Ruby Brafford, 1920-2004
January 14, 2004
Ruby (Noehren)
Brafford, 84, of Des Moines,
died on Thursday, January 8,
2004, at the Polk City Care
Facility.
Visitation was
held on Sunday, January 11, at
the Westover Funeral Home, Des
Moines. Graveside services were
held on Monday at the Shelby
Cemetery in Shelby.
Ruby Brafl'ord,
was born near Tennant. She
enjoyed working in her garden,
caring for her cat, playing
cards, collecting glassware and
visiting with family and
friends.
She is survived
by her sons, Al (Melba) Noehren
of Garner and Wayne (Bev)
Noehren of Olathe, Kansas; three
grandchildren, Jill M. Noehren
of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Chad
W. (Aimee) Noehren of Cedar
Rapids and Christine A. (Joel)
Sandersfeld of Olathe;
step-grandchildren, Bradley A.
(Lori) Tilden of Cedar Rapids,
Darcy J. Tilden of Sac City and
Kimberly S. Bogs of Cedar
Rapids; three
great-grandchildren, Jacob R.
Sandersfeld, Noah W. Sandersfeld
and Laura K. Noehren; and a
cousin, Leona Knorr of West Des
Moines.
She was preceded
in death by her husbands, Carl
W. Noehren and Everett J.
Brafford; and three brothers,
Homer, Howard and Ivan Carlsen.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Naomi DeWaard, 1916-2004
January 14, 2004
Naomi DeWaard, of
Britt, died on Friday, January
9, 2004, at the Westview Center
in Britt. She was 87.
Funeral services
were held on Monday, January 12,
at the Britt Christian Reformed
Church. The Rev. Joel DeBoer
officiated. Music was provided
by pianist, Peg Eisenman who
accompanied soloist, Joyce
DeWaard and congregational
hymns.
Burial was in the
Evergreen Cemetery, Britt. Bill
Eckels and Harlan Eekhoff
ushered. Casket bearers were
David DeWaard, Alex DeWaard,
Kevin Stroup, Scott Wilson, Kent
Lemon and Chad DeWaard. The
Ewing Dugger Funeral Home was in
charge of the arrangements.
Naomi Ruth
(Zuehl) DeWaard, was born on
February 12, 1916, to Fred Otto
and Clara Isabella (Fillenworth)
Zuehl at their family farm home
near Stilson in Boone Township.
She attended the Stilson Country
School through eighth grade. She
graduated from the Britt High
School in 1933 and Britt Junior
College in 1935. She received
her Registered Nursing Degree
from the Kahler Nursing School
in Rochester, Minnesota in 1938.
Her first nursing job was in New
Mexico for two years.
On February 11,
1942, she was united in marriage
to Clarence DeWaard at the
United Brethren Church in
Stilson, and they were blessed
with six children. The couple
farmed first near Corwith, then
Stilson, and Pease, Minnesota.
In 1952, they moved back to Iowa
to a farm south of Hutchins and
in 1956 they moved to Britt.
In 1954, Naomi
began nursing at the Hancock
County Memorial Hospital in
Britt, where she worked for 28
years. She loved her work and
her family. She was very active
in her church, the Britt
Christian Reformed Church, where
she and Clarence were founding
members. She loved gardening,
canning, making quilts, visiting
with friends and neighbors, and
family gatherings.
She is survived
by six children, Jerry (and Pat)
DeWaard of Britt, Armin (and
Joyce) DeWaard of Britt, Marv
(and Cheri) DeWaard of Waterloo,
Eileen (and Joe) Wilson of Cedar
Falls, Donna (and Tom) Stroup of
Mason City and Carl (and Kathy)
DeWaard of Byron, Minnesota; 18
grandchildren, Eve (and Kent)
Lemon, Rose (and Randy) Wangen,
Shelly and (Garrett) Crandall,
Alex DeWaard, Lori (and Greg)
Krause, Kristi (and Chris)
Wendland, David DeWaard, Chad
DeWaard, Alisa (and Noah) Young,
Scott (and Jennifer) Wilson,
Sarah (and Cory) Levendusky,
Amanda (and Chad) Eldridge,
Kevin Stroup, Amy (and Coy)
Borgstrom, Jill (and Ken) Boyum,
Mackenzie DeWaard, Rachel
DeWaard and Miranda DeWaard; and
18 great-grandchildren.
