Kay E. (Kapfer) Wall (1936-2015)

WALL, KAPFER, HOWE, KRIM

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 1/30/2016 at 11:08:48

Obituary From Adams Soderstrum Funeral Home, Story County, Iowa.

Obituary for Kay E. Wall
August 5, 1936 - December 15, 2015

Kay Wall was born at home in Greenfield, Iowa to Cathryn and Doctor T. A. Kapfer. She grew up half the time on her Sulgrove grandparent’s farm four miles south of town so that she and her father’s patients wouldn’t exchange diseases.

In sixth grade her best friend, Peggy Crawford, now Peg Bindner of Mankato, came to live with her family as an unofficial sister. The girls often bought or sewed dresses alike.

Kay always wanted to be an artist and had no regrets about having no art teachers until Harriet Adams at Iowa State College. After graduation from the college of Home Economics with a major in Applied Art, Kay took her portfolio to New York City and was hired as a textile designer by Bucilla Linens and the Burlington House Fabrics. In New York City, Kay had the good fortune to attend Edgar A. Whitney’s Saturday watercolor classes.

While a freshman at Iowa State College, Kay dated Don Wall. Seven years afterward, Don wrote to her, but at the Greenfield address. Her mother forwarded the letter to New York four months later. A month after that Don flew to New York. On the second day he proposed; on the third day Kay called her sister to see when Peg could make a wedding dress.

Don and Kay were married in Greenfield on April 29, 1962. They lived in Rock Rapids, Iowa where Don worked as a civil engineer for DGR and Associates. Son Scott was born February 6, 1963 and daughter Piper February 24, 1965. The Wall family then spent four years in Luverne, Minnesota where Don directed a branch office. When they returned to Rock Rapids, Kay drew the plans for the house they built at 1110 Tama Street.

In August 1984 they moved to their present home in Ames at 1004 Kellogg. Don taught land surveying at Iowa State University, and Kay taught art classes to all ages at the Octagon for 6 years and did art projects with Community Life clients 2 hours a week for 15 years.

Although children and husband came first, Kay considered watercolor artist as her occupation. Several hundred of her paintings are owned by private collectors and corporations across the United States and in eleven foreign countries.

Kay loved to pull weeds, figure skate, and sing. She sang in church choir from eighth grade until the onset of cancer in 2015. Kay also loved canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the privilege of seeing many of our western national parks. Two highlights of Kay’s life were soloing their Tri Pacer airplane and bicycling the entire 1979 RAGBRAI.

Kay’s daughter, Piper Wall, DVM, PhD is a researcher at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines and is married to Jim Howe, the owner of Howe’s Welding and Metal Fab at 811 South Duff, Ames. Kay’s son, Scott Wall is the mapping technician for Story County. Scott and his wife Michelle, a USDA budget technician, have two children: Chelsea, an ISU junior in elementary education and Alexi, a high school freshman. Kay’s step-brother, Sergio Quijano Kapfer and his wife, Daphna Krim, are retired government lawyers in Washington, D.C.

Memorials may be donated to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (www.inhf.org, 505 Fifth Ave, Suite 444, Des Moines, IA 50309).

A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date.

http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/
 

Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
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