Fred Bunce Obituary

Fred M. Bunce
1924 – 2018

Fred M. Bunce age 94, died on Dec 26, 2018 at Bethany Manor, in Story City, Iowa. A gathering of friends and family will be 4-6:00 p.m. Wed. Jan. 9, 2019 at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care 414 Lincoln Way, Ames, with a 11:00 a.m. Thur. Jan. 10, funeral service at First United Methodist Church, 516 Kellogg Ave Ames. Burial will be at Ames Municipal Cemetery.

Fred Melvin Bunce, Jr. was born on March 3, 1924 in Valley Junction, Iowa (currently West Des Moines) to Helen Irene (Webster) Bunce and Fred Melvin Bunce, Sr. Fred’s parents divorced when he was 8 years old and he and his sister Phyllis Jean lived with their maternal grandparents, Nellie and Dennis Webster while their mother worked. Fred graduated from Valley High School in 1941 and was involved in chorus, band (tenor sax) and basketball. After graduation, Fred worked as an errand boy for Riggs Optical in Des Moines, Iowa and was promoted to on-the-job training to make eyeglasses and become an optician. On January 23, 1943, Fred received his notice for induction into the Army and proudly served his country for 3 years, 18 months of which he served as Supply Sergeant in a “MASH” Hospital Unit in the Philippines. Returning home in January 1946, he met the love of his life, Virginia Ripley, at a church potluck by setting his plate down next to hers and asked to walk her home. Fred and Virginia were married on July 24, 1946, in West Des Moines, Iowa where they lived and started their family. Fred was hired by the House of Vision in March of 1950 and in 1954 was promoted to be manager of the newly opened House of Vision in Ames, located in the Sheldon Munn Hotel. In 1967, Fred received a call from Des Moines Savings and Loan asking him if he would consider changing careers. On July 1, 1967, Fred became the manager and loan officer for the Ames Branch of Des Moines Savings and Loan (Midland Financial and now currently Bank of the West). Fred retired in February of 1986. Fred’s retirement only lasted one year and in 1987 he became the Iowa/Nebraska District Secretary for Kiwanis. Fred and Virginia were successful managers and organizers for this organization with record numbers attending regional conventions, international trips and just overall good times. They had the good fortune to visit many countries through their association with Kiwanis International. Fred and Virginia retired from their Kiwanis duties in 2000. Kiwanis was a very important aspect of Fred’s life. Fred was always the first flipper at Kiwanis Pancake days! He was honored at a Kiwanis meeting for his 60 years of perfect attendance in 2016. Fred also sang in the Golden K Singers.

Kiwanis was not the only thing close to Fred’s heart – he was an ISU Cyclone through and through. Upon moving to Ames, he held season football and men’s basketball tickets. He supported the Cyclones through thick and thin. He was one of the founders of the Ames Chamber of Commerce Cyclone Club. The Cyclone Club found an old fire truck which they painted Cardinal and Gold for the VEISHEA Parades. 

Fred not only supported the Iowa State Cyclones, he also supported Ames High athletics. He and Virginia were known for hauling a carload of high school girls to out of town games. Fred also served for 20 years as the “voice of the Little Cyclones” as the PA announcer for all of the Ames High School football and basketball games from 1967-1987. For this service, Fred received an Honorary Alumnus Award from Ames High School in 1993.

Fred was very involved in the Ames Community, serving as the President of the Ames Chamber of Commerce, faithful member of the First United Methodist Church, Noon Kiwanis and Golden K Kiwanis Clubs, Kiwanis District Governor, Cyclone Club.

Fred lovingly nursed Virginia through her 13 year battle with breast cancer and she passed away in March 2002. Six months after her death, Fred was at a dinner in Alleman and “ran into a gal” (from Sheldahl), that he had dated prior to going into the Army in the 1940s. After dating, he and Dorothy Trumbull Perrier decided to “elope” on May 5, 2005 (a date easy for Fred to remember). 

Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia; second wife, Dorothy, his sister, Phyllis Rodine; his parents and grandparents.

