RETTERATH, Eugene Edward 1952-2011

RETTERATH, BURINGA, VENECHUK

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 5/31/2011 at 12:41:05

Eugene E. "Gene" Retterath

GRAFTON, IOWA - Eugene E. "Gene" Retterath, 59, of Grafton, passed away Saturday, May 28, 2011, at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, in Mason City.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 412 N. Broadway, Manly, with the Rev. Kenneth B. Gehling as Celebrant.

Visitation will be held this evening, (Tuesday), May 31, from 5 until 7:30 p.m. at the Bride Colonial Chapel, 110 E. Spring St., Manly, and will continue one hour prior to the Mass on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Should friends desire, memorials may be left to the Eugene E. Retterath Memorial Fund.

Eugene Edward Retterath was born on January 7, 1952, in Osage, Iowa, the son of Joseph and Effie (Buringa) Retterath. He was the youngest of eleven children. He attended Visitation Catholic School in Stacyville.

On October 11, 1969, Gene was united in marriage to Cindy M. Venechuk, of Grafton, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Grafton; this union would be blessed with four children.

Throughout their marriage, Gene and Cindy made their home in many different places, but had spent the last 25 years together in Grafton. Gene owned and operated Tri Spray Drywall for nearly 40 years.

Gene was the definition of a family man. He cherished every moment he was able to spend with Cindy and his children. He loved attending his boys' sporting events and never missed an opportunity to cheer them on. In more recent years he delighted in spending time with his grandchildren and especially enjoyed working on crafts with them. Gene had a heart of gold and was always willing to help his family and friends in a time of need.

He enjoyed tending to his flower gardens, traveling the United States with Cindy in their RV, watching NASCAR, playing cards, taking family fishing trips to Canada, and gambling - he was especially fond of the slot machines.

Those grateful in sharing in Gene's life are his three sons, Bill (Keri) Retterath, Mason City, Buck (Jolene) Retterath, Mason City, and Ben (Jennifer) Retterath, Sioux Falls, S.D.; his grandchildren, Carter, Megan and Zoey, Jenna, Rayna, and Lilly, and Anna; his siblings; Rosann (Clayton) Meyer, Austin, Minn., Beverly (Del) Theobald, Stacyville, Jim (Jan) Retterath, Austin, Minn., Dorothy Crooks, Rudd, Joe (Lynda) Retterath, Minneapolis, Minn., Mary (Ken) Crooks, Charles City, and Martha (Ron) Kos, Austin, Minn.; his father and mother-in-law, Jack and Clarice Venechuk, Grafton; his brother-in-law, Sam (Shelly) Venechuk, Northwood; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

Preceding Gene in death are his parents, his wife of 41 years, Cindy; an infant daughter, Jennifer Jo; his sister, Phyllis Retterath; his brothers, Mike and John Retterath; and two brothers-in-law, Alden Crooks and Steve Hovet.

Bride Colonial Chapel, 641-454-2242, Manly, www.colonialchapels. com.

[ Globe Gazette online, May 31, 2011 ]