FISH, Virginia Mae (Hardy) 1920-2008

FISH, FRANKE, HARDY, KINGERY

Posted By: K. Kittleson
Date: 9/10/2008 at 21:04:22

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Virginia Mae Fish, age 87, of Charles City, Floyd county, Iowa, died Thursday, August 28, 2008, at the 11th Street Chautauqua Guest Home in Charles City.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 from 9:30 AM until 10:30 AM, at First Congregational Church, 502 Jackson St. N., Charles City, Iowa.

The family will greet friends an hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 10:30 AM, at First Congregational Church. Pastor Phil Corr will officiate. Inurnment will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Greene, Iowa.

[Obit from website of Hauser Funeral Home, Sept. 10, 2008]

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Virginia Mae (Hardy)(Franke) Fish, 87, of Charles City, died Thursday, August 28, 2008, at the 11th Street Chautauqua Guest Home in Charles City.

Memorial services for Virginia Fish will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the First Congregational Church in Charles City. Pastor Phil Corr will officiate. Inurnment will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Greene.

The family will greet friends an hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.

Virginia Mae (nee Hardy) Fish was born on September 7, 1920, near Greene, the daughter of Vernon and Anna (Kingery) Hardy. She graduated from the Greene High School and attended Hamilton Business College.

On October 12, 1940, she was united in marriage to Eldred Franke. She was a secretary for the Rural Electric Cooperative during World War II, first in Allison and then in Marshalltown. Virginia and her husband Eldred purchased an existing electrical business in State Center, where she did the book keeping and ran the store. They did electrical contracting for 20 years. She was co-owner and office manager. Virginia was also the Marshall County Weed Commissioner, Sanitarian and Zoning Administrator. The two of them moved to Arizona in 1980. Eldred died in 1988.

On August 12, 1989, she was united in marriage to Robert “Vern” Fish at Ladue, Mo. She was active in the garden club for 35 years, becoming a master flower arranger, master gardener and flower show judge. For three years, Virginia did flower arranging programs at the Iowa State Fair using fresh flowers to show different arrangements.

She was a member of the First Congregational Church, National Council State Gardens Club for 35 years, and National Board for 14 years was President of garden clubs in Iowa and Arizona Board, Charles City Women’s Club and was a Heart of Home Hospice volunteer. From 1987 to 1989 she was Pacific Region Director and visited the garden clubs of the eight most western states. Her interests included helping with 4 H Club and activities at the church.

Living family members include her husband, Robert “Vern” Fish of Charles City; three children: Russel (Megan) Franke of Hermann, Mo., Elaine Franke of Phoenix, Ariz. and Janyce (Tom) Yates of Mesa, Ariz.; three step-children, Beverly Fish of Rochester, Minn., Jim (Dawn) Fish of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. and Roger (Janel) Fish of Eldora; six grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Eldred; and two sisters, Eva Fish and Marjorie Sessler.

Memorials may be directed to Hospice of North Iowa, 1003 Gilbert St. Charles City, IA 50616.

The Hauser Funeral Home, (641) 228-2323, www.hauserfh.com, in Charles City, is in charge of arrangements.

[Original obituary posted on www.charlescitypress.com, Sept. 16, 2008]