Verne O. PHELPS

PHELPS, REIBHOFF

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/12/2009 at 14:53:11

Verne O. Phelps, 92, died quietly Sept. 12, 1998, after suffering a stroke in his Edina, Minn., apartment. He was born in 1906 in Britt, Iowa, and moved with his family to Central City to finish high school. He attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon and Iowa State University in Ames. In the late 1920s he established Phelps Hatchery in Central City. On a poultry trip he met Aethel Reibhoff in Eagle Grove, Iowa. They were married in 1929 and ran the family business until the mid-1960s. He served several terms as mayor of Central City and also served as justice of the peace. Verne and Aethel relocated to Edina, Minn., in 1981 to be closer to their granddaughter. They were actively involved with the child-care program at the Edina Community Center. After Aethel passed away in 1988, Verne remained active with the community projects and several senior singing groups. He will be remembered for his indomitable spirit and many stories as well as his frequent letters to the editor in various Twin Cities publications. He is survived by his son, Jim; daughter-in-law, Renee; and granddaughter, Adrienne. Memorial services will be held at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church, 5750 Grove St., Edina, Minn., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m.

Gazette, The (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA)
September 15, 1998