Also surviving
are one sister, Emma (and Ellis)
Fischer of Ankeny; five
sisters-in-law and one
brother-in-law, Helena Zuehl,
Ann and Harm Uken, Lucille
DeWaard, Cyrena Kinseth and
Nellie Eliason.
She was preceded
in death by her parents; her
husband, Clarence in 1970; an
infant son; one sister, Esther
Bonnette; and one brother, LeRoy
Zuehl.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Wilbur Sorenson, 1918-2004
January 14, 2004
Wilbur H.
Sorenson, of Rochester,
Minnesota, formerly of Crystal
Lake, died on Friday, January 9,
2004, at the Samaritan Bethany
Heights Care Center in
Rochester. He was 85.
Funeral services
were held on Tuesday, January
13, at the United Methodist
Church of Crystal Lake. The Rev.
Gary Marzolf officiated. Music
was provided by Barb Larson who
accompanied soloist, Teresa
Wald. Roger Leerer and Bruce
Wubben ushered.
Burial was in the
Crystal Lake Cemetery. Military
graveside services were provided
by the James Rasmussen American
Legion Post 409. Casket bearers
were Dennis Swalve, Doug Swalve,
James Sorenson, Keith Sorenson,
Ed Hlllenga and Brad Sorenson.
The Ewing Dugger Funeral Home of
Britt was in charge of the
arrangements.
Wilbur Hans
5orenson, was born on June 14,
1918, on the family farm
southwest of Crystal Lake. He
was the first son of Albert and
Carrie (King) Sorenson. He
graduated from the Crystal Lake
High School in May 1936. Wilbur
and his brother, Maynard took
over the family farming
operation following their
father's illness in 1936.
In June 1942,
Wilbur was inducted into the
Armed Forces of the United
States. He was stationed at Ft.
Knox, Kentucky, from July 1942
until February 1944. During this
period, Wilbur finished his
basic training and was Driving
Instructor of Tanks and Wheeled
Vehicles. He attained the rank
of Corporal there.
In February 1944,
he transferred to Ft. Ord,
California. There, the battalion
he was in formed the 727th
Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
This unit was shipped to the
Pacific Theater of action during
World War II. Wilbur was awarded
four Bronze Battle Stars
representing his involvement in
four different invasions, which
were, the battles of East
Indies, New Guinea, Leyte Island
in the Southern Philippines, and
Luzon Island, Philippine
Islands. He also received a
Bronze Arrowhead representing
the first wave invasion of the
island of Brunei, off the
northeast coast of Borneo in the
South Pacific. He received an
honorable discharge in December
of 1945 and returned to the
family farm in Iowa.
On December 21,
1947, Wilbur and Arleen Zingg
were married in the West Prairie
Lutheran Church in rural Leland.
They lived on the family farm
near Crystal Lake. In the summer
of 1978, the State of Iowa
designated Wilbur and Arleen's
farm as a Century Farm. Besides
farming, Wilbur delivered motor
homes for Winnebago Industries,
Inc., Forest City from February
1972 until February of 1990.
He was a life
long member of the United
Methodist Church in Crystal Lake
and a 55 year member of the
James Rasmussen American Legion
Post 409 of Crystal Lake.
