In Memoriam - Summer 2008 Wartburg Magazine - Wartburg College

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In Memoriam

1931
MARIE BENEDIX ARNS, Shell Rock, Iowa, died Feb. 7 at Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community, Waverly. She farmed with her husband until retiring in 1975.

1933
PETER GAMBAIANI, Waverly, Iowa, died of bone cancer
Dec. 29, 2006, at Waverly Health Center. He worked at Waverly Implement Co. He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He went on to serve as deputy clerk of court and then clerk of district court. He was a clerk at the post office and was postmaster when he retired in 1982.

1936
The REV. ERHARD “Rusty” SCHALKHAUSER, East Lansing, Mich., died Jan. 31, 2007. During 41 years in ministry, he served as an assistant to the president of the Michigan District of the former American Lutheran Church (ALC) and director of mission development, starting new congregations. He also served on the ALC staff. He retired in 1980.

1939
ELSIE FREDRICK SCHALKHAUSER, East Lansing, Mich., died Nov. 24. Her husband, the Rev. Erhard Schalkhauser ’36, preceded her in death.

1940
DELORIS PRIOR, Newport Beach, Calif., died Nov. 6. A former high school teacher, she received a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Southern California. She was school librarian for the Santa Ana School District for 45 years, retiring in 1990. She was active in literary groups and her church.

1941
ELIZABETH WIEDERANDERS BECKER, Oakland, Calif., died Feb. 8 at Sunrise of Oakland Hills Assisted Living Center of cancer and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. She received a master’s degree in education and taught high school biology and sciences in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. She traveled the world with her husband, Dr. Arthur Becker ’42, spending time in South Africa and Australia. They retired and moved to Estes Park, Colo., and helped found an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation where she ran a quilt ministry. She also helped run Luther Academy of the Rockies, a summer continuing education seminar for pastoral families. She is survived by alumni including her husband; daughter Carol Becker ’70; and brothers Robert ’43, Donald ’48,
Dr. Richard ’49 and the
Rev. William ’56 Wiederanders.

ALBERTA ZMOOS EVANSON, Spring Valley, Calif., died
Dec. 2. She was a factory worker at Lockhead during World War II.
She donated her time and money to others and worked 26-plus years for Meals-On-Wheels.

1942
LOIS FRESE MOFFET, Waverly, Iowa, died Jan. 31 at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo. She taught kindergarten in Latimer for three years and fifth grade for 36 years at Irving School in Waverly.

VIOLET AMBROSE NIEMEYER, Tripoli, Iowa, died Jan. 17 at the Tripoli Nursing Home. She retired in 1983 from Bostroms Super Value in West Union, where she worked as manager of the deli.

IRENE BRINKMAN SARTORI, Carlsbad, Calif., died Sept. 23. She taught in the Marble Rock School District in Iowa before retiring in California. She was a member of the Zoological Society of San Diego and of
San Marcos Lutheran Church.

1943
HARVEY HUSTAD, Glenview, Ill., died Sept. 26 in Park Ridge at the age of 87.

JOYCE MARTENS STREMPKE, Lemon Grove, Calif., died Oct. 7. She was an elementary school teacher for 45 years.

1945
The Rev. GOTTFRIED HOFFMAN, La Mesa, Calif., died Jan. 15. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a retired Lutheran pastor and a member of the Kiwanis Club.

1947
EDITH NOLTING COOLEY, Hiawatha, Iowa, died March 13
at St. Luke’s Hospital after a lengthy illness. She retired from teaching in 1989.

1949
ERNA HINRICHS GABRIEL, Carpentersville, Ill., died Feb. 24 at Kindred Hospital in Sycamore, Ill. She earned a Master of Library Science degree and worked as librarian for 20 years at Boeing in Seattle, Wash.

BETTY BLEHM RATH, Oakland, Calif., died Dec. 8, 2006. She was a retired teacher.

1950
NORMAN J. JOHNSON, Andover, Minn., died Aug. 30 at age 86. He was a World War II
veteran and retired Anoka Electric Co-op personnel director.

1951
DONALD G. WETTENGEL, Cedar Falls, Iowa, died April 29, 2007, at the Cedar Falls Lutheran Home of complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He farmed for many years, and then was employed at Schumacher Elevator in Denver until his retirement.

1952
CECIL DULL, St. Croix Falls, Wis., died Dec. 29, 2005. He was a mortician.

1953
Dr. ROBERT “DOC” SNYDER, Oshkosh, Wis., died March 27
at Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee. He was professor emeritus of communications at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and host of a weekly radio program Doc’s Jazz City. He joined the university faculty in fall 1964 to create a radio/TV/film program. In 1966, he created Wisconsin Radio Station of the Titans, which now now partners with Wisconsin Public Radio. He also served more than 20 years as play-by-play announcer at Titan football and basketball games.

