Maureen. Orpha married a second time to Gary M. Price and lives in Melrose, MN. Burton Lewis married Jeanne Nestegard 26 Aug 1951. Burton’s occupation was real estate. His wife was a secretary. Their children are: Kathie, Sue, Nancy, John, and Anne. They live in Tempe, AZ. Richard married Roseanne Christianson 24 Aug 1957. He was a grocer. Their children are: Joseph  and Julie. Richard and Roseanne were divorced in 1985. Richard lives in St. Cloud, MN. Howard Ernest married Mary Ann Dunlap 28 Jul 1962. Their children are: Sally Ann, Timothy, and David. Howard became a Lutheran minister; Mary Ann was a teacher. Rev. Howard E. Wennes was elected Bishop for the third time in the State of Arizona in 1995. They have their home in Scottsdale.

Wepler, Adam and Emma (Andrus)

(Dorothy W Anderson)

Adam and Emma (Andrus) Wepler family
First row, left to right: Adam, John Edwin and Emma.
Second row, left to right: Lewis Andrus and Joseph Elmer.
Third row: Percy Adam.

Adam came to Winneshiek Co. from Holmes Co., Wooster, OH. He was born 7 Jan 1852 and died 3 Jun 1923 of a cerebral hemorrhage after a stroke which had left him paralyzed and speechless for 3 years. Adam was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church. His funeral service was in the Mason City Congregational Church. His sister Caroline (b. 1844) came to Decorah with him and she married Pierce (1831-1868), and then Thomas (1837-1890) Headington. Adam’s parents, Martin and Margaret (Kaylor) Wepler, came from Wurttenberg, Alsace-Larraine, a former province of East France along the Rhine border with Germany and crossed by Vosges Mountains. The culture was bilingual with elements of French and German.

According to the 1860 Richland Twp. Census, Black Creek, OH, Martin and Margaret Wepler had 9 children: Jacob (19 Oct 1841-13 Dec 1920), Carolyn Headington, Regina Boosz (10 Jul 1848-24 Dec 1907), Martin (1850-1926), Adam, Catherine Bash (1852-1918), Lewis, Elizabeth Rose, and an unknown girl.

Emma was born in Decorah 10 Dec 1864 and died in Mason City, IA 9 Sep 1937. She was the daughter of Erastus and Abigail Andrus who were among the first (English) settlers in Decorah. She and Adam were married 11 Oct 1882 and were buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Mason City. (See Erastus Andrus listing.)

Adam and Emma had a daughter, Jessie, who died in infancy and was buried in the Decorah St. Benedict’s Catholic Cemetery. They had 4 sons: John Edwin (12 Nov 1883-23 Mar 1960), Joseph Elmer (16 Dec 1888-21 Oct 1960), Lewis Andrus (21 Nov 1893-6 Mar 1961), and Percy Adam (14 Oct 1895) who were baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church. Their sons went to Valdres Business College in Decorah and were very active in sports, especially baseball and basketball for which their enthusiasm never failed. They were also active in the Volunteer Fire Dept.

Adam and Emma farmed their Walnut Ave. Farm in Canoe Twp. where their children were born before moving to 602 North St. in Decorah near Luther College where they rented rooms to students. Later they moved to Mason City where Adam built and owned the Wepler Flats on N. Adams Ave.

John was born with a hearing impairment. He chose to be cremated and his nieces brought his urn to Elmwood Cemetery in Mason City near his parents' grave. Emma’s grandchildren remember many happy summer vacations spent with her and their Uncle John at Clear Lake, IA -swimming, boating, fishing, and picniking. His nieces and nephews enjoyed his fast boats and surfboarding. Elmer married Inga Wepler in Dubuque, IA on 9 Mar 1913. They made their home in Decorah. (See Elmer Wepler listing.) Lewis moved to Mason City where he was an auctioneer and farmer. Under his photo on his business card is: “Wep,” expert service at a reasonable price...L.A. Wepler, carefulness, ambitious and honest. On 30 Oct 1918 he married Elizabeth Freedan. “The bride is a charming and successful school teacher of Cerro Gordo County Schools and the bridegroom is a highly respected young farmer and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Wepler. Mr. Wepler left today for an aviation camp for training.” (from Mason City Globe-Gazette and Times. After the accidental burning of their turkey farm, they moved to El Monte, CA, where Lewis took engineer courses at the University to become head custodian at one of the large Los Angeles schools. They had a son, Don, and 2 daughters, Peggy Mary Elizabeth Stronks of Culver City, CA and Phyllis Arlene Arthur of North Shores, CA. “Aunt Betty’s” final resting place is at Rose Hills Memorial Park. Percy was born 14 Oct 1895 in Canoe Twp., Winneshiek Co. He moved to Mason City 1 Feb 1914 where he was a contractor and active in sports. He married Maude Wertz 1 Oct 1919. He died after an accident working on a high beam during a school construction job. Percy is buried in the Wepler plot in Elmwood Cemetery.