COLE, Gary D. 1942-2003

COLE

Posted By: K. Kittleson
Date: 2/7/2009 at 20:11:46

GRAFTON, IOWA - Gary D. Cole, 60, died on Thursday (Feb. 13, 2003) at his home at 2421 350th St., Plymouth, Iowa.

His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Grafton with the Rev. Wayne Ellingson and intern, Irmgard Ellingson officiating. Burial will take place at the Grafton Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. today at the Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, St. Ansgar.

Gary was born Sept. 21, 1942, to Floyd and Lydia (Borchardt) Cole and grew up on their family's farm near the towns of Plymouth and Grafton. He attended elementary school in Plymouth and graduated from Grafton High School in 1960. He attended U.S. Trade Schools in Kansas City, Mo., after graduating high school. He joined and served in the Iowa Army National Guard during the early 1960s.

He was joined in marriage to Charlotte Marie Borchert on Jan. 1, 1966, at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Grafton where they were both baptized and confirmed. They lived in Mason City before moving to his family's farm and their current home. During the beginning years of Gary's farming career, he worked for David Manufacturing, American Crystal Sugar, and Massey Ferguson in Mason City.

Gary served on the Emmanuel Lutheran Church Board, St. Ansgar Community School Board, and the North Iowa Co-op Elevator Board of Directors. Gary's life was filled with passions. He had a passion for agriculture and the importance of the interdependence of each sector of agriculture and farmer's contribution to our society. He had a great sense of national pride and patriotism and had a thirst for knowledge about current events at the world, national and local levels. He enjoyed activities such as NHRA drag races and shooting sports, but his greatest passion was fishing.

Gary loved being with his family and friends. Whether playing cards, doing activities or going on trips he always shared his practical jokes and good-natured mischief. A close friend shared that, "Gary had the unique ability to make acquaintances feel like friends and friends feel like family."

Left to mourn his passing are his wife, Charlotte; son, Michael Cole and his wife, Nicole, and their sons, Mitchell and Ryan of Grafton; his daughter, Michelle Hill and her husband, Andy, and their daughter, Hannah, of Manly; his brother, Eugene Cole and his wife, Mary Pat, of Mason City; brother-in-law Stan Borchert and his wife, Kathy, of Marshfield, Wisc.; sister-in-law, Linda Patterson and her husband, Virgil, of St. Ansgar; nieces, Candis (Cole) Feldt, Renae (Cole) Weghorst, Mackenzie Patterson, and Kyli Borchert; nephews, Kevin Cole, Nathan Borchert, Adam Borchert, Tom Gilies, and Corey Patterson; extended family and uncounted friends and neighbors.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his father and mother-in-law; two sisters-in-law, and two brothers-in-law.

Schroeder & Sites Funeral Home, (641) 713-4920.

[Mason City Globe Gazette]