Renze, LaVern (“Vern”) (1921 - 2024)

RENZE, HUNTER, KLEIN

Posted By: Denise Wurner (email)
Date: 4/22/2024 at 16:47:14

Name of deceased: LaVern (“Vern”) Renze

Aged: 102 yrs, 9 mo, 10 days

Residence: Harlan, Shelby County, IA

Born: June 29, 1921; rural Dedham, Carroll County, IA

Died: April 8, 2024; Harlan, Shelby County, IA

Funeral services: Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, April 13, 2024; St. Michael's Catholic Church, Harlan, IA; burial was in the Harlan Cemetery, Harlan, IA

Survived by: Children, Lloyd (spouse, Joy) Renze of Urbandale, IA, Karen Hunter of Omaha, NE, and Michael (spouse, Josephine) Renze of Columbus, NE; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; other family members and friends

Predeceased by: Parents, Ellen and Joseph Renze; wife, Kathleen Renze; son, David Renze

Education: no information provided

Religious affiliation: Catholic

Military service: Unable to serve; classified 4-F

Marriage: Kathleen Klein; 1946; location not provided

Employment: He began working as a parts man, and later working at the Des Moines (IA) ordnance plant, making 30 and 50 caliber bullets until the end of the war. After his marriage, he managed his sister-in-law's ice cream parlor for a few years before becoming a door-to-door salesman for Fuller Brush. At first, he worked in Jefferson, before relocating to Harlan, IA in 1962. He sold brushes for 45 years, and retired in 1992

Hobbies/Interests: After he retired, Vern did volunteer work: He and Kathleen drove for Meals on Wheels, and he sang in a local singing group, entertaining at nursing homes and senior centers. As Kathleen's health declined, he took over the cooking, housework, and caregiving until her death in 2015.

Sources: pauleyjones.com