Fred is survived by his three daughters, Sharon Boen, Susan Fraser and Sandy Popelka (David). He is also survived by grandchildren Timothy Hanway (Cheryl), Michelle Hanway Thurman (Walter), Nichol Fraser Lyftogt (Jason), Tyler Fraser (Jennifer), Kristofer Popelka (Dawn), and Kraig Popelka, 13 great grandchildren. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. 

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be forwarded to the First United Methodist Church or Kiwanis International.

Tom Leimer Obituary

Tom Leimer

1927-2019

Thomas R. Leimer, 91, of Slater died Sunday, January 6, 2019, at Mary Greeley Medical Center.
Visitation will be Friday, January 11, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Soderstrum Funeral Home, 312 Main St., in Slater, Iowa. Funeral Mass will be Saturday, January 12, 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ames, Iowa.
Thomas Raymond Leimer was born on May 17, 1927 in Hancock, Michigan, to Raymond and Marcella (Hild) Leimer. He married Rachel L. Fralick on June 14, 1952, in St. Paul, MN. Thomas and Rachel had been residents of Slater since 1965.
Tom graduated from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, with a bachelor’s degree and was awarded a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas. He continued his studies at University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, and in 1961 received his degree in Educational Administration. He taught high school in Minnesota before moving to Iowa to become the principal of Ballard High School, 1965 – 1967.
He retired in 1996 after a long career working for the Iowa Department of Transportation in Ames. Tom enjoyed serving his community as well as taking part in several hobbies. He served as Treasurer of the Slater Historical Society, Lieutenant Governor of the Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanis, and as a member of the Ames Woodworking Club. Tom enjoyed building furniture, beautiful household items, and what gave him great pleasure: wooden toys for his grandsons. His creative nature allowed him to construct uniquely designed clocks and display racks that he shared with his sons and daughters.
He is survived by one sister, Margaret Thon of Edina, MN; six children, Teresita Leimer, of Cancun, Mexico, Dr. Ann Marie Leimer (Jesús M. M. Garza) , of Fort Worth, TX, Marcella (Steve) Van Oel, of Seattle, WA, Timothy (Lisa) Leimer, of Urbandale, IA, Nicholas Leimer (Amy Glaser), of Kansas City, MO, and Renée (Mark) Cuvelier, of Cresco, IA; and seven grandchildren — Maressa Mayhugh, Matt Cuvelier, Spencer Cuvelier, John Leimer, Joe Leimer, Eric Leimer, and Pete Leimer.
He was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister Marcella Leimer Rierdon, and wife, Rachel.
He will be laid to rest in the hillside columbarium of St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, next to his wife, Rachel at a future date.

Lowell Richardson Obituary

Lowell Richardson

1928-2018

His name was Lowell Richardson, but to us, he was Dad and Grandpa. Lowell Estle Richardson was born August 3, 1928, to James and Leta Richardson in Gravity, Iowa. He graduated from Bedford High School in Bedford, Iowa, in 1946. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1951 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. On April 29, 1950, he was united in marriage to Doris (Davault) Richardson in Creston, Iowa.
He was employed at the DOT for 43 years. He was instrumental in the development of the Iowa Interstate System. He was awarded the IPWA Man of the Year Award in 1975. He retired as Director of the Office of Local Systems in 1993, and he was given the Special Services Award by the Iowa County Engineers Association. He was inducted as a “Hero” in the Iowa Transportation Hero’s Center in 2014.
Lowell shared his love of antiques, gardening and traveling, with his wife, especially his variations of tomato plants. He loved playing and watching golf. He and his wife were charter members of The Ballard Golf and Country Club. He loved socializing with many friends from his coffee groups and was a member of the Kiwanis organization.
He was a man of many accomplishments, but it was family that was very important to Lowell – especially the weekly Sunday family gatherings at his and Doris’s home. He was an avid Cyclone fan. It was fitting that he passed peacefully surrounded by his family just minutes after a Cyclone football victory.
To the rest of the world, he was Lowell. To us, he was our beloved father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Lowell is survived by his sons, Dan (Janet) Richardson of McCallsburg, Darrell Richardson of Ames, Tim (Deanna) Richardson of Bettendorf; grandchildren, Jody (Tim) Kelley, Andy (Amy) Richardson, Kirstin Richardson, Brad Richardson, Leita Richardson, Alicia Dollieslager, and six great grandchildren. He was preceded in death his dearly loved wife, Doris, on September 16, 2018. Visitation will be from 5-7 pm Friday November 2, at Adams Funeral Home in Ames. Funeral service will be at 10:30 am Saturday, November 3, at Adams Funeral Home in Ames. Burial Service will follow at Story Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Ames. Memorials may be addressed to the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be left at adamssoderstrum.com.

