Gertrude (WALKER) FICK

WALKER, FICK, VEBLEN, FURLEIGH, MORIARTY, BUSH

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 2/1/2011 at 05:51:53

The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Iowa
Tuesday, March 27, 2001

Obituary - Gertrude (Walker) Fick

MASON CITY - Gertrude W. FICK, 91, of 1940 S. Carolina Terrace, died Thursday [March 22, 2001] at the I.O.O.F. Home [Mason City].

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday [April 7, 2001] at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 100 First St. N.E. in Mason City, with the Rev. Richard D. SCHEERER officiating. Interment will be in the First Congregational United Church of Christ Columbarium in Mason City.

There will be no visitation. The body was cremated. Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Mason City, is in charge of arrangements.

Memorials may be directed to the Gertrude W. FICK Memorial Fund.

Gertrude was born Aug. 4, 1909 in Iowa City, the daughter of Henry G. and Signy V. (VEBLEN) WALKER. She graduated from Iowa City High School in 1927 and the University of Iowa in 1931. Gert taught school in Hampton from 1931 to 1935.

She married Carl E. FICK on June 25, 1935 in Iowa City.

In 1937, Gert was named executive director of the Mason City Girl Scouts. She was a driving force behind the 1953 formation of the Girl Scout Council of North Iowa, which then encompassed nine counties.

Gert helped organize Camp Tanglefoot, serving as camp director from 1947 until her retirement in 1985. She remained active in Girl Scout administration and served on the Camp Tanglefoot Corporation Board.

She received Scouting's highest awards and served three years as chair of Section V, a six-state Girl Scouting region. She also served on the Association of Girl Scout Executive Staff National Board.

Gert was a member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ where she served on the Board of Trustees, vice-president of women's group, served on the board of Pilgrim Place, Multipurpose Center and was active in Wa Tan Ye Club, Toastmistress's, Community Action, R.S.V.P. and Good Shepherd Auxiliary.

Gert was the oldest living descendant of Thorstein VEBLEN.

Gert is survived by her daughter, Jacquelin E. FURLEIGH, of Mason City; two grandsons, Philip E. FURLEIGH and his wife, Margaret, of Minneapolis, Minn., and James A. FURLEIGH and his wife, Laura, of Mason City; two great-grandchildren, Katherine Grace FURLEIGH and Patrick FURLEIGH; one niece, Susan MORIARTY, of California; and one nephew, Henry BUSH and his wife, Nancy, of California.

Gert was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Philip A. WALKER; and a sister, Eloise BUSH.

A celebration of Gertrude's life will also be held on Aug. 4, 2001 at Camp Tanglefoot in Clear Lake. It would have been her 92nd birthday.

Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, (641) 423-0924.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2011