GERLACH, LuAnn 1945-1965
GERLACH, ROSEL
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 5/22/2009 at 20:59:56
LuAnn Gerlach, age 20, died of Rare Illness, Nursing Fellowship Honors Her Memory.
Funeral services for a young St. Ansgar woman and nursing student at the college of nursing at the University of Iowa, LuAnn Gerlach 20, were held Saturday afternoon at the St. Ansgar Methodist Church. Miss Gerlach died last Thursday morning (December 9, 1965) at the University hospitals in Iowa City of a rare and incurable blood cancer, a type of leukemia. It was learned that her's was only the seventh such case of this disease known to medical history.
The Rev. Lloyd Brockmeyer, church pastor, was assisted in the service by the Rev. Richard Pearson, a former pastor of the St. Ansgar Methodist Church. A memorial service was held at the First Methodist church in Iowa City. Burial was in the St. Ansgar cemetery.
LuAnn Gerlach was born Oct. 26, 1945, at Nissen Hospital in Osage, the daughter of Gene W. and Norma Rosel Gerlach. She was baptized in December, 1945, by the Rev. Milton Northdurft, and was confirmed at the Methodist church in St. Ansgar in May, 1959, by the Rev. M. Pearson.
Miss Gerlach was active in 4-H club work for several years served as Mitchell County resident of Girls' 4-H in 1961; was presented the DAR Good Citizenship award on the county level and went on to win the Iowa award in 1963; and the same year was elected to serve as St. Ansgar community high school Homecoming and Band Festival Queen titles.
Following her graduation from St. Ansgar high school she enrolled at the university college of nursing; and was a member of Pi Beta Phi social sorority; served as the sorority's house manager and recruiting chairman, and was elected to the university's campus-wide central party committee for her junior year, 1965-1966.
LuAnn Gerlach is survived by her parents, one brother, Gary G. of Washington, D.C., and one grandmother, Mrs. Anna Rosel of St. Ansgar.
To honor and perpetuate the memory of Miss Gerlach her parents and brother have established the LuAnn Gerlach Memorial Nursing Fellowship, an annual $250 grant will be awarded by her brother Gary Gerlach, under the direction of the college of nursing at the university, to benefit a deserving undergraduate student at the college.
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Note: Apparently her grave has been moved, prior to April 2016, and is now probably in the Priem
family Cemetery west of St. Ansgar, where her father was buried in 2009.
Biographical Sketch Link
Mitchell Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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