Opal Arlene (Bair) Winegarden, 01 Apr 1917 - 06 Jun 2020

WINEGARDEN, BAIR, GARINGER, ALTOFER, SEVERENCE, JOHNSTON

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 6/18/2020 at 13:10:32

Arlene Winegarden died June 6, 2020, at Garnett Place Assisted Living Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at 103 years of age. She was born April 1, 1917, to Earl and Ethyl Bair on the family farm near Webster, Iowa.

She attended school in Webster and graduated from Webster Consolidated High School, Keokuk County, in 1934. After graduating, she followed the midwives at local families' homes and cared for the new mothers and their infants.

She married Virgil Lee Winegarden on Dec. 21, 1940. They farmed near Webster until Virgil was drafted into the U.S. Army in May 1942. She often told stories about staying with other army wives in boarding houses in Alabama, Arizona and California. After Virgil returned from the war, they farmed southwest of Webster.

She was active in the Women's Society of Christian Service. They moved to Sigourney after retiring in 1987. She then moved to Garnett Place in Cedar Rapids in 2013 to be closer to her family.

Arlene is survived by her son, Timothy (Susan) Winegarden; two grandchildren, Anne (Chris) Garinger and Jill Winegarden; three step-grandchildren, Heidi Altorfer, Amy (Jon) Severance and Bill (Lauren) Altorfer; and three great-grandchildren.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the staff at Garnett Place for the loving care they gave her for over seven years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Ethyl Bair; husband, Virgil Lee Winegarden; brothers, Buford Bair and Arnold (Cub) Bair; sister, Audrey Johnston; and sister-in-law Frances (Francee) Bair.

A private family only service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at Powell Funeral Home in North English. Friends may view the service on the Powell Funeral Home Facebook page. Burial will be in the Sorden Cemetery, rural Webster.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Webster United Methodist Church or the Sigourney United Methodist Church. Messages and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.

Published in The Gazette on June 11, 2020.