CULBERTSON, Merle Edith 1897-2002

CULBERTSON, LUBIENS, GETTS

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/25/2009 at 15:35:31

Merle E. Culbertson, 104, of Waverly, Iowa passed away on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2002, at the Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community of natural causes.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2002, at 10:30 am at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Waverly with Pastors Marcia Kifer and James Carpenter officiating. Burial will be in the Harlington Cemetery in Waverly. Friends may call Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2002, from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly and one hour prior to services at the church. Memorials may be left to Redeemer Lutheran Church or Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community.

Merle Edith Culbertson was born on Nov. 27, 1897, the daughter of William and Matie (Lubiens) Getts in St. Ansgar, the youngest of three children. She was baptized on April 12, 1912, at the First Baptist Church in Waverly and confirmed in March of 1924 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Waverly.

In 1906, the family moved to Waverly, the place that has been her lifetime home. She attended the Waverly schools. After high school, she was employed as a bookkeeper for the Waverly Gas Company and Willow Lawn Farm. In 1917, she went back to school and attended Wartburg Commercial Department to improve her business skills. Following her education, she went back to work for the Waverly Gas Company and Willow Lawn Farm. She later accepted a position as a bookkeeper with the Waverly Publishing Company, publishing the Waverly News Papers and several poultry magazines. On Sept. 7, 1921, she was united in marriage to Floyd V. Culbertson in Waverly. To this union, two children were born, Bonnie Adele and John Dale.

Merle's activities outside of homemaking have included acting as chairman of her church circle when the group published a cookbook, past President of the American Legion Auxiliary, Executive Secretary of the Bremer County Red Cross for fifteen years, and Field Director of Communications for the Waverly Air Force Base. She was a charter member Redeemer Lutheran Church, a member of the DAR and Legion Auxiliary. Her special hobbies were ceramics that she shared with family and friends and her zest for playing bridge. Merle still played in a marathon bridge group until age 103. She was proud of being the Grand Marshal in the Wartburg Sesquicentennial Homecoming parade in 2001 and having the distinction of being the oldest alumnus of Wartburg College.

She is survived by her two children and their spouses, Bonnie and Jack Uriell of Waverly, and John and Myrna Culbertson of Charles City; four grandchildren, Kevin Uriell and Bobbie James of rural Tripoli, Ann Uriell of Waverly, Steven Culbertson of Barrow, Alaska and Judy Culbertson of Mason City; and one great grandson. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Floyd on Feb. 4, 1996; brother, Verne Getts; sister, Lela Getts and by a daughter-in-law, Donna Culbertson.

Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home of Waverly is in charge of arrangements. 352-1187