COLLEN, James E. 1919 - 1998

COLLEEN, TURNER, FRENCH, STECHER, ASCHE, FRIEST, TAPPS, HIGBEE, ECKBLAD, BAKER, PLONIEN

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 1/27/2014 at 23:38:56

JAMES E. COLLEN

CLEAR LAKE - James E. Collen, 79, of 1303 S. Shore Dr., Clear Lake, died Saturday (Sept. 5, 1998) at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Zion Lutheran Church, 112 N. Fourth St., Clear Lake, with the Rev. Jana Swanson, officiating. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. Fourth St., Clear Lake. The family suggests memorials to Hospice of North Iowa or Muscular Dystrophy.

James was born April 1, 1919 in Mason City, Iowa, the son of George W. and Grace (Turner) Collen. He graduated from Mason City High School in 1938 and continued his education at Mason City Junior College.
He married Florence (Floss) French on June 29, 1941 at the United Brethren Evangelical Church, Mason City.

He played softball for many years in church league and also the city league.

He worked for Mason City Millworks, Deckers for seven years and then went to work at Lehigh Portland Cement Co., as a sheet metalist for 35 years, retiring in 1981.

He was very active in the Lehigh Credit Union, helping with Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, and was a member of A.A.L. at Zion Lutheran Church.

He enjoyed the outdoors, helping his family and especially loved visiting. He was an all-around family man.

He was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, and the Lehigh Credit Union.

James is survived by his wife, Florence (Floss) Collen, of Clear Lake; five daughters, Sharon Kay Stecher and her husband, Kay, of Roxboro, N.C.; Barbara Rae Asche, of Clear Lake; Mary Sue Friest and her husband, Robert, of Clear Lake; Linda Lou Tapps and her husband, Lauren, of Rio Rancho, N.M.; and Jane Ann Higbee, of Clear Lake; 14 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; four brothers, Robert Collen, of Rochester, Minn.; Clifford Collen and his wife, Jackie, of Spring, Texas; Max Collen and his wife, Ardys, of Naperville, Ill.; and Don Collen, of SedroWoolley, Wash.; and four sisters, Elizabeth Eckblad, of Dallas, Texas; Violet Baker, of Surprise, Ariz.; Betty Plonien and her husband, Bert, of Arlington, Texas; and Dixie Collen, of Sun City West, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Harold and Clifton; and four sisters, Margaret, Dorothy, Hazel and Thelma.