WUBBEN, Neil M. 1942-2015

WUBBEN, BERRYHILL, GIFFORD

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/27/2015 at 13:38:59

Neil M. Wubben

(Died January 26, 2015)

U.S. Veteran

Neil M. Wubben, age 72, of Osage, died Monday, January 26, 2015, at his home in Osage after a short illness.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, January 30, 2015, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Osage with Pastor Chip Uhrmacher and Pastor Matt Faulkner of Prairie Lakes Church officiating. Burial will be in the Osage Cemetery with military honors at the grave by the North Iowa Detachment of the Marine Corps League and Osage American Legion Post 278. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage.

Neil was born April 12, 1942, near Buffalo Center, Iowa, the son of Martin and Ada (Berryhill) Wubben. He graduated from Buffalo Center High School in 1959. Neil served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960 to 1963.

On October 13, 1963, he married Karen Gifford at the Congregational Church in Buffalo Center. In 1971, Neil graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree, and received a Master’s Degree in Agronomy from Iowa State in 1979. Neil taught vocational agriculture from 1971 to 1981 at Sentral Fenton and Bancroft Schools. He then worked for the ISU Extension Service in Woodbury County from 1982 to 1984 and in Mitchell County from 1985 to 2009.

In 2012, he was inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame. Neil was currently a member of Prairie Lakes Church where he was a chaplain and small group leader and was a member for over 20 years of the Osage First Baptist Church where he served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. He played a central role in the creation of KJCY Christian Radio Station. Neil was a past member of the Osage School Board, was chairman of the Mitchell County Habitat for Humanity Board, and was a mentor in the Bridges Mentoring Program.

He was elected chairman of the Mitchell County Republican Party, was chairman of the Older Iowan Legislature, and was appointed by the governor to the Iowa Department on Aging. Neil was a member of the Marine Corps League and was heavily involved in the Toys for Tots program. He was also a member of the American Legion, Lion’s Club and Osage Rotary Club. Neil enjoyed golf, hunting, fishing, and bowling.

Neil is survived by his wife, Karen Wubben of Osage; his sons, Scott Wubben of Primghar, Wade (Val) Wubben of Manson, and Martin (Angie) Wubben of Starkville, Mississippi; grandchildren, Thomas and Patrick Wubben, Caleb, Emily and Courtney Wubben, and Jacob, Ella, Matthew and Gabriel Wubben; sisters, Elizabeth (Richard) Gifford of Slater, Aldine (Mervin) Gramstad of Swea City, and Mary (Mark) Behrends of Lone Rock.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his sister Marjorie Braadland.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home (641)732-3706

Source: Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home website, 27 JAN 2015