Duane Haglund Obituary

Duane Haglund

1944 – 2018

 

 

Duane Ray Haglund

Ames, Iowa – Duane Ray Haglund, of Ames, IA died peacefully at the Israel Family Hospice House surrounded by his family on September 10, 2018. He was 73 years old.

Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at 10:00 AM at Augustana Lutheran Church in Boone with Rev. Daniel Solomon officiating. Burial will be in Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone.

Duane is survived by his spouse Linda (Beckman) Haglund their children, Jason (Jennifer) Haglund of Story City, IA, Lynae (Joshua) Kruse of Huxley, IA and his four grandchildren; Zane and Beckett Haglund and Natalie and Emmalyn Kruse. Also surviving are his sister Janet (Haglund) Rosenbrook of Alta, IA, a niece Teresa (Dave) Johnson of Ida Grove, IA and cousins, great nieces and nephews.

Duane was born on November 16, 1944 in Boone, IA to Raymond and Mabel (Runyan) Haglund. He was a graduate of Ogden High School and then in 1965 married Linda Beckman. Duane was a generational life-long farmer in Boone County. In addition to farming he attended Iowa State University and obtained an Ag business degree. His off farm career included insurance and real-estate. He then retired as a Trust Administrator from Wells Fargo Bank in Des Moines after 16 years.

In addition to his career, Duane served in the Iowa National Guard for 13 years. He served on many community boards and organization including Boone County Pork Producers, Boone County Farm Bureau, Boone County Planning and Zoning, Augustan Lutheran Church Board and Finance Committee. He was a member at Augustana Lutheran Church. In his leisure time Duane enjoyed golf, boating, an occasional trip to a casino, traveling with his wife and spending time with his family and grandchildren.

Friends may call on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall in Boone from 3 PM until 7 PM, where the family will be present from 5 PM until 7 PM. On Thursday, friends may call at the Augustana Lutheran Church from 9:00 AM until service time.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to YSS of Boone County or Augustana Lutheran Church in Boone.

Condolences may be left for the family at: schroedermemorialchapel.com

The Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall in Boone are in charge of arrangements.

Thamon Hazen Obituary

Thamon Hazen  1927 – 2018

 

