Charles D. Van Werden (1955)

DEKALB, MCLEOD, PARISH, VAN WERDEN

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart
Date: 2/12/2006 at 10:45:08

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, April 20, 1955

CHARLES D. VAN WERDEN DIES
Winterset Community Leader Had Been in Rapidly Failing Health.

Madison County lost one of its most active community leaders in the death early Monday, April 18, 1955, at the hospital in Rochester, Minn., of Charles D. Van Werden, prominent Winterset attorney. His death followed major surgery at the Rochester hospital. He was 54 years of age, and had been in failing health for several years.

Mr. Van Werden was a native of Leon, where he was born March 8, 1901, a son of Louis P. and Helen DeKalb Van Werden. He graduated from the Leon high school, attended the Kentucky Military institute, and received his legal education in the college of law, State University of Iowa, at Iowa City.

At the University he was vice president of the junior law class, a member of Phi Alpha Delta fraternity, and a member of the college baseball team. He came to Winterset in 1929 to engage in the practice of law, and this communty had been his home since that time.

Mr. Van Werden became one of the leaders of the Republican party in this community. He was elected county attorney here in 1932, and reelected in 1934 and 1936. He served as chairman of the county Republican central committee, as fifth district committeeman on the State Republican central committee, and was a delegate to the Republican presidential convention in 1940.

He was active in many other lines of community endeavor. He served on the Winterset school board, was a member of the Rotary club, Masonic Lodge, and county, district, state and national bar associations. He was active in the Winterset Methodist Church.

He had been a member of the board of directors of the Union State Bank in Winterset since that institution was chartered.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to the community was in his work with the Madison County Memorial Hospital. He was named to the first board of trustees of the hospital and as its chairman guided the project through its construction. He continued as chairman of the board of trustees until ill health forced his resignation in 1954.

Mr. Van Werden was married June 25, 1930, to Virginia Parish at Grinnell. They were parents of three sons, William L. who is serving in the U.S. Army at Ft. Devens, Mass., and Lawrence P., James E., and a daughter, Gretchen, all at home. The wife and four children survive.

In addition he leaves his mother, Mrs. Helen Van Werden of Leon; a brother, Dr. Benjamin Van Werden of Keokuk; and a sister, Mrs. Helen McLeod of Minneapolis, Minn.

Funeral services for Mr. Van Werden were held this Wednesday afternoon, April 20, from the Winterset Methodist Church, with the pastor, Rev. W.W. Steinmetz, officiating. Burial was in the Winterset Cemetery.
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The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, April 27, 1955
Page 2

Attend Last Rites For C. D. Van Werden

a large number of relatives and friends were here last Wednesday to attend the funeral services for Charles D. Van Werden, Winterset attorney, which were held at the Methodist church.

These included Dr. and Mrs. B. D. Van Werden of Keokuk, Mr. and Mrs. Leo H. Miller of Hagerstown, Md, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Parrish, and Mrs. Edwin S. Parrish of Grinnell, Mr. and Mrs. Van Wifvat, Mrs. Harry Wifvat, Mrs. Roscoe Zerwekh, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Joe, George J. Dugan and Mr. and Mrs. Blake Willis, all of Perry, Mr. and Mrs. George Moore of Waterloo, Dr. S. H. Channing of Kahoka, Mo., Miss Mary Frances McClure of Keokuk, Judge Norman Hayes of Knoxville, Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Peterson and daughter Nancy of Decatur City, Barr Keshlar of Shenandoah, Mr. and Mrs. Dalve Overholser of Norwalk, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Cratt and Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Doop of Adel.

Those here from Des Moines included Mr. and Mrs. John Green, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Parnham, Judge Thomas Guthrie, Sam O'Brien, Earl Shostrom, Mrs. Lester Powell, Mrs. Henry Decker, Robert Colflesh, Mrs. M. L. Patzig, Mrs. Monroe Patzig Jr., Mrs. Will Lyman and Mrs. Tom Murrow.

The members of the bar, who were not included in the above lists, attending the services were as follows: H. Claude Peer of Earlham, C. H. Williamson, J. E. Don Carlos, Elmer Johnson and J. Lyle Musmaker of Greenfield; C. H. Taylor of Guthrie Center; H. E. Newton of Stuart; H. E. DeReus of Knoxville; Judge Stanley E. Prall, M. C. Herrick, M. D. Hall, Phil F. Elgin, J. W. Richie, Dale Ewalt and M. G. Ouderkirk of Indianola, Robert E. Killmar of Osceola, and Judge H. J. Kittleman of Creston.

The court reporters who attended were J. C. Hendrickson and Harry Nelson of Indianola, Virgil Kittleman and J. M. Thompson of Creston and John A. Pritchard of Adel; Robert Haldeman of Indianola, district probation officer, also attended the final rites.

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