Donald George CHRISTIANCE

CHRISTIANCE, BLEE, SCHWAB, ECHELBERGER, SCOTT, VERDUYN, HEGINGER, SUBBERT

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/5/2007 at 20:27:08

Funeral services for Donald G. Christiance, 94, of Klemme, will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Immanuel Reformed United Church of Christ, with the Rev. Donna Buckman officiating. Interment will be in Ell Township Cemetery in Klemme. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Tenold Funeral Home in Klemme and one hour prior to services on Sunday at the church. Memorials may be directed to the Immanuel Reformed United Church of Christ or to the Donald G. Christiance Memorial Fund.

Donald George Christiance, the son of Burton and Jessie (Blee) Christiance was born Jan. 30, 1907 in West Brooklyn, Ill., where his father operated a livery stable. While Don was quite young, the family moved all their belongings on a train to a farm near Howard, S.D. Because of the severe drought conditions in South Dakota, they moved to the Schumacher farm north of Thornton in the early 1900's. They farmed there for five years during which time they cleared the land and built farm buildings on a farm a mile away. This became their home for many years. Don was united in marriage to Ione Schwab on Feb. 26, 1928. He attended Des Moines Barber College and operated a shop in Woolstock and later Kanawha. In 1934 he purchased a shop in Klemme where he barbered for 51 years. He also operated a shop in Meservey for 17 years on Thursday and Thursday evenings. In 1943 and 1944 the family moved to a farm north of Clear Lake, returning to Klemme in 1945. Don enjoyed all of his customers over the years, and most of all, his family. He was a member of the Immanuel Reformed United Church of Christ, the Klemme Business Club, enjoyed traveling, his home and his cars. He was deeply saddened by the loss of his son-in-law on May 7, 2000. Don had been a resident of the Oakwood Care Center in Clear Lake and died on Thursday (June 21, 2001) at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City.

Those thankful for sharing in his life are his wife, Ione, of Klemme; daughters, Phyllis Echelberger, of Thornton, and Betty Hummel and her husband, Ronald, of Ankeny; grandchildren, Mike Echelberger and his wife, Donna, of Rockwell, LuAnn Scott, of Mason City, and Renae VerDuyn and her husband, Brian, of Clive; great-grandchildren, Todd Echelberger and special friend, Faye Heginger, of Mason City, Michelle Echelberger, of Rockwell, and Alayna VerDuyn, of Clive. He was preceded in death by his parents; son-in-law, Glen W. Echelberger; sister, Veryl Subbert; and an infant brother. Tenold Funeral Home.

Mason City Globe Gazette
June 23, 2001