Humburg, Donald D. 1929 - 2002

HUMBURG, YTZEN, DANIELS, NUNEMAKER

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 5/20/2013 at 13:10:28

DONALD D. HUMBURG
VENTURA-Donald Dean Humburg, 73, Ventura, passed away while watching his son, Dale, and two close friends, Dick Baskett and Cindy Findley put out decoys on Saturday morning (December 21, 2002).
They were on a restored wetland in Linn County, Mo. A full moon, mallard and geese calling in the background and the first hint of light in the east was a script that Don must have written.
A memorial service, officiated by David Okerlund, is scheduled at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel at 1 p.m. Saturday in Clear Lake, Iowa.
The service will be preceded with a visitation at noon. A reception and fellowship will follow at 2 p.m. at the Lakeview Community Room located in Clear Lake City Park.
Don was born on December 9, 1929, in Sheffield, Iowa, to Arthur and Catherine (Yetzen) Humburg. He graduated from Swaledale High School in 1947, but admitted that he used to "work" in the pasture, until the school bus passed, missing 47 days during his senior year. He missed most of the last month of his senior year after his appendix ruptured on the same day the old Surf Ballroom burned.
He married Evelyn Mae Daniels on January, 27, 1950. "Effie" now lives in Ventura, Iowa. They were the parents of Dale, Thomas and Jan. He was married for 12 years to Buenetta Hartzell, now of Aurora, Colo.
At the time of his death, he was sharing a house, garden, and hobbies with his close friend, Robert Wolfram, Jr.
He worked at Witke's Boat Company, Lake Aire Marine, Chappel Clinic, Hansen's P.M. Marine. A private boat business and a print and framing business reflected a diverse range of Don's creative skills. At one time or another, he worked on most of the wood and fiberglass boats on Clear Lake. Duck boats designed and built by Don are in use throughout the Mississippi Flyway.
An avid sportsman and outdoor enthusiast, Don's home away from home was Ventura Marsh where he hunted in the fall, fed birds in the winter, photographed wetland wildlife in the spring, and gardened in the summer. Maintaining up to four gardens ensured plenty of tomatoes and peppers for neighbors and friends. No two batches of salsa were ever alike, and a small taste of canned peppers was required to determine whether they were meant to add flavor or heat to the palate.
Don is survived by two sons;, Dale and his wife, Vicki, of Columbia, Mo, and Thomas and his wife, Carmen, of Mason City; and a daughter, Jan Nunemaker and her husband, Jerry, of Cedar Rapids; eight grand children, and one great-grandson; two brothers, Kenneth and his wife, Ruby, of Clear Lake, and Raymond and his wife, Gloria, of Clear Lake; a sister, Shirley Wendel and her husband, Calvin, of Mason City.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Dale in infancy and Carl; and his sister, Irene Strommen.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be forwarded to the Don Humburg Memorial Fund, to be dedicated to wetland enhancement, in care of Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 North 4th, Clear Lake, Iowa, 50428, (641) 357-2193.