Survivors include
his wife, Arleen L. Sorenson of
Rochester, Minnesota; two sons,
Dean A. Sorenson of Dallas,
Texas and Terry L. Sorenson of
Rochester; five grandchildren,
Sheila Verts and her husband,
Drew of Las Vegas, Nevada, Linda
Anderson of Oceanside,
California, Katie and Stephanie
Sorenson of Seattle, Washington
and Nathan Sorenson of
Rochester; a son-In-law Jerry
Anderson of Britt,
sister-In-law, Ellen Sorenson of
Woden; brothers-In-law, Dale and
Arlin Zingg of Leland;
sisters-In-law, Ruth Charlson of
Golden Valley, Minnesota and
Mavis Holt of Cottage Grove,
Oregon; and numerous nieces,
nephews, relatives and friends.
He was preceded
in death by his parents; his
daughter, LeAnn Anderson; his
brother, Maynard Sorenson and
his sister, Lois Otis and her
husband, Mervin Otis.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Services For Seiler Infant
January 14, 2004
Funeral services
and interment for Jacob Brian
Seffer, infant son of Brian and
Dana Seiler of Sioux City, will
be held at 1:30 p.m., on
Wednesday, January 14, at the
Mount Washington Chapel and
Cemetery in Mount Washington
Cemetery in Independence,
Missouri.
Jacob Brian
Seiler was born on Wednesday,
January 7, 2004.
He is survived by
his parents; maternal
grandparents, Curt and Dianna
McDaniels of Omaha; paternal
grandparents, Herbert and Dawn
Seiler of Garner; and his
maternal great-grandparents,
Anna Smith of Oak Grove,
Missouri and Ruby McDaniels of
St, Joseph, Missouri.
The Braman
Mortuary was in charge of the
arrangements.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Walter Schlichting, 1919-2004
January 21, 2004
Former Garner
resident, Walter H. Schlichting,
84, of Clear Lake, died on
Tuesday, January 13, 2004, at
the Mercy Medical Center of
North Iowa, Mason City.
Funeral services
were held on Friday, January 16,
at the Zion Lutheran Church,
Clear Lake. The Rev. Dean Hess
officiated. Interment was in the
Clear Lake Cemetery with
military honors by the Garner
V.F.W Post #5515. The Ward-Van
Slyke Colonial Chapel of Clear
Lake was in charge of the
arrangements.
Walter
Schlichting, was born on March
15, 1919 in Goodell. He was the
son of Adolf and Martha
(Watermiller) Schlichting. He
graduated from the Klemme High
School in 1938. He farmed with
his father and then entered the
armed service in May 1941. He
served in the Army Medical Corps
with the 34th division. He
served with a collecting company
and gave first aid at the
hospital. His battalion received
a citation for caring for more
wounded than any other unit. He
was awarded the good conduct
medal. He received an honorable
discharge in July of 1945 under
the point system at Sheridan,
Illinois having 120 points.
Walter married
Marcele Hoeft on July 25, 1945,
at the St. Paul Lutheran Church,
Garner. They farmed in rural
Garner for five years, then
moved southeast of Clear Lake in
1950 where he farmed. In 1975
they moved into the town of
Clear Lake, but continued to
farm with his sons until the age
of 80. Walter enjoyed his
fishing trips to Canada, with
Marcele, being "snowbirds" in
the winter, going to both Texas
and Arizona and fixing up his
1930 John Deere GP tractor.
He served on the
Clear Lake Farmers Coop Board
for many years and was a 4-H
Leader. Walter was a member of
the Zion Lutheran Church and the
Garner V.F.W.
Survivors include
his wife of 38 years, Marcele
Schlichting of Clear Lake; four
children, Ronald Schlichting and
his wife, Sandi of Clear Lake,
Duane 5chlichting and his wife,
Roberta of Clear Lake, Jan
Eichers and her husband, Bob of
San Diego, California and Linda
Mishak of Clear Lake; five
grandchildren, Tara Schlichting
of Clear Lake, Shannon and her
husband, Michael Quigley-Johnson
of Kansas City, Missouri, Teresa
Baumann and her husband, Matt of
North Liberty, Casey Schlichting
and his wife, Teresa of Mason
City and Sawyer Mishak of Clear
Lake; one great-grandchild, Anne
Baumann; five
step-grandchildren; and seven
step-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded
in death by his parents; and two
brothers, George and Glen
Schlichting.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Clarence Boehnke, 1930-2004
January 21, 2004
Clarence A.
