Obituaries : Verne Freie

Verne A. Freie

NEWHALL:

Verne Freie,83, of Newhall, lost his battle with cancer and went to his Heavenly Home on August 6, 2012.

A celebration of his life will be held at St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Steven Rempfer will officiate. Visitation will be held at the church on Friday, August 10th from 4-7 p.m. Interment will take place following the service at St. John Lutheran Cemetery near Newhall.

Verne is survived by his wife, Elaine, of 64 years; six children, Larry Freie (Linda) of Lincoln, NE, Leland Freie (Valerie) of Cedar Rapids, Janet Atkinson of Cedar Rapids, Julie Nieland of Iowa City, Linda Freitag (Jim) of Puyallup, WA, and James Freie (Sheila) of Wilton; thirteen grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. Also surviving are his two sisters, Norma Casperson of Latimer, Evonne Plagge of Latimer, and his brother, Glenn Freie (Jeanette) of rural Latimer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Leslie and Laura (Hovey) Freie, brothers-in-law, Lloyd DeBour, Everett Casperson and Wayne Plagge, and son-in-law Allen Nieland.

Verne was born on November 20, 1928, in Hampton, IA. He graduated from Latimer High School and spent several years as a dairy farmer near Sheffield, IA. He was named Outstanding Young Farmer in Franklin County in 1957, and ran for State Senator in 1964. He was actively involved in Farm Bureau, 4-H, and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Latimer. He and his family then moved to Newhall where Verne spent his time working with people as a representative for Aid Association for Lutherans. After retiring, he sold real estate part-time and Rock of Ages tombstones. Verne had a passion for people and as he served them, he also served his dear Lord and Savior. He was actively involved in his church, served as chairman of the board for Lutheran Homes in Vinton and Davenport the past 7 years. Verne loved playing golf and cards and games with friends and family, enjoyed 18 years of fun times with Elaine and many dear friends at their winter home in Harlingen, TX, enjoyed watching as many sporting events and activities as possible over the years of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Most of all, Verne was a man of faith which was evident in the way he lived out his life. The greatest joy Verne will have is being reunited with all of his family and friends at Home in heaven.

Phillips Funeral Home in Vinton is in charge of arrangements and condolences may be left at: www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com