Dirks, Henry 1914-2002

DIRKS, PAGELER, POPKEN

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 9/22/2009 at 16:55:17

LE MARS, Iowa -- Henry Dirks, 88, of Le Mars died Sunday, Sept. 29, 2002, at Plymouth Manor Care Center in Le Mars.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in rural Merrill, Iowa, with the Rev. Dr. Klaus Raab officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be after 2 p.m. today, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Carlsen Funeral Home in Le Mars.

Henry Harm Dirks was born April 10, 1914, in rural Plymouth County, Iowa, to William H. and Johanna (Pageler) Dirks. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. He attended country school near Ireton, Iowa. He served his country during World War II in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945.

He was united in marriage to Della Popken on May 9, 1944, in San Rafael, Calif. The couple lived in California for a short time before returning to Iowa, where he worked for more than 30 years for Bertsel and Ethel Brown. In 1976, the couple retired and moved to Le Mars.

He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Survivors include a son and his wife, Darwin and Julie Dirks of Le Mars; a sister, Marie Epling of Le Mars; and seven sisters-in-law, Marie and her husband, Simon DeBoom, Fern Dirks, Evelyn Dirks, Dorothy Dirks, Hilda Renken, Helen Popken and Amanda Haage, all of Le Mars.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Della on May 13, 1997; and four brothers, Albert, LeRoy, Robert and Leonard.

Pallbearers will be Warren Oetken, Jerome Haage, Rodney Renken, Jerry Epling, Dennis Dirks and Walter Westhoff.

~Source: The Sioux City Journal, Oct. 1, 2002