Emily Stone Reneker, 89, passed away July 13, 2026 surrounded by her family at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
Funeral services celebrating her life will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, July 18, 2026 at Living Hope Bible Church in Eldon. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Burial will be at Zion Lutheran Cemetery northeast of Douds following the service. There will be a reception at the church following burial. Memorials may be made to Living Hope Bible Church for Youth Ministries, Heartland Pregnancy Center in Ottumwa, or Cradle of Hope in Mt. Pleasant.
Emily was born in Atlantic, Iowa on November 21, 1936 to John Hughes and Margreata Marie (Henderson) Stone. She graduated from Atlantic High School in 1954 and then from Simpson College in 1958 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She taught elementary school music for one year in Jefferson, Iowa and the following year in Ames, Iowa.
She married William Daniel Reneker at the Methodist Church in Atlantic on July 10, 1959. They continued to live in Ames where their three sons were born. In 1965, they moved to Fairfield where they lived until Dan retired.
In 1998, after doing restoration to the original house that was built using home-made bricks, they moved to their Heritage Farm in historic Oak Grove neighborhood of Van Buren County, which they affectionately dubbed Reneker’s Wren Acres. It had been homesteaded by Daniel and Mary Ann Reneker in the 1848.
Through the years she had treasured friendships in the Wit and Wisdom Club, Bird Bath Bunch, Auld Lang Syne Gang, Come Double Class, Jessie Taylor Circle, Chime Choraliers Handbell Choir, Bible Pathway, Jefferson County Right to Life, Van Buren County Historical Society and Republican Central Committee of Jefferson and Van Buren Counties. She enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s sporting events and dance recitals while recognizing their academic achievements. She was thankful to have travelled to many destinations world-wide and equally enjoyed family times at the farm.
Most recently, she had attend Living Hope Bible Church in Eldon and rested in the assurance of the living hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. One joyful memory was touring Israel with Mike Huckabee in 2015 and hosting him in Douds during his presidential campaign. He was named US Ambassador to Israel in 2025.
Emily is survived by her husband Dan; sons, Steven (Susan) Reneker of Palm Bay, Florida, Scott (Terri) Reneker of Fairfield, and Jeff (Lixing) Reneker of Columbia, Missouri; grandchildren, Jaymie Leigh (Ray) Reneker of Port Orange, Florida, Joseph Li Reneker of Columbia, Missouri, Lilly Faith (Tristen) Cummings of Des Moines, and Sabrina Grace Reneker and fiancé Jonathan Watson of Knoxville; sister-in-law, Mary Lee Hoage of Fort Worth, Texas and sister-in-law, Nancy Stone of Marshalltown.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Edwin Stone and Arnold Stone.