Boehnke, of Mesa, Arizona,
formerly of Ventura, died on
Wednesday, January 14, 2004, at
the Hospice of the Valley,
Eckstein Center, Scottsdale,
Arizona.
Funeral services
were held on Tuesday, January
20, at the St. John's Lutheran
Church, rural Garner with the
Rev. Carl Hedberg officiating.
Interment was in the St. John's
Cemetery. The Ward-Van Slyke
Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake was
in charge of the arrangements.
Clarence Boehnke,
was born on June 20, 1930, to
Charles and Elsie (Berghoefer)
Boehnke on the family farm north
of Ventura. He attended the St
John's Parochial School and
graduated from the Ventura High
School in 1948.
He is survived by
his children, Gary Boehnke
(Katherine Hawker) and Cindy
(John) Wood; his grandchildren,
Josh, Chad, Sarah, Winona and
Micah; brothers, Armand
(Marjule), Eldon (Alphia) and
Walter (Betty); and
sisters-in-law, Doris and
Louise.
He was preceded
in death by his wife, Phyllis
(Warriner); his parents; and
brothers, Harold and Roland.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Palmer J. Olson, 1918-2004
January 21, 2004
Former Garner
resident, Palmer J. Olson of
Marshalltown, died on Thursday,
January 15, 2004, at the Iowa
Veterans Home in Marshalltown.
He was 85.
Memorial services
were held on Tuesday, January
20, at the Iowa Veterans Home
Chapel. Interment was in the
Iowa Veterans Home Cemetery,
Marshalltown. The Vogel Family
of Funeral Homes was in charge
of the arrangements.
Palmer Olson, was born on August
1, 1918 in Lake Mills, the son
of Hans and Adena (Frost) Olson.
He lived in Lake Mills until he
was in the sixth grade at which
time the family moved to Garner.
He graduated from the Garner
High School and was drafted into
the Army on October 15, 1941,
and went to Camp Wallis, Texas.
Palmer was united
in marriage with Vera Hedgecock
on March 22, 1943, in
Silverdale, Washington. After
his military service ended he
moved to Mason City in 1947,
where he started plastering
houses.
He moved back to
Garner to work with his father's
company, Hans Olson and Son
Plastering. He was known for
plastering many houses in the
Garner area and for his talent
in textured plastering. When the
plastering business ended and
dry wall started, he started
working for Mercy Hospital in
Mason City as their plaster and
painter. He retired from Mercy
Hospital in 1980 after losing
his eyesight to macular
degeneration. He lived in Mason
City until he moved to the Iowa
Veterans Home in Marshalltown
due to ill health.
Survivors include
his son, John (Bobbie) Olson of
Marshalltown; daughter, Jo
(Jeff) Bantz of Mason city; son,
Hans Olson of Fairfield;
daughter, Kristine Olson of
Ventura, California;
grandchildren, Jonathan and Eric
Olson, Lyndsee and Jaime Bantz,
Rama and Hans Eric Jr.;
step-grandchildren, Jeanne
Wolken and Heather Loney;
great-grandchildren, Shaylyn and
Treyton Bantz and
step-great-grandchildren, Dakota
Wolken and Alyxs Loney.
He was preceded
in death by his parents; his
wife, Vera; his sister, Helen
Lutcavish: granddaughter,
Jennifer Nedved; and
step-granddaughter, Tricia
Loney.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Verner E. Lau, 1920-2004
January 21, 2004
Verner
E. Lau, of Garner, died on
Friday, January 16, 2004, at the
Westview Care Center, Britt. He
was 83.
His funeral was
held on Tuesday, January 20, at
the Zion Evangelical and
Reformed Church in Garner, with
the Rev. Darrell Weber
officiating. Music was provided
by organist, Mary Etherington
who accompanied soloist, Gloria
Molencamp and congregational
hymns.
