Obituary of Martin Bockenstedt

Survivors include his wife, Virgene of Dyersville, one daughter, Connie Drees of Cedar Rapids, and one son, Larry (Luetta) Bockenstedt of Dyersville; 7 grandchildren: Lynne (Ken) Vorwald, Laura (Troy) DeFlieger, Mark (fiancé Lisa Walter) Davis and Tricia, Travis, Troy, and Trent Bockenstedt; 4 great grandchildren: Nicholas, Marissa, Morgan and Brooke Vorwald; 2 brothers: Clarence (Alice) Bockenstedt of New Vienna, and Laverne "Toby" (Dula) Bockenstedt of Colesburg; 2 sisters: Alice Bockenstedt and Grace (John) Kirsch, both of Dyersville. Martin was preceded in death by his parents and one brother Eugene. Marty was born on March 10, 1933, in Petersburg, Iowa, the son of Thomas & Agatha (Bohnenkamp) Bockenstedt. He married Virgene Vaske on February 9, 1954, at New Vienna, Iowa. Together they farmed in the New Vienna/Dyersville area from 1956 until 1997. He was the President of the New Vienna Area Historical Society and was a tour guide at the Heritage House Museum in New Vienna. He was a member of the St. Boniface Parish in New Vienna and of the St. Francis Xavier Parish in Dyersville. He was a founding member of the St. Boniface Adult Choir where he was the director for many years, and was recently a member of the St. Francis Xavier Basilica Choir. He was a member of the Tri County Sportsman Club, and a volunteer at Oak Crest Manor for many years. In 1992 he received the Governors Leadership Award for his outstanding community service by the state of Iowa Community Betterment Program. His life revolved around his family. Marty loved to travel and visited many of the tourist attractions in the country. He loved sports and he loved to garden. He was very proud of his flowers. In recent years, Marty was a tour guide and company driver for the Ertl Company, now Racing Champions.