1954
The REV. ROBERT C. HIMSEL, Milwaukee, Wis., died. No other information is available.

1955
ETHAN H. DAVIES, Tucson, Ariz., died Nov. 12 of pancreatic cancer. He spent 45 years in graphic arts sales in Milwaukee and Minneapolis. He remained active as a building monitor at his retiremment community in Sun City Vistoso.

1956
The REV. WILLIAM G. CARTER, Tucson, Ariz., died Feb. 16 in Sioux City, Iowa. He served churches in Alta Vista, Boyd, Moville, Lost Nation, and Soldier, Iowa. He also served on the Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council board of directors. After his retirement, he owned and operated a video store and was a security guard at Great West Casualty.

1958
SANDRA SCHMEICHEL BERG, Richfield, Wis., died April 9, 2007.

1959
SHARON MAE BEHRENS PETERS, Burbank, Ill., died Dec. 13 after a brief battle with cancer.

1960
W. CARL BLIESENER, Springfield, Ill., died May 30, 2007. He remained active in his senior years by coordinating volunteer efforts at the local homeless shelter, participating in the Lions Club, reporting area news for the local paper, substitute teaching and walking dogs for the humane society.

GENE KALKWARF, Minonk, Ill., died Dec. 23 at Leesburg (Fla.,) Regional Medical Center. He served on his church board and owned Shorty’s Soil Service and Shorty’s Signs. An avid stockcar enthusiast, he was a driver and taught others the sport.

1962
FRANK J. HUDSON, Mesa, and Phoenix, Ariz., died Nov. 5 after a brief battle with acute leukemia. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and taught at Mesa, Westwood and Mountain View high schools. He also was an avid HAM radio operator. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Krug Hudson ’53.

KAREN WACHHOLZ KRUGER, Angola, Ind., died Dec. 17. She was a homemaker and member of Calvary Lutheran Church. She is survived by her husband, Richard Kruger ’61.

1963
MARY DADISMAN SATHOFF, Iowa Falls, Iowa, died Dec. 21 at Heritage Care Center. She was a homemaker and antique dealer. She belonged to Bethany Lutheran Church, where she served on the board. She was also a member of the American Heart Association and Children International.

1964
AUGUST E. KNOLL, Wheatland, Iowa, died Feb. 7. He was the band director at Wheatland and Calamus schools from 1964 until his retirement in 2003. He received a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. He was minister of music at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ and played piano at St. James
Catholic Church. He received awards from the Iowa Bandmasters Association and Northeastern Iowa Bandmasters Association and was listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Education.

1967
CHERYL SIMON PIERSON, Lake City, Minn., died of cancer Nov. 10. She taught in the Minneapolis-St. Paul school system for four years and in Lake City from 1972-2002. She served on the boards of the Lake City Education Association, Minnesota Education Association and National Holstein Wives Scholarship Organization. She received a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota.

1969
ROGER B. AUDE, Spokane, Wash., died Feb. 3. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and attained the rank of captain. After retiring, he entered graduate school at Eastern Washington University, where he was active in the local chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery.

PAUL E. PETERMAN, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died of bone cancer Jan. 14.

1974
DAVID F. BEAN, Casselberry, Fla., died Feb. 13 of complications of diabetes. He worked as a counselor at Bremwood in Wavely, Iowa, until his retirement in 1995.

IONE GROEN RINGLEB GOSCH, Clarksville, Iowa, died Feb. 1 at the age 84. An elementary teacher for 32 years, her career included teaching at the Fremont Township and Clarksville and Sumner community schools.

CHARLES HANSEN NEWGARD, Decatur, Ill., died Feb. 10 at work of carbon monoxide poisoning. His death was the result of a fire in an air-handling unit in the corn-processing plant at Archer Daniels Midland, where he was a chemist and laboratory technician supervisor. He is survived by his wife, Lola Hansen Newgard ’75.

1981
JULIE KLECKNER BAIRD, Urbandale, Iowa, died Feb. 3, 2008 after a brief battle with cancer. She was vice president of the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She shared her faith with Bible Study Fellowship, friends in Tanzania and the newly formed Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, where she and her husband were missionaries. She is survived by her husband, Mark Baird ’81.

Retired Staff and Faculty
WILBERT G. LEISINGER, Waverly, Iowa, died April 2 at the Waverly Health Center of pneumonia. After working at Cleveland and Herman Furniture for 30 years, he served in the Wartburg maintenance department for 11 years, with his chief responsibility in Luther Hall. He also ran his own insurance agency for 30 years. Among the survivors are his wife, Audrey Leisinger, retired Controller’s Office staff; son and daughter-in-law, Scott ’87 and Molly DeGroote ’86 Leisinger; and daughter Kathy Gaulke ’74.

PHYLLIS E. SCHMIDT, Belvidere, Ill., died April 2 at the Biltmore Rehabilitation Center. She taught at Wartburg from 1968-92 and was professor emerita of education. Following her retirement, she taught in Africa, the Czech Republic and Poland. She also read to children at the Waverly public schools.