Obituary of Laverne Martin Bockenstedt

COLESBURG, IOWA Laverne "Toby" Bockenstedt, 82, of Colesburg died Saturday, June 29, 2013, at the Good Neighbor Home in Manchester after a courageous battle with cancer. Friends may call from 2:00 - 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, 2013, at Kramer Funeral Home in Dyersville where a parish vigil will be service held at 4:30 p.m. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, 2013, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in New Vienna with burial in the church cemetery. Rev. John O'Connor and Rev. Steve Lundgren will concelebrate. Military honors will be accorded by the Colesburg Legion Post 582. Toby was born May 2, 1931, in Petersburg, Iowa, the son of Thomas and Agatha (Bohnenkamp) Bockendstedt. He served in the US Army from 1953 - 1955. Upon his return he married Dula Girouex on Nov. 26, 1955, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in New Vienna, Iowa. Together they farmed Northwest of New Vienna until retiring in 1985, when they moved to Colesburg. When he was younger, he liked to coach Little League baseball, and he formed the New Vienna Twins Little League farm team. His interest in genealogy inspired him to travel to Germany six times to do research. He and Dula walked many cemeteries throughout Iowa and the United States, after which he published 4 hardbound family history books and organized two very large Bockenstedt family reunions. He was very active with the New Vienna Area Historical Society and he worked with the Delaware County Pioneer Cemeteries. He was a former member of the Board of Directors of the New Vienna Mutual Insurance Company, the Lone Pine Country Club. He was a member of the Colesburg American Legion Post 582, and was proud of his participation in an Honor Flight to Washington, DC last September. Survivors include his wife, Dula, son, Thomas (Celeste) of Iowa City, Peter (Ruth) of New Vienna, Andrew (Kimberly) of Iowa City and Matthew (Teresa) of Dyersville, 11 grandchildren: Austen, Rayanna and Landon Bockenstedt, Emily (Craig) Heims, Alicia, Nicholas, Carley, Addie, Benjamin, Katelin Bockenstedt, Shannon (Alex) Carillo; 1 great granddaughter, Anna Heims and 2 step-greatgranddaughters: Lilly and Annie Johns; a sister, Grace (John) Kirsch of Dyersville, and sisters-in-law, Alice M. Bockenstedt of New Vienna and Virgene Bockenstedt of Dyersville, Jeannette (Elmer) Pitterle of Watertown, WI and Patricia (Kenneth) Fortman of Rochester, MN, a brother-in-law, John Walsh of Oak Park, IL. Toby is preceded in death by his parents, an infant son, Paul Anthony in 1966, three brothers, Clarence in 2005, Martin in 2003 and Eugene in 1952, a sister, Alice E. Bockenstedt in 2012, and in-laws, Phyllis Walsh and Erna (Cletus) Hughes. Our family would like to thank Hospice of Comfort of Delaware County, the staff at the Good Neighbor Home, and Dr. Christiansen and his staff for taking such great care of Toby and our family.