Casket bearers were Dennis Lau,
Ron Happel, Graydon Lau, Mark
Lau, Doug Lau and Rob Lau.
Burial was in the Ell Township
Cemetery in Klemme, with
military rites by the Klemme
Veterans Ceremonial Unit. The
Cataldo Funeral Home was in
charge of the arrangements.
Verner Emil Lau,
the son of Emil and Alma Ella
(Haberkamp) Lau, was born on
October 15, 1920, on a farm
south of Klemme. He was
confirmed at the Immanuel
Reformed Church in Klemme and
graduated from the Klemme High
School in 1938. After high
school he farmed with his
father.
From 1944 to
1946, Verner served his country
in the U.S. Army during and
after WW II. During this time he
was in the 822nd Military
Police, which was charged with
maintaining law and order in
occupied Berlin. Following his
honorable discharge, he returned
to Klemme to farm with his
father and brother.
On June 4, 1958,
he married Velma Larsen at the
Titonka Methodist Church. To
this union two daughters were
born, Barbara and Debra. Verner
and Velma continued to farm the
home place near Klemme until
retiring from farming and moving
into Garner in 1988. In August
of 2002, they moved to the
Prairie View Apartments in
Garner.
His great joy in
life was his three
grandchildren. Verner's love of
children was always evident as
he played ball with his nieces
and nephews and gave them rides
on his horse.
He was a member
of the Zion Evangelical and
Reformed Church in Garner, the
Adam-Schaefer American Legion
Post No. 625 in Klemme and the
Klemme Lions Club.
He is survived by
his wife, Velma, of Garner; two
daughters, Barbara Burket and
husband, Greg of Minburn and
Debra Dunn and husband, Jess of
Grimes; grandchildren, Mikaela
Sue Dunn, Blake Ronald Dunn and
Heidi Marie Burket; a brother,
Paul Lau and wife, Phyllis of
Garner; a brother-in-law,
Richard Happel of Alexander; a
sister-in-law, Ramona Lau
Schmidt and husband, Marvin of
Ventura; six nephews and four
nieces.
He was preceded
in death by his parents; a
brother, Allen Lau and a sister,
Lois Happel.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Body of Missing
Ventura Man Recovered
From Clear Lake
January 28, 2004
VENTURA-The body of a
Ventura man who was
missing for six days was
recovered from the icy
waters of Clear Lake,
Friday, January 23.
The Cerro
Gordo Sheriffs Office
reported that at 12:31
p.m., the body of
Phillip Dvorak of 4 East
Lake St., Ventura, was
located southeast of the
sandbar's southern point
at MacIntosh State Park
in Clear Lake.
Dvorak's
1987 Jeep Cherokee was
recovered Thursday, 80
feet south of the point.
On Friday, officials
located Mr. Dvorak's
body 100 yards southeast
from the location of the
vehicle, under the ice.
According
to news reports, Dvorak,
42, left home to go ice
fishing after 5:00 a.m.,
Saturday, January 17. He
had an ice shack west of
the Farmer's Beach
entrance to Clear Lake.
The weather that morning
was foggy.
When he
did not return home that
evening, his wife,
Cindy, reported him
missing to the Cerro
Gordo County Sheriffs
Department.
A search
of the area was
conducted by the fire
fighters from the
Ventura Protective
Association. An aerial
search of the lake by
helicopter from Mercy
Medical Center-North
Iowa was also carried
out on Tuesday, January
20. There was no
indication that he had
been in his ice shack.
The
father of two daughters,
Philip Dvorak was a
ten-year member of the
Ventura Protective
Association. He was an
employee of the 3M
company of Forest City.
Dvorak's
vehicle was discovered
Thursday morning by Bob
Wolfram Jr. of Ventura
who decided to search on
his own. "It was just
something I had to do."
he said, adding that he
has fished Clear Lake
all his life. "I
probably know it as well
as anybody. So I took it
upon myself to go down
there and searched about
two hours." He noted
that due to the current,
the ice on the channel
has always been
notorious.
