Lucille Ruth (Gifford) Wahrenbrock (1916-2015)

GIFFORD, WAHRENBROCK, VAVROCH, KUPHAL, NIEMANN, LOOMIS, SAMPAIR, BREGGEMANN, VAN DUSARTZ

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 4/8/2025 at 11:40:07

From Story City Herald September 2, 2015 (page 5)

Lucille Wahrenbrock

Lucille Ruth Gifford Wahrenbrock died peacefully from natural causes on August 30, 2015, in Ames, Iowa. She was in the care of Israel Family Hospice Home and was comforted by the presence of family members and many friends. She was 99.

Lucille was born near the town of Lewis, Iowa, on May 16, 1916, the first child of Edna and Vasco Gifford. She was raised in or near the towns of Lewis, Lorimor, Osceola and Creston in Iowa. She attended high school in Valparaiso, Indiana, attended college at Iowa State Teachers College, and graduated from Iowa State College in 1939 with a degree in Home Economics. The next year she studied dietetics at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.

In 1940, she married Earl Wahrenbrock. In the following years, they moved to a farm near Jewell, Iowa, and had two children. Her interests included family, teaching Sunday school, being a 4-H leader, numerous crafts, photography, and reading. In the early 1960's she obtained a Master's degree from Iowa State University and became the librarian from the South Hamilton Community Sxhools. Upon retiring in 1980, she developed a strong interest in genealogy and in helping others find their family history.

In 2002, she moved from the farm to Timberland Village in Story City, Iowa, where following the lives of her family, including grandchildren and great grandchildren, reading, travel and genealogy were her primary interests.

Lucille was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Earl. She is survived by her brother, Wayne, son James (Kathy), her daughter Many Vavroch (Duane), grandchildren David (Danielle), Stephanie Kuphal (James), Dana Neimann (Mark) and Jill Loomis (Jeffrey) and step-grandchildren Mattea Sampair (Matthew Breeggemann) and Rory Sampair (Gretchen Van Dusartz.) She is survived by great-grandchildren Mackenzie, Mark, and Madeline Kuphal, Tanner, Konnor, and Kaitlin Loomis, Sahara, Skylar and Danica Wahrenbrock, and Caleb Niemann. She is also survived by step-great grandchildren Tyler Loomis, and Dodge, Aurora, Trace and Morgan Sampair.

Lucille will be buried in Jewell, Iowa. Memorials may be sent to Jewell United Church of Christ or to the Wahrenbrock Family Scholarship at Enhance Hamilton County Foundation, 501 Bank Street, Webster City, IA 50595.

Services for Lucille will be at the Jewell United Church of Christ at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, September 4, 2015 with visitation from 6:0 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday evening at Becker Funeral Home in Jewell.