Virgil L. LEMKE

LEMKE, RANKIN, JACOBSEN, SIEVERS, HADDIX

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/13/2014 at 20:21:30

July 6, 1923 --- August 10, 2014

Virgil L. Lemke, age 91, of Dows, passed away Sunday August 10, 2014 at Franklin General Hospital in Hampton. Funeral services for Virgil L. Lemke will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, March 19, 2014 at the Morgan United Methodist Church east of Dows. Rev. Fred Frye will officiate. Burial will take place in the Morgan Church Cemetery. Visitation for Virgil L. Lemke will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. Monday, August 18, 2014 at Dugger Funeral Home, 100 North Lee Street in Dows. Visitation will resume at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorials be directed to Morgan Methodist Church, Compassion International, and/or Des Moines Christian School.

Virgil, the son of Wesley and Edna Rankin Lemke, was born July 6, 1923 at the farm home of his parents in Morgan Township. He attended Morgan Township No. 6 School and graduated from Dows High School in 1940. Virgil was united in marriage to Ardis Jacobsen on August 14, 1946 at the United Methodist Church in Dows. The couple made their home and farmed in Morgan Township. They were blessed with two sons, Harlan and Dean. They resided on the farm until moving to Dows in 1992. After they retired, their winters were spent in Mesa, Arizona. One of Virgil's greatest joys was raising two boys. He enjoyed helping them with their 4-H projects and serving as a 4-H club leader. Showing livestock at the county and state fairs was always a highlight of the summer. He learned to sing at an early age with his mother at the piano. His favorite music was gospel and barbershop singing. Virgil sang in a men's quartet at Morgan Methodist Church for 60 years. He also participated in the River City Barbershop Chorus of Mason City. In recent months his most enjoyable activity was listening to and watching Southern Gospel quartets, especially the Cathedrals and Gaithers.

Virgil and Ardis enjoyed going to many of their grandchildren's activities as they were growing up, including concerts, sports, and plays. He proudly displayed their photographs including a recent favorite of his seven great-grandchildren. In his later years, Virgil was a prolific story writer, desiring to record his childhood memories for his grandchildren and others. Several of his stories of growing up on the farm during the Depression have been published. His story about the Morgan Township Band is in the August/September 2014 issue of "Our Iowa" magazine.

Virgil is survived by his two sons, Harlan (Francine) of Dows and Dean (Peggy) also of Dows; five grandchildren: Melissa (Dan) Sievers of Colorado Springs, CO; Sara (Jay) Haddix of Monument, CO; Mark Lemke of Irving, TX; Bryan (Erin) Lemke of Robbinsdale, MN; and Nathan (Kristen) Lemke of Darien, IL; and seven great- grandchildren: Ilsa, Anders, Anna, Adeline, Soren, Caleb, and Oskar. Virgil is preceded in death by his wife, Ardis, his parents, Wesley and Edna, and a brother, Marlyn.

DUGGER FUNERAL HOME -- DOWS, IOWA