He said
that he drilled
approximately 25 holes
from one shore to the
other. "I'd get my
portable fish finder and
stick it down into the
holes that I drilled
because something that
big would show up. "I
got to the last bunch of
holes that I drilled and
put the fish finder down
and stuck my hands into
my pockets to warm them
up," he continued. "I
looked over and sure
enough, there was a
little speck of
transmission fluid."
Wolfram
called his father,
Ventura Mayor Bob
Wolfram Sr., who
notified authorities.
Formal search operations
began that afternoon. On
Friday, an underwater
rescue and recovery team
from Spirit Lake was
called to assist in the
recovery of the vehicle.
The Cerro
Gordo County Sheriffs
office was assisted in
the investigation by the
Ventura Police
Department, Ventura fire
department, Iowa DNR,
Mason City Fire
Department; Kuhlman &
Kirshbaum Recovery of
Spirit Lake, Snell's
Ambulance Service and
Meyers Wrecker Service.
Services Held
Funeral
services for Phil Dvorak
were held on Tuesday at
the Redeemer Lutheran
Church in Ventura. An
obituary is located
directly below.
©The Garner Leader &
Signal 2004
|
|
Phil Dvorak, 1961-2004
January 28, 2004
Phil
Dvorak, 42, of Ventura, died on
Saturday, January 17, 2004.
Funeral services were held on
Tuesday, January 27, at the
Redeemer Lutheran Church,
Ventura. The Rev. Daird Korth
officiated. Interment was in the
Ventura Cemetery. The Ward-Van
Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear
Lake, was in charge of the
arrangements.
Phil Dvorak, was
born on November 14, 1961, in
David City, Nebraska, the son of
Eugene L. and Lucille (Vanous)
Dvorak. He graduated from the
Odebolt-Arthur High School,
Odebolt, in 1980. He worked for
3M in Forest City since 1981.
Phil married
Cindy Meyer on July 26, 1989, in
Forest City. They lived in
Crystal Lake and then in 1993
moved to Ventura, Iowa.
Phil was an avid
fisherman and also enjoyed
hunting, camping, canoeing,
kayaking, biking, mushroom
hunting, radio-control
airplanes, woodworking,
remodeling and especially
spending time with his family.
He was a member of the Ventura
Fire Department since 1994.
Survivors include his wife,
Cindy, and their two children,
Laura and Jenny of Ventura; his
father, Eugene and his wife,
Pauline Dvorak of Brainard,
Nebraska; his mother, Lucille
Dvorak of Vero Beach, Florida;
his brother, Robert Dvorak and
his wife, Veniece of Papillion,
Nebraska; four sisters, Lynn
Dvorak and Pam Hawley and her
husband, Bob all of Vero Beach,
Florida, Roxanne LaRussa and her
husband, Nick of McKinney, Texas
and Susie Wilson and her
husband, Mike of Marysville,
Kansas; his father-in-law and
mother-in-law, Alvin and Frances
Meyer, Ventura; his
brothers-in-law, Jeff Meyer of
Garner and Rick Meyer and his
wife, Michelle of Iowa Falls;
and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded
in death by a brother-in-law,
Gary Peterson.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Clara I. Gerdes, 1917-2004
January 21, 2004
Clara
I. Gerdes, 86, of Woden, died on
Sunday, January 18, 2004, at the
Hancock County Memorial
Hospital, Britt.
Her funeral will be held at
10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, at the
St. John's Lutheran Church in
Woden, with the Rev. Arlen Lloyd
officiating. Burial will
be in the Bingham Township
Cemetery south of Woden.
Visitation will be held from
5-7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, at the
Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Woden
and will continue one hour prior
to the services at the church.
