Obituaries
“O my God! O my God! Verily, thy servant, humble before the majesty of Thy divine supremacy, lowly at the door of Thy oneness, hath believed in Thee and in Thy verses, hath testified to Thy word, hath been enkindled with the fire of Thy love, hath been immersed in the depths of the ocean of Thy knowledge, hath been attracted by Thy breezes, hath relied upon Thee, hath turned his face to Thee, hath offered his supplications to Thee, and hath been assured of Thy pardon and forgiveness. He hath abandoned this mortal life and hath flown to the kingdom of immortality, yearning for the favor of meeting Thee. O Lord, glorify his station, shelter him under the pavilion of Thy supreme mercy, cause him to enter Thy glorious paradise, and perpetuate his existence in Thine exalted rose garden, that he may plunge into the sea of light in the world of mysteries. Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Powerful, the Forgiver and the Bestower.” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Janice Marie Freese
1942 – 2016
Janice Marie Freese, 74 of Dubuque, Iowa passed away on Wednesday, October 5th, 2016.
Salmán F. DeLoughery
1981 – 1995
Harlan – Salmán, son of Dick DeLoughery and Janet Larsen DeLoughery, was born June 15, 1981. He was named…
Wayne W. Landers
1943 – 2013
Wayne W. Landers, 70, of Davenport passed away Friday August 30, 2013 at his home surrounded by his loving family…
Judith Ann Griffin
1931 – 2006
Judith Ann (Jones) Griffin, 74, formerly of Dysart, Iowa, passed away on March 8, 2006…
Sophie Luehr Hays
1887-1977
Mrs. Sophie Hays, 90, longtime resident of western Iowa, died Sunday (Sept. 11, 1977) at the…
Lynn Eugene Stevenson
1948-2018
Lynn E. Stevenson, age 69 of Alta Vista, IA passed away on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at his…
Laraine Bergman
1951 – 2022
Dr. Laraine Davis Bergman passed away at home on Thursday, December 29, 2022, with family by …
Kathryn E. (Kroll) Verbrugh
1947 – 2022
Kathryn E. (Kroll) Verbrugh, 74 of Sioux City, passed away on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 …
David James Meswarb
1941 – 2022
David, 81, passed away in 2022. David was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa …
Barbara Ione McEntire
1932 – 2020
Dr. McEntire was born in Chicago. At an early age she moved to Marshalltown, IA where she spent …
David James Ross
1957 – 2019
David James Ross, 61, died surrounded by family. A Baha’i funeral was held on Feb. 2, 2019…
Tyler Derry
1983 -2019
Tyler, age 32, was an Eagle Scout who enjoyed drawing, painting, time with family, friends…
Scott Gordon Matheny
1944 – 2013
He was a loving and attentive husband. He loved his daughters, and adored his grandchildren…
Carol Avis Tunkin
1920 – 2011
Carol was devoted to God and the Baha’i Faith, her family and her friends…
Kenneth Ray Speas
1952 – 2009
Ken was an active member of Bahá’í Faith, Disabled Veterans of America and the American Legion…
Robert Black
1948 – 2006
Bob was a member of the Baha’i Faith and made several pilgrimages …
Jordan Douglas Young
1930 – 2006
Drs Jordan & Annette Young studied at Hugh & Margaret Chance’s…
Susan A. Anwar
1955 – 2016
Susan was born on January 5, 1955 in
Sana’a, Yemen….
1928 – 1979
Angel Nava, son of Pedro and Petra Nava, was born on August 2, 1928…
Alan Parker Scheffer
1941 – 2019
Alan’s life was one of devotion to God and
commitment to the…
Murray B. Elmore
1927 – 2010
Murray became a member of the Baha’i
Faith in 1963…
Lolita (Lea) Baker
1930 – 2004
Lolita Baker, 73, died on October 13, 2004. Services will be held…
Roger Lee Cheney
1945 – 2007
Mr Cheney was born in Manhattan, Kansas and was a member of the Baha’i Faith…
Patricia McAlister Williams
1947 – 2016
Patricia Ann McAlister Williams, 68, of Sioux City passed away Sunday, May 15, 2016 at her home.
Robert Lee Moffett
1877 – 1959
In 1910 Robert Lee Moffett married Ruth…
Douglas Vincent Koch
1948 – 2018
Douglas married on Oct 16, 1977 to Gale Dawn Tilly at the Backbone State Park near Lamont…
Edith M. “Edie” Elmore
1930 – 2007
Edie & Murray were married 58 years. They visited Europe and made pilgrimages…
Marda Goddard Rast
1946 – 2004
Marda loved teaching among Indians. She served the Faith over 30 years as a teacher, educator and administrator.
Albert J. Verbrugh
1947 – 2013
He truly was a world citizen, having lived and worked in the Netherlands, Canada, Lesotho (South Africa), Israel, and finally Sioux City, Iowa.
Joan Kay Anderson
1949 – 2020
Joan Kay (Wetzel) Anderson, 70, of Lafayette…was born …to Kenneth and Daisy (Hoit) Wetzel in Bayard, Iowa, the eldest of six siblings.