Thamon Edson Hazen, Professor Emeritus of Iowa State University Department of Agricultural Engineering and former Assistant Dean of Agriculture, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 30, at Northcrest Community in Ames, Iowa, at age 91 with his daughters by his side. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Monday, June 18, in the Green Room at Northcrest Community in Ames with the Rev. Bob Farr, officiating. Visitation with the family present will be at 9:00 a.m. in the social room prior to the service.
Thamon Hazen, the youngest of seven children, was born in Stillwater, OK, on March 8, 1927, to Leslie Eugene and Ella Ve (Brooks) Hazen. He graduated from high school in Stillwater at age 16 and attended Oklahoma State University, following his dad and two brothers’ footsteps by majoring in Agricultural Engineering. His dad was head of the Ag Engineering department and gave Thamon one of the only Cs he ever received in a class. He enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and served for two years. He returned to Oklahoma State and graduated with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He married the love of his life and wife of 68 years, Mary Jane Waldron on February 6, 1949. He received his master’s degree from Purdue University. In 1952 after teaching and researching for two years at the University of Arkansas, Thamon, Mary Jane and their two young daughters moved to Ames, Iowa, where he received his Ph.D. in 1956. Until the spring of 1973, he taught in the Agricultural Engineering Department at ISU. His joy was working with his many graduate students from all over the world. In 1973, he accepted the position of Assistant Dean of Agriculture, where he remained until his retirement in June of 1987.
Thamon, through his work at Iowa State, was one of the early developers of hog confinement structures in the 1950’s and 60’s. Iowa State holds two patents for his work in this area. His family has many vivid memories of him coming home from the research station smelling much like the animals with which he was working. Professionally, he received many prestigious awards and honors for his work in Agricultural Engineering, but he was always too humble to mention or dwell on them. Among them include Fulbright Fellowships, one in Os, Norway, and the other in Brazil, the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, and the Metal Building Manufacturers’ Association National Award, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Award of Appreciation.
His favorite pastime in his younger years was working on his cars. Many weekends were spent under the car, tinkering. The sons-in-law would often leave their keys on the kitchen table at night and casually mention that their cars had a strange noise. They would wake up the next morning and Thamon would already be underneath their cars, fixing whatever was wrong.
Thamon loved his family most of all and anything Iowa State or Oklahoma State. Together, the family played all kinds of board games and card games whenever we were together. In later years, many spirited games of Trivial Pursuits with men vs. women were played anytime the family gathered. He and Mary Jane were avid football and basketball fans, holding season tickets to ISU games for many years.
Together they traveled to all 50 states, Norway, northern Europe, and Brazil. Golfing and bowling were lifelong pursuits. Fond memories are of the day he hit a hole-in-one on the Iowa State Veenker Memorial Golf Course and of his 750 series in bowling. In retirement, they both loved golfing and Faculty Men’s and Women’s League bowling. They were active volunteers with the foreign students at ISU, Special Olympics, Collegiate Methodist, and many other civic organizations.
Thamon was an active member of Kiwanis International, serving as President of the Ames chapter, and he belonged to many professional engineering and academic societies.
He was close to his brothers and sisters, and we all enjoyed many trips and visits with the aunts, uncles, and cousins and many witty letters and conversations were shared among them over the years.
After retiring from ISU, Thamon enjoyed repairing watches and clocks. He fixed clocks all over the Iowa State campus and the Memorial Union as well as antique clocks of friends and relatives. He personally built many clocks and gave them away. Never would he take any payment for his work. He just loved the challenge and the joy it gave him to see other’s family heirloom clocks and watches restored to working order.
In 1998, Thamon and Mary Jane moved to Talequah, OK, where they enjoyed eight years of retirement near their families in Oklahoma. They returned to Ames to live in Northcrest in 2006. Northcrest residents and caring staff have been like a second family to them and we are grateful.
Thamon leaves a large legacy of love, humility, kindness, gentleness, and generosity. He joyfully shared his time, his skills, his resources, and his intellect with all with whom he associated.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his step-mom, Mattie (Craig) Hazen, his wife, Mary Jane, his brothers Durion, Tzerlos, Gretzlyn and Arlon; his sisters Xerlan and Vo, and his great-grandson, Elijah Carlson. He is survived by his daughters and their spouses, Ella Vee (Jeff) Sage and Mary Elizabeth (Tim) Frank; six grandchildren, Nathan (Dawn) Carlson, Katie (Josh) Weber, Thad Carlson, Kelsey (Craig) McInroy, Erin (Al) Schuweiler, and Joel (Leah) Frank; great-grandchildren Isaiah, Chloe, Dominik, Isabella, Mallory, Nola, Quinn, Mia, Kiah, Hazen, Annaleigh, Zephan; two step-granddaughters, Kim Sage and Lindy (Paul) Krafft; five step-great-grandchildren Jayden, Amanda, Nicholas, Matthew, and Ryan; two step-great-great grandchildren Maeson and Kyler, and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) Excellence Fund (#0213522) ISU Foundation at www.foundation.iastate.edu, or Northcrest Foundation Fox Family Professional Development Scholarship Fund, 1801 20th Street, Ames, IA 50010.