Clara Irene Gerdes, the daughter
of Albert and Adele "Delia"
(Boecker) Gerdes was born on
June 19, 1917, on a farm in
Linden Township, Winnebago
County. She graduated from the
Forest City High School. She
worked for the Gordon Field
family after the mother died,
taking care of the three
children. When Clara's mother
became ill, she cared for her
until her death in 1949. After
her mother's death, she worked
at Smith's Grocery Store and
managed the Variety Store in
Woden. She later purchased the
Variety Store and operated it
until she retired in 1981.
She enjoyed
traveling and visited all 48
contiguous states, England,
Germany, the Holy Land and
Mexico. She entered the Timely
Mission Nursing Home in Buffalo
Center in July of 2002 and moved
to the Westview Care Center in
Britt in August of 2003.
Clara was an
active life time member of the
St. John's Lutheran Church in
Woden, where she was
superintendent and taught
beginners Sunday School for
almost 50 years. She was also
the Junior Mission Band Leader
for many years. She was an
active member of the Hancock
County Historical Society,
Hancock County Memorial Hospital
Auxiliary and the Women's
Federated Club in Woden, holding
many offices in the local and
county club. She belonged to the
Woden Senior Citizens, holding
many offices including president
and was awarded Senior Citizen
of the Year for her volunteer
work.
She played a very
active part in planning the
Woden Diamond Jubilee in 1974.
She was always interested in the
betterment of Woden.
Survivors include
two sisters, Leora Ree of
Buffalo Center and Esther Denney
and husband, Don of St. Louis,
Missouri; a brother-in-law,
Eddie Nauman of George; five
nieces and nephews and their
families; and her extended
family, Gladys Helstad and
husband, Lowell of Minneapolis,
Robert Field and wife, Beverly
of Albert Lea and Lois Pearson
of Minneapolis.
She was preceded
in death by her parents; two
sisters, Alma Goeddel and Helene
Nauman; and a brother, Ed
Gerdes.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Services Held For Luverne Lewis
February 25, 2004
Word has been received of the
death of former Klemme resident,
Luverne Lewis, 73, of Bena Park,
California, on Sunday, January
18, 2004.
Mr. Lewis was the son of the
Verner Lewises of Klemme and a
1948 graduate of the Klemme High
School.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Wilma F. Erdman, 1924-2004
January 28, 2004
Wilma F. Erdman,
79, of Garner, died on Tuesday,
January 20, 2004, at the Concord
Care Center, Garner.
Her funeral was
held on Friday, January 23, at
the United Methodist Church in
Garner, with the Rev. David
Wagner officiating. Music was
provided by organist, Mary
Kopacek who accompanied
congregational hymns. Ushers
were Jim Jass and Burke
Haberkamp.
Casket bearers
were Tom Deibler, Joe Deibler,
Kim Gilbert, Philip Erdman, Lynn
Peterson and Caroline Menke.
Burial was in the Concord
Township Cemetery, Garner. The
Cataldo Funeral Home was in
charge of the arrangements.
Wilma Faye
Erdman, the daughter of James
and Clara (Martinson) Gambell,
was born on October 19, 1924 at
Forest City. She attended school
at Forest City.
On October 4,
1941, she was married to Virgil
Gordon at Benson, Minnesota.
They lived in the Garner area
where they raised their family
and Wilma worked as a cook in
restaurants in the area. In
1975, she was married to Harold
Erdman. They made their home in
Belmond.
Wilma returned to
Garner in 1981 and continued to
work as a cook at several
restaurants in Garner. She
entered the Concord Care Center
in August of 2001. She enjoyed
visiting with people and
cooking. She was a member of the
United Methodist Church in
Garner and the Garner VFW
Auxiliary.
Survivors include
her two daughters, Twyla Erdmann
of Garner and Diane Gilbert and
husband, Rick of Garner; three
grandchildren, Angie Schllling
and husband, Jeff and their two
children, Chase and Morgan all
of Garner, Brad Erdmann of Ames
and Ann Wenthold and husband,
Chuck of Jefferson; and two
step-grandsons, David Blanshan
of Buffalo Center and Doug
Blanshan of Albert Lea,
Minnesota.
