Gilbert Wayne Frits 1919-2002

FRITS, WHETSTINE, LEE

Posted By: Lori Clark (email)
Date: 10/10/2002 at 11:07:12

Gilbert Wayne Frits age 82 of 118 Glenn Dr. Iowa City died on Sunday, February 17, 2002 at the Crest View Nursing and Rehab Center in West Branch following a brief illness. Funeral services will be on Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 10:30 a.m. at the First Christian Church. Burial will be at Memory Gardens Cemetery all in Iowa City. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Gay and Ciha Funeral Home, in lieu of flowers memorials may be given to the First Christian Church.

Gilbert was born April 8, 1919 in rural Wellman to Charles R and Georgia E. Whetsine Frits. He graduated from Pleasant Valley Grade School and then Wellman High School. In 1942 he graduated with a B.A. Degree and then in 1943 he graduated with a Masters Degree in teaching from the University of Iowa. On December 24, 1943 he married Anna E. Lee at Wellman.
He taught two years of high school at Scranton, Iowa then they moved to Cedar Rapids in the summer of 1944 and then to Exline, Iowa where he served as Acting Superintendent and Principal. In the fall of 1945 they moved to Kalona, Iowa were he served as High School Principal for two years. In August of 1947 they moved to Iowa City were he was co-owner of Blackman Decorators until he retired in 1990. Gilbert was a member of the First Christian Church, in 1967 served as board chairman during construction of the present facility on Iowa Ave. along with serving in other capacities within the church.

He is survived by his wife: two sons Robert and wife Kathy Frits of Woodbury, Mn: Donald and wife Judy Frits of Iowa City, three grandsons, five granddaughters and one great granddaughter.

Preceding him in death were his parents, one sister Leida in infancy.