GEERDES, Henry D. 1915-2002

GEERDES, NEESSEN, BURRELL

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 6/17/2014 at 12:17:16

Henry D. "Chink" Geerdes, 86 of Cedar Falls, formerly of Wellsburg and Grundy Center, died Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the Cedar Falls Health Care Center of natural causes. Funeral services were held Friday, Sept. 13, at Wellsburg Reformed Church, Wellsburg, with Pastors Todd Rempe and Daniel C. Graham officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery with military honors provided by Wellsburg AMVETS Post #91 and American Legion Post #213.

Chink was born November 21, 1915 in Wellsburg, the son of Henry and Alberdena (Neessen) Geerdes. He graduated from Wellsburg High School in 1933. He attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls for two years and later graduated from the University of Iowa in 1939 with a degree in Journalism. He worked for the Anamosa Journal and then for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. On April 25, 1942, Henry entered the United States Army taking his basic training at Fort McCord, WA, and his O.C.S. at Fort Benning, GA, serving as a captain in the 8th Air Force in London, England in the Quartermaster Corp. He was discharged on February 3, 1946. After his time in the service, he returned to Washington where he and several others bought, repaired and sold airplanes for use in South America. After this, he went to work for Continental Radiant Glass Heating Corp. from Springfield, IL. He then started Iowa Radiant Electric Heat Inc. in Wellsburg. Chink retired and sold his portion of the business to his brother Clarence in 1979. He married Gwen Burrell in Washington, D.C. Henry was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Grundy Center and a former member of the American Legion, AMVETS, and V.F.W. He was also a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Gwen, and two brothers Arthur and George Geerdes.

Survivors include his brother Clarence and his wife Nelda Geerdes; and a sister Helen and her husband Arnold Arends all of Wellsburg, and many nieces and nephews.

--The Grundy Register/Wellsburg Herald (Grundy Center, Iowa), 19 September 2002, pg 10