She was preceded
in death by her parents; her
son, Virgil Ron Gordon; and
husbands, Virgil Gordon and
Harold Erdman.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
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Mabel F. Rensink, 1907-2004
January 28, 2004
Mabel,
F. Rensink, 96, of Garner,
formerly of Hayfield, died on
Saturday, January 24, 2004, at
the Concord Care Center, Garner.
Funeral services
will be held at 1:30 p.m., on
Friday, January 30, at the
United Methodist Church in
Crystal Lake. The Rev. Gary
Marzolf will officiate. Music
will be provided by organist,
Sara Rensink who will accompany
congregational hymns. Special
music will be provided by Marvin
Lackore, Sally Bergman, Jill
Schott and Nancy Kaduce.
Honorary bearers
will be Nathan Earp, David Earp,
Mary Rennells, Arnold
VanDenHull, Marlo VanDenHull,
Marilyn Meendering, Carol
Claggett and Thomas Rensink.
Casket bearers will be Marvin
Lackore, Pete Lewerke, Bob
Malek, Dick Formanek, David
Nedved and Stephen Earp.
Burial will be in
the Madison Township Cemetery,
Forest City. Visitation will be
held from 4-6:00 p.m., on
Thursday, at the Cataldo Funeral
Chapel, 160 E. 4th St., Garner
and one hour prior to the
services at the church.
Mabel Fern
Rensink, the daughter of James
Otis and Gertrude Independence
(Price) Earp, was born on
September 9, 1907 at Galesburg,
Iowa. She moved with her family
to South Dakota, Thief River
Falls, Minnesota and in 1916 to
Crystal Lake. She graduated from
the Crystal Lake High School in
1926. She received her associate
of arts degree from the Mason
City Junior College and her
bachelor of arts degree in
public school music at MacPhail
School of Music in Minneapolis.
She continued her education at
Upper Iowa University in Fayette
and Drake University in Des
Moines.
Mabel taught
kindergarten and lower
elementary school at the
Hayfield Consolidated School and
the Garner-Hayfield Community
Schools from 1932 to 1971.
On April 10,
1941, she was married to Arnold
"Jeff'" Rensink at the United
Methodist Church in Crystal
Lake. They made their home in
Hayfield all of their married
life.
She became a
resident of the Concord Care
Center in the spring of 2002.
She enjoyed serving Jesus by
teaching Sunday School, singing
in the choir and playing piano
or organ for services.
She was a member
of the United Methodist Church
in Crystal Lake, UMW, Methodist
Builder's Club, Iowa Teacher's
Association, Crystal Lake Senior
Citizens, the American Legion
Auxiliary in Crystal Lake and
the Hayfield coffee group.
She is survived
by three nieces; six nephews;
and many close friends.
Mrs. Rensink was
preceded in death by her
husband, A. W. "Jeff' Rensink on
September 10, 1990; her parents;
sister, Juanita Earp; and two
brothers, Howard and Claire
Earp.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
|
Robert Van Tries, 1919-2004
February 25, 2004
Word has been
received of the death of Robert
P. Van Tries, of Bloomington,
Minnesota. Mr. Van Tries died on
Monday, January 26, 2004, at his
home.
Burial was in the
Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Robert Van Tries,
graduated from the Garner High
School in 1936. He moved to
North Dakota with his family,
where he attended college and
became an industrial arts
teacher. He taught at New
London, Bensen, and Albert Lea,
Minnesota, before joining the
Department of Education,
Vocational Education Division at
St. Paul, Minnesota.
He served in the
United States Navy during W.W.
II, from 1942-1946. He was a
member of the Earl C. Hill
American Legion Post #550, was a
Master Mason of the Cataract
Lodge #2 A.F. & A.M., Order of
the Eastern Star of Richfield
Chapter #293 and various
educational organizations.
Survivors include
his wife, Alta and many friends.
He was preceded
in death by his parents; three
sisters; and two brothers.
©The
Garner Leader & Signal 2004
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