Verna E. Dobel

Verna E. Dobel, 82, of 700 6th Place S.E., died Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at the Heritage Care Center.  Funeral services will be held 10:30 AM Saturday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Grafton with Rev. Wayne T. Ellingson and Irmgard Ellingson A.i.M. officiating.  Interment will be in the Grafton Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 PM Friday at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue and continue at the church one hour before the service.  Memorials may be given to the Verna E. Dobel Memorial Fund.  Verna Evelyn (Borchardt) Dobel was born January 13, 1926 in Union Township Worth County, Iowa to Ferdinand August Borchardt and Lydia Marie Louise (Hinsman) Borchardt.  She was baptized on February 7, 1926 by Rev. Carl Landdeck with her sponsors being Reinhold and Anna Koehler.  She was confirmed March 17, 1940 by Rev. H.L. Lechner.  Her confirmation verse was Colossians 3:17.  Verna grew up on a farm 4 miles south of Grafton and attended country schools near her home.  She moved to a farm northeast of Rock Falls in 1933 and continued her schooling graduating valedictorian in 1944 from Rock Falls High School.  She worked in Mason City for several years before marrying Donald Dobel February 12, 1950 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Grafton.  She set up housekeeping on the Dobel farmstead northeast of Manly and continued living there until moving to an acreage 1 mile from the home place.  Three children were born to this union, David, Karen, and James.  Besides working on the farm, Verna was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church where she graciously and joyfully taught Sunday school and serve in an administrative capacity for 35 years.  She was a member of the Women of the ELCA and the Marian and Martha circles of the church as well as served on an evangelism committee and wrote to church visitors and thank yous to church members.  She also was a member of the Shell Rock Dinner Club, acted as township clerk, enjoyed playing cards, traveling and loved her home. 
 
Verna is survived by a son, James Dobel and Becky of Manly, daughter, Karen Day and husband Larry of Mason City, grandchildren, Chris Dobel and wife Jennifer of Urbana, Iowa, Scott Dobel of Manly, Allison Day of Mason City, Amber Day of Cincinnati, Ohio and her special friend Matthew Andersen, brother, Glenn Borchardt and wife Marie of Mason City, sisters-in-law, Esther Borchardt of Mason City and Dorothy Coonrod of Mason City, several nieces and nephews. 
 
Verna is preceded in death by her parents, son, David in 1968, husband, Donald in 2005 and a brother, Marvin.

Cemetery:
Grafton Cemetery

Visitation:
From 5:00 to 8:00 PM Friday at Major Erickson Funeral Home and continue at the church one hour before the service.

Service:
10:30 AM Saturday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Grafton.