Veehoff, Bernard "Bernie" (1931-2014)

VEEHOFF, WOLSKI, DUNN, REIS, HARRINGTON

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 1/23/2014 at 22:31:43

Bernard "Bernie" Veehoff
January 10, 1931 - January 16, 2014

Storm Lake, Iowa

Bernard H. "Bernie" Veehoff, age 83, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at North Lake Manor in Storm Lake.

Bernie was born on January 10, 1931, on a farm near Ida Grove. He attended country school in the Ida Grove area and then enrolled at St. Mary’s School after his family moved to Storm Lake in 1939. After graduating from St. Mary’s High School in 1948, he attended Buena Vista College for two years.

In 1951, Bernie joined the Navy. He served as a fire control technician on board the U.S.S. Essex, an aircraft carrier, during the Korean War, receiving an honorable discharge in 1955.

In June of 1956, Bernie married Mary March at Old St. Mary’s Church in San Francisco; the couple lived in Sausalito, California, before returning to Storm Lake in March of 1957.

Back in Storm Lake, Bernie established Veehoff Supply Company, a locksmith supply business. The company wholesaled key blanks, master-key sets, and tools to locksmiths throughout the United States. After retiring in 2000, Bernie operated a key shop out of his home. He was known to many in northwest Iowa as “the key man.”

Bernie enjoyed following world news and politics, and in the 1960s was very involved in the local Democratic Party. A car enthusiast, he loved driving and trading cars. His first car was a Model A Ford, and by the time he was in his 70s, he had owned over 100 different vehicles. Bernie also greatly loved animals.

Bernie is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Mary Veehoff, of Storm Lake, and by their three children, Carolyn Wolski (Mark), of St. Paul, Minnesota, Bonny Dunn (Dennis), of Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, and Mike Veehoff, of St. Paul, Minnesota; five grandchildren, Gabriel and Ann Wolski and Rachael, Sam, and Louie Dunn; his sisters, Helen Reis, of Fonda, and Edith Harrington, of Storm Lake; and his brother, Joe Veehoff, of Springfield, Missouri; as well as by many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Mary Veehoff, and by a brother, Gerritt Veehoff.

Visitation: 3:00-4:30 p.m., January 19, 2014, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Mass of Christian Burial: 1:30 p.m., January 20, 2014, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Vigil Service: 4:30 p.m. with a rosary to follow on January 19, 2014, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Interment: January 20, 2014, at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Storm Lake, Iowa.

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