GREEN, Gervin c1931-2013

GREEN, HAGMAN

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/8/2013 at 00:50:05

Gervin Green

MASON CITY, IOWA - Gervin Green passed away on February 26, 2013, at the age of 81, at Hospice of North Iowa, with his family at his side.

A memorial mass will be held 9 a.m., Saturday, March 9, at Holy Family Catholic Church, 714 N. Adams, Mason City with the Reverend John Gossman as celebrant. Gervin donated his remains to medical research at St. Louis University.

Those wishing to express condolences may direct them to the family at 304 Oberlin, Iowa City, Iowa, 52245. Any memorials can be directed to the IOOF Home, where Gervin resided for the last several years.

Born in New Haven and raised in Mason City, Gervin was a lifelong member of Holy Family, where he and his six children were baptized. He attended Loras College in Dubuque, and then joined the US Air Force. While stationed at Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Salinas, Kansas, he met Georgene Hagmann, proposing the night before he was dispatched to England.

After his tour of duty with the Air Force, the couple moved back to his hometown, where they raised six kids: Jude, Joe, Tom, Chris, Mary and Therese. Gervin worked for a time as an ad salesman for the Globe Gazette, and then returned to Loras to obtain his teaching certificate; he ended up being a dedicated instructor of English, Latin and Greek in rural St. Ansgar, Iowa school district for the next 35 years. A fan of Edgar Allan Poe and O'Henry, Gervin encouraged reading, maintaining an eclectic pencil collection to distribute to his students as prizes for books read. Devoted to literacy, especially for disadvantaged kids, he spent his lunches tutoring students who needed extra attention.

Survived by his brothers Wilmer and John of Clear Lake, six children, and 11 grandchildren, Gervin will be remembered for his playful humor, his cheerful melodic whistling, and his love of family, Lawrence Welk, the Joyce Kilmer poem "Trees," clowns (unfortunately), and Gene Autry.

Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd St. NE, Mason City, 641-423-2372, ColonialChapels.com.

Mitchell County Press