Wilfred P. "Willie" Kertels, 1922-1996

KERTELS, RAUEN, KLOSTERMANN, CARTON, BLANCHARD, SCHUSTER, BELL, ROWAN

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 2/23/2015 at 22:56:45

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) - Saturday, October 19, 1996

FARLEY, Iowa - Services for Wilfred P. "Willie" Kertels, 74, 605 First St. N.E., Farley, will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Farley.

Burial will be in the church cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by the Farley American Legion Post 656 and the New Vienna Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7736. Friends may call from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Reiff Funeral Home, Farley, where there will be a St. Joseph's Parish rosary at 4 p.m. and the Farley American Legion and the New Vienna VFW will hold a service at 7 p.m. There also will be a wake service at 8 p.m.

Willie owned and operated Kertel's Plumbing, Heating and Well Drilling in Farley, retiring in 1983. He and his wife, Laurabelle, also owned the Kertel's Corner Cafe for 20 years, until 1973.

He was born on Aug. 6, 1922, in Farley, son of Nicholas and Susan (Rauen) Kertels. He died at 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, 1996, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City.

He married Laurabelle Klostermann on Aug. 22, 1949, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Farley; she died May 31, 1992.

He received his education in the St. Joseph's schools in Farley. He served in the first Marine division during World War II and was a recipient of the Purple Heart.

He was a member of St. Joseph's Parish and its altar and rosary society, the Farley American Legion Post 656, the New Vienna Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7736, and the Disabled American Veterans Fighting Back Chapter 6.

Surviving are two daughters, Grace Bell, of Farley, and Jeannine Carton, of Dubuque; a nephew, whom they raised, Rick Blanchard, of Las Vegas, Nev.; seven grandchildren, Deb (Russ) Schuster, of Maryville, Mo., Ron (Karla) Bell, Cindy Bell, and Randy (Rhonda) Bell, all of Farley, Julie (Duane) Rowan, of Beaver Dam, Wis., Jeff (Angela) Carton, of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jamie (Dawn) Carton, of Racine; 12 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

He also was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Ronald Paul Kertels, in September 1949; a brother, Andrew Kertels; and two sisters.

A Wilfred P. Kertels Memorial Fund has been established.