Birch Chester Fleming (1916-2009)

FLEMING, ROBERTSON, WEATHERMAN, TUNGLAND, COBURN, RITLAND, BAHR, VOIGT, BALDREE, BATEY, FIELDS

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 8/16/2009 at 16:45:34

THE STORY CITY HERALD, Story City, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, July 22, 2009.

Birch Fleming, 92, of Story City, Iowa, died on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

Funeral services were held 11:00 am. Friday, July 17, 2009 at Zion Lutheran Church rural Radcliffe, Iowa. Burial was in the Stavanger Lutheran Cemetery in Garden City, Iowa.

On-line condolences may be sent to: www.boekefuneralhomes.com

Birch Chester Fleming was born on Sept. 9, 1916, at Williams, Iowa. He was the son of Walter William and Emma Porter (Robertson) Fleming, the youngest of four children.

His mother passed away when Birch was a toddler. He and his three siblings were placed in a Council Bluffs Children's Home on Dec. 24, 1918, because their father could no longer care for them. Walter and his new wife Bertie Mae (Weatherman) picked them up on April 20, 1920. Eight additional children were born to them.
He graduated from Williams High School in 1934. After working for area farmers, he entered the U.S. Navy at the Great Lakes Naval Base on Oct. 3, 1939. He served in the Pacific Theater earning five Bronze Stars and one Silver Star. He was honorably discharged as a Chief Yeoman on Oct. 4, 1945.

On Dec. 23, 1942, he was united in marriage to Thelma Tungland, in San Diego, California. They fanned in the Garden City area until Thelma's death on Dec. 14, 1966.

On Jan. 6, 1968, he was united in marriage with Genevieve (Ritland) Coburn at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. Birch worked for the Department of Transportation.

Birch was a member of the Stavanger Lutheran Church in Garden City, where he served as treasurer, trustee and Sunday school teacher. He joined Zion Lutheran after he and Genevieve were married. He also served as a 4-H leader for many years.

He is survived by his wife Gen of Story City; two sons, Ronald (Vickie Lee) of Cross Lake, Minnesota, Brian (Kathy) of Lincoln, Nebraska; two daughters, Sharon (Tim) Bahr of Hawkeye, Iowa, Nancy (Terry) Voigt of Rosemont, Minnesota; three step-sons Leland (Karen) Coburn, Bruce (Phyllis) Coburn both of Radcliffe, and Delmar (Pam) Coburn of Fon du Lac, Wisconsin; seven grandchildren, six step-grandchildren, one great-grandchild and eight step-greatgrandchildren; two half brothers Don (Mary Lou) of Zearing, and Robert of Ft. Gay, Virginia; three half sisters Opal Baldree of St. Petersburg, Florida, Iola (Bob) Batey of Mt. Pleasant, and Phyllis (Harvey) Fields of Ames; along with other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife, Thelma, two brothers Deloss and Everett, one sister Dorothy Bessman, three half brothers Lester, Eugene and Howard.