Diane Naaktgeboren
1949 – 2022
Diane Naaktgeboren, 73, of Anamosa, Iowa, passed away on June 8, 2022…
James Edward Siegling
1945 – 1922
James Edward Siegling was born on July 13, 1945, in Cumberland, Md., and was a loving son…
Carla Jean Shaffer
1952 – 2023
Carla Jean Shaffer, an Orcas Island resident for more than 20 years, died Jan. 5 due to accidental drowning…
Thomas Weldon Walton
1940 – 2019
Thomas Weldon Walton passed away on November 1, at ManorCare Health Services…
Bonita Marie Sheets
1945 – 2016
Bonita Marie Sheets, age 71, passed away peacefully on November 29, 2016…
Leonard A. Kroll
1938 – 2020
Leonard A. Kroll of Sioux City passed away on October 5, 2020, at a local…
Henrietta L. Kroll
1914 – 2003
Henrietta Kroll of Sioux City died suddenly on September 25, 2003, at a Sioux City hospital…
Richard Murray Elmore
1953 – 2003
Richard Murray Elmore, a resident of Bettendorf, died Saturday, August 9, 2003, at Genesis Medical Center-West Campus, Davenport…
Mabel Mae Bentley Russell
1885 – 1965
Mabel May Russell, widow of Alexander Russell and a Cedar Rapids resident…
Donna Dee Chastain Roberts
1939 – 2022
Donna Dee Chastain Roberts ascended peacefully to the Abha Kingdom…
Walter H. Rathke
1939 – 1961
Funeral services for Walter Rathke, 35, of Pierson, who died Sunday…
1938 – 1976
Mrs. Angel L. Nava, 37, a Sioux City resident since 1971, died Sunday…
Clement Cole Little
1904 – 1958
Clement “Ted” Little, employee of Norwestern Bell Telephone Company for 34 years, dies Thursday…
Ralph Wilson Kroll
1913 – 1971
Ralph Wilson Kroll is the son of Henry and Elsie Kroll in Cherokee County…
Martin Robert Flick
1947 – 2021
Marty Flick, 73, of Dubuque dies January 4th at Dubuque Specialty Care…
Aaron L. Roff
1904 – 1964
Buried in Oakland Cemetery, Manchester, Iowa
Linda Kay Abernathy
1943 – 2017
Linda Kay Abernathy, 74, died on August 31, 2017, at the Hiawatha Care Center…
Fay E. Himes
1932 – 2016
Fay E. Himes, 84, of Ft. Collins, Colorado, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 18th…
Charlotte Thornton
1900 – 2005
Thornton Charlotte, age 105, of Friendship Village in Bloomington, Minnesota…
Margaret “Meg” Wegs
1931 – 2023
Margaret (Meg) Wegs connected God, science and herself when she excavated a fossil at age nine…
Joan Snell
1931 – 1987
Joan is buried in Springfield Memorial Gardens, Springfield, Oregon
Buena J. Morgan
1876 – 1968
Mrs. Morgan dies Saturday at home…
Todd Owen Snell
1956 – 2012
Todd is buried at Sacramento Memorial Lawn Cemetery, Sacramento, California
Rose Snell Sellers
1954 – 2009
Rose is buried at Camp Creek Cemetery, Springfield, Oregon
Dr. Daryoush Khoshbin
1933 – 1963
Dr. Khoshbin is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Independence, Iowa
Bonnie Lou Baum Hutchinson
1935 – 2014
Hutchinson is buried in Cedar Memorial Park, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Napolun Birdsong
1940 – 2023
Napolun Birdsong, 83, passed away on July 12, 2023…
Libba Cooperman
1953 – 2023
We sadly announce that our dear sister has completed her worldly life…
Claudia Murphy
1947 – 2023
Claudia Marie Murphy passed away on Sunday, October 15, surrounded by family…
Marguerite Ashlock
1906 – 1999
Marguerite Ashlock was very active in the Cedar Rapids Baha’i community.
Arlene Jennrich
1921 – 2011
Arlene Jennrich of Wilmette, Illinois, died on April 21, 2011…
Kearney Boteler Griffith
1866 – 1930
With his wife Susan, possibly the first Baha’is to live in Iowa, documented in 1899.
Susan Perrie Shavere Kearney
1867 – 1920
With her husband Kearney, possibly the first Baha’is to live in Iowa, documented in 1899.
Ethel May Grapp Barth
1916 – 2014
Ethel May Barth, of Cedar Falls, died Friday, Feb. 28, at NewAldaya Lifescapes…
Don Calkins
1941 – 2023
Donald Romaine Calkins passed away in Great Falls, Montana, on December 31, 2023…
Barbara Farlow Bennett
1934 – 2024
Barb passed away Thursday, January 4, 2024 at the Palo Alto County Hospital in Emmetsburg, Iowa…
Christopher Paul Carpp
1956 – 2011
Kathleen Siegling
1947 – 2024
Kathleen Amor Siegling, age 76, passed away peacefully at home on June 5, 2024, surrounded by loved ones…
Henry Gerald Laursen
1920 – 1994
Buried in Waterloo Memorial Park Cemetery, Waterloo, Iowa
Dr. Jessie A. Parish
1883 – 1954
Burial site unknown
Ruth Ann Maxwell
1947 – 2009
Ruth Ann Maxwell passed away on February 8th at Valley View Village in Des Moines…
Virginia Ann VanDenover Finch
Virginia, born 3/9/1921 in rural Dexter County, MN, moved with her parents…
Edie Elmore was our delegate to the National Convention for many years, in the 1980s and 1990s, I think.
I met Ruth Maxwell when my work was taking me to Fort Dodge weekly. I checked to see if there were Baha’is in the city that I didn’t know about and, sure enough, Ruth’s name popped up. I arranged to visit her. The first time I arrived, it was obvious that Ruth hadn’t been around many Baha’is. She was taking care of her two grandchildren and, since they were black, she wasn’t sure how I’d react! Of course, I was delighted to meet them all and visited many times in Ruth’s home. Later, when she moved to a care facility in Des Moines, I visited her there, too. Her family was resistant to her being a Baha’i, but through many years, isolated and without family support, she remained strong and steadfast. When Ruth died, Debbie Knoll and I said a Baha’i prayer at her graveside ceremony. We were pleased to see that her Baha’i community was mentioned in her obituary. A truly lovely woman.