PUNKE, Alma 1904 - 1991

PUNKE, GOODEL, DAVIS

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 10/13/2014 at 01:36:31

ALMA PUNKE

CLEAR LAKE – Mrs. Alma Punke, 86, of rural Clear Lake, died Monday (April 8, 1991) at the I.O.O.F. Home in mason City.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at the United Methodist Church, Clear Lake, with the Rev. James Louk officiating. Burial will be in the Lincoln Township Cemetery, rural Clear Lake.

Visitation will be after 3 p.m. Thursday at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101N. Fourth, Clear Lake, and one hour prior to services at the church Friday. The family suggests memorials in her name.

Mrs. Punke was born Dec. 10, 1904, on a farm north of Clear Lake, the daughter of Frank and Lydia (Goodel) Davis. She graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1922. She attended Mason City Junior College (now NIACC) and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in library science.

On June 10, 1934, she married Gus Punke at Clear Lake. They lived at Clear Lake until moving to their present farm north of town in 1945.

She was children’s librarian at the Mason City Public Library for 24 years, from 1927 to 1934 and again from 1953 until her retirement in 1970. Although small of stature, she wheeled a three-ton bookmobile over the country roads of North Iowa, bringing books to adults and school children as part of the library’s rural county extension program.

She was well known as the Storybook Lady on KGLO TV as part of “Bart’s Club House.” Once when in the hospital she received more than 500 cards and letters from boys and girls all across North Iowa wishing her a speedy recovery. The Storybook Lady was grand marshal of the North Iowa Band Festival in 1977.

She served as chairwoman of the children’s section of the Iowa Library Association. She was awarded honorary life membership by the Iowa Library Association at its annual convention in 1970.

She was a lifelong member of the Clear Lake United Methodist Church, where she taught junior high Sunday school for 14 years. As members of the “Double C” Sunday school class, Gus and Alma met many lifelong friends. There were many family picnics and fun times with the Franks, Lincicums, Hansons, and the Trues. She belonged to the Oakland Club of Clear Lake.

Survivors include her husband, Gus Punke, of Clear Lake; two sons, David and his wife, Jane, of Nevada, Iowa, and Joel, of Clear Lake; three grandsons, Chris Punke of Clear Lake and Steven and James Punke, of Nevada; and one granddaughter, Michele Punke, of Clear Lake.

She was preceded in death by her parents and four brothers.