Vernida L. (Klinkenberg) Wall 1927-2008

OLAF, KLINKENBERG, WALL, MCCLAIN, BLASER, DAACK, MELSSEN, JOHNSON, GRUEL, KOPPES

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 3/4/2008 at 09:01:23

Vernida L. Wall

Vernida L. Wall, 80, of Dubuque, died at 11:35 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008, peacefully at home with her family by her side.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Ghost Catholic Church. Burial will be in Holy Family Cemetery, New Melleray, rural Peosta. Friends may call from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main St., where there will be a parish wake service at 2:30 p.m.

She was born on Feb. 5, 1927, in St. Olaf, Iowa, daughter of Elmer and Redena (Olaf) Klinkenberg. Vernida graduated from Luana High School and she took a semester of college in Dubuque before she met her soulmate and the love of her life, Joseph E. Wall. They were married on her birthday, Feb. 5, 1947, at St. Raphael's Cathedral; he preceded her in death on June 2, 1980.

Joe and Vernida farmed in the Zwingle, Iowa, area for many years until they retired to Daytonville, near Dubuque.

Vernida was a member of Holy Ghost Parish.

She worked at the Busy Bee Cafe and other jobs before she started her job at Mercy Medical Center where she worked for 19 and a half years until her retirement in 1986. She loved making coffee and getting donuts for the doctors in the Lab.

Vernida enjoyed playing euchre, bingo and going bowling. Her greatest joy was to be with her family camping and visiting.

Surviving are nine children, Karen McClain, Irene (Dave) Blaser, Jim (Kay) Wall, Thomas (Kathy) Wall, Judy (Joe) Daack, Steve Wall, and Jerry (Lisa) Wall, all of Dubuque, Joseph (Connie) Wall, of Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rita (David) Melssen, of Dickeyville, Wis.; 23 loving grandchildren, Dawn Redfearn, Paula McKeon, Billi Jo LuGrain, Tammy Berntgen, Michelle Kelly, John Soppe, Jason McCarty, Elizabeth Wall, David Blaser, Tracy Otting, Angie Soppe, Joshua McCarty, Tommy Wall, Julie Wall, Jessy Brimeyer, Joey Wall, Krystle Wall, Manda Brimeyer, Sarah Wall, Katie Wall, David Melssen, Leo Melssen and Zachary Melssen; 27 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Mary Johnson, of Dubuque.

She also was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Tina Murray; two great-grandchildren, Erika McClain and Michael Zimmerman; her parents; two sisters, Iva Mae Gruel and Eloise Koppes; three brothers-in-law, Floyd Gruel, Norbert Koppes and Art Johnson; and a son-in-law, Edward McClain.

The family would like to give special thanks to God, our Maker, for letting our family have one last very special day with Mom.

Thank you also to her special neighbors, Dick and Lois Schroeder, for all their help through the years and these last few days of her life.

Thank you to Margaret Schiel for calling Fr. Shafer to give Mom the last rites, to Jim Daack for his prayers and kindnesses, Dianna Marrow for her support, Lisa Wall for her care and to Hospice of Dubuque and Dr. Thomas Sinsky for their care and support of Mom and the family. Thank you to anyone else who prayed and cared for Mom. We are grateful to all of you.

Copyright (c) Woodward Communications, Inc. 2008, All Rights Reserved. Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Monday, January 21, 2008