Happy Birthday” over the phone. She loved cheering on her children and grandchildren in different school and sporting events, making it a priority to show up and be present. 

Many people remember Jewel from the piano lessons she taught and her enjoyment of sitting in the double glider swing.  From the swing and on the many camping vacations, she loved identifying birds by song and sight.  Jewel loved music and sang in church and community choirs.  She also sang a hymn out loud every day.  She enjoyed reading and especially American and WWII history.  She always referred to her books as “work stoppers”.

She loved her family deeply and prayed fervently for each individual every single day. In her lifetime, Jewel modeled what it looked like to trust in the Lord and follow His will. We may never fully know the impact that she had on earth, but it is safe to assume that we will be reaping the many seeds planted by her obedience to the Lord throughout eternity.

Jewel is survived by her children, Mary (Sam) Wood, of Elvaston, IL, Marcia Hodges, of Oakland, CA, Douglas (Pamela) Aeilts of Hannibal, MO, Faith Aeilts of Louisville, KY, Mark (Nina) Aeilts of St. Joseph, MO and Marilyn (Jeff) Blucker of Galesburg, IL; grandchildren Sara (Bill) Barker of Central, SC, Carrie Wood of Macomb, IL, Laura (Brandon) Gumbiner of Dixon, IL, Ryan (Lindsay) Wood of Carthage, IL, Jason (Ashley) Aeilts of Camp Point, IL, Jeremy (Katherine) Aeilts of Wildwood, MO, Hannah (James) Rosenkrans of Palmyra, MO, Nate (Armila) Aeilts of Madison, WI , Andrew (Nicole) Aeilts of Pella, IA, Kelly (Andrew) Cooke of Loda, IL, Amy (Zac) Nehls of Essex, IL, and Emily Blucker of Bourbonnais, IL, one brother, Floyd Carson of Brookings, SD, and a sister-in-law, Gwen Carson of Bemidji, MN.

The great grandchildren are Aidin, Catharine, Isaiah & Rebecca Barker, Isla & Evanston Gumbiner, Ivan, Emmy, Anna and Thompson Wood, Noah & Cora Aeilts, Rowan & Felicity Aeilts, Adelaide, Analynn & Lester James Rosenkrans, Connor Cooke, Henry Nehls, and Barrett Aeilts.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Lester: a son, Randall Aeilts; two sisters, Carol Anderson and Hazel Erickson; and two brothers, Dale and Bruce Carson.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday morning, September 30, 2023, at Printy Funeral Home in Carthage with burial to follow in Moss Ridge Cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM until time of services at the funeral home.  Memorials may be directed to the Memorial Hospital Foundation for the Grow Our Own scholarship campaign, The 'Grow Our Own' campaign seeks to raise scholarship funds that will be used to support Memorial Hospital, Memorial Medical Clinics, and Hancock County Senior & Childcare team members in their pursuit of higher education and certification completion. https://www.mhtlc.org/foundation/donate/.  Printy Funeral Home of Carthage is in charge of arrangements.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.