Ervin Henry Koehn, 1919 – 2011

KOEHN, SHEDA, HINRICHS, BRINGMANN, YORK, BECKER, BRUZEK, MALY, TIMM, BENYSHEK

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 8/26/2011 at 16:29:14

Funeral services for Ervin H. Koehn, 92, a longtime resident of Rose Haven Nursing Home, Marengo, were held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 28, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Victor. He died, trusting in Jesus, June 23, 2011, after a lengthy illness.

The Rev. Nicholas Huelsman officiated at the service. Organist was Marna Mohr.

Burial was in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Justin Becker, John Bruzek, Ben and Christopher Koehn and Craig, Dustin and Kevin York.

Memorials may be made to the Ladora Fire Department, St. John’s Lutheran Church or Trinity Lutheran School, Cedar Rapids.

Smith Funeral Home, Victor, was in charge of arrangements.

Ervin Henry Koehn was born May 23, 1919, the son of Katherine Sheda and Henry Carl Koehn, rural Victor, Iowa County. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church, rural Victor, and attended schools at Guernsey and Victor and returned to St. John’s Lutheran School, graduating from eighth grade with his future wife, Elizabeth Hinrichs.

The couple were married Dec. 8, 1943, in Medford, Ore. He received his G.E.D at Kirkwood Community College.

He served in the United States Army from 1941 to 1945 in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Medical Badge. He proudly wore his 1st Medical Regiment badge on his World War II veteran’s cap.

He was a farmer, not far from his birthplace, for most of his life. He was also employed at Amana Refrigeration for 29 years, retiring in 1984. He lived in Cedar Rapids from 1973 to 1993, where his wife died in their home in 1991. He later lived in Victor and Ladora.

He was a former member and trustee at Trinity Lutheran Church and School, Cedar Rapids.

He married his long-time friend from his childhood, Velma Bringmann, Ladora, May 21, 1994, in Washington.

He will be remembered as a loving, hardworking and caring husband, father, grandpa, brother, uncle, cousin and friend by all who knew him.

The Koehn family would like to express their thanks to the staff at Rose Haven and Essence of Life Hospice, Amana, for all their loving care given to their dad over the last several years and for all those who have expressed their sympathies to them.

Koehn is survived by six children and their spouses, Ken and Tylaine Koehn, Montezuma; Betty and Ross York, Ladora; Dan and Diana Koehn, Mary and Todd Becker, Eric and Patsy Koehn and Ed and Berta Koehn, all Cedar Rapids; one stepson and his wife, Leroy and Jan Bringmann, Victor; two sisters, Miquie Bruzek, Cedar Rapids, and Maxine and Ron Maly, West Des Moines; two sisters-in-law, Vivian Hinrichs, Williamsburg, and Janet Hinrichs, Pleasant Hill; three brothers-in-law, Gary and Janis Hinrichs, Marengo; Ed and Ruth Hinrichs, Fairmont, Minn., and Doug Benyshek, Mesa, Ariz.; 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wives, Elizabeth in 1991 and Velma in 2009; one daughter, Susan, in infancy; his parents; two sisters, Irene Timm and Mary Benyshek; one stepson, Richard Bringmann, and two great-grandchildren, Katie Koehn and Koral Nichole York.

The Williamsburg Journal Tribune, 30 Jun 2011, page 8