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Mangold, Velma (1915-2006)

MANGOLD, MUELLER, LUETKEMAN, BUDDENHAGEN, OLSON, KENT, GEBHARDT, JOKISCH, MALACH, PRATHER, LOVELADY

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 12/10/2014 at 06:34:42

Velma Mangold
August 30, 1915 - December 29, 2006

Velma Mangold, 91, died on December 29, 2006, at the Harding Nursing Home in Waterville, New York.

Velma Mangold, long-time Alta resident, was born on August 30, 1915, to Wm. H. and Sophie Luetkeman Mueller on a farm in Brooke Township, Buena Vista County. Baptized as an infant, she renewed that covenant through confirmation at St. John's United Church of Christ in 1930. She was a 1935 graduate of the Brooke School where she was a star basketball player, a member of the declamatory program, and the editor of "The Bubbling Brooke," the school section of the Peterson newspaper.

On September 12, 1935, she married Wilbur D. Mangold at St. John's United Church of Christ. He had come from the Highview area. This union was blessed with three children, William, Susan, and Jean.

The couple farmed in the Alta area until 1954. They, then, moved into Alta where they lived until 1962. Mext, they moved to Council Bluffs and then to Des Moines in 1964. After her husband's death, Velma remained in Des Moines until 1981 when she retired from Broadlawn's Hospital. She had worked there for seventeen years in the Out Patient Department. She, then, moved to New Woodstock, New York, to be closer to her daughter Jean and her family. In June of 2005, Velma entered the Harding Nursing Home in Waterville, New York, where she remained under the loving care of its staff until her death.

A dedicated member of Trinity Lutheran Church while living in Alta, she gave freely of her time and talent. She sang in the church choir and actively participated in the Ladies' Aid Society. Indeed, in 1953, she served as their president. For several years, she, also, taught Sunday School and served as the superintendent of both the Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.

Her volunteer spirit continued during her years in New Woodstock where she volunteered at the New Woodstock Free Library for twenty-four years. She received their "Volunteer of the Year" award in 2004 but retired in April of 2005 because of failing health.

She was an extraordinary homemaker, never wavering in her devotion to her family. Throughout her life, she also honored her German heritage and spent many enjoyable hours researching and recording the genealogy of her immigrant ancestors as well as sharing German traditions with her family and friends. She continued to sing German hymns and recite German prayers her entire life.

A proud American, she loved to travel this beautiful country as well. She enjoyed the outdoors while hiking, golfing, and gardening. An extraordinary cook and an avid reader, she, also, found great joy in creating many beautiful hand-sewn and crocheted pieces. Moreover, she loved the music from the "Big Band Era." Above all, however, she adored her grandchildren and their families, regarding each one of them as a special blessing. She met life with a smile and treasured the countless simple pleasures that came her way.

She was preceded in death by her father, William Mueller, in 1969; her mother, Sophie, in 1981; her husband, Wilbur, in 1974; her son, Bill, in 2005; a grandson, Paul Mangold, in 1968; her brother, Darrell Mueller, in 1983; her sister, Laura Buddenhagen, in 2002; and her brother-in-law, Arthur Buddenhagen, in 1971.

She is survived by her daughters, Susan Olson, and her husband, Vernon, of Dickens, and Jean Kent, and her husband, Robert, of Cazenovia, New York; a daughter-in-law, Evelyn Mangold, of Marengo; nine grandchildren: Timothy Mangold and Tracy, of Marengo; Jacklyn Gebhardt, of Jacksonville, Illinois; Debbie Jokisch and Bruce, of Virginia, Illinois; Julie Malach and Bill, of O'Fallon, Missouri; Dana Prather and Mike, of Jacksonville, Illinois; Amy Lovelady and David, of Columbia, Missouri; Steven Kent, of DeWitt, New York; Michael Kent, of Auburn, Washington; and Johanna Kent, of Maui, Hawaii; thirteen great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and her sister-in-law, Fern Mueller, of Cherokee; as well as by many devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Funeral services will be held at St. John's United Church of Christ, South of Peterson, on Friday, January 5, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Mike Tolles officiating. Visitation will be at the church from noon until service time on Friday. Arrangements are under the care of Tait Funeral Home of Cazenovia, New York, and Johnson Funeral Home of Stanton, Nebraska, with assistance from the Boothby Funeral Home of Cherokee. Burial will take place in the cemetery at St. John's United Church of Christ, the same church founded by her German ancestors and where she was baptized, confirmed, and married.

Copyright © 2007, Chronicle Times. [Cherokee, Iowa] 8 Jan 2007.


 

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