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Norma Barz Voetberg

1909 - 2001

 

Norma (Barz) Voetberg

Garner - Norma (Barz) Voetberg, 91, of Garner, died Thursday (March 1, 2001) at Concord Care Center, Garner.

The funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at the Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church, with the Rev. Darrell Weber officiating. Interment will be at Concord Township Cemetery.

Visitation will be held one hour before services at the church.

Norma (Barz) Voetberg, was born July 29, 1909, to William J. and Louisa (Goll) Barz at Garner. Her parents owned and operated a general merchandise store, so after school hours Norma often helped at the store.

After graduating from Garner High School, Norma attended Mason City Junior College for one year and then transferred to Drake University in Des Moines, where she graduated with a liberal arts degree in education.

After teaching one year at Ventura, she transferred to Klemme, where she taught fifth and sixth grades. It was in Klemme where she met her future husband, Dr. Henry G. Voetberg, who was a practicing veterinarian in the Klemme area.

Doc and Norma were married June 11, 1937, at Zion Reformed Church in Garner. They lived in Oklahoma until 1942, when Doc entered the U.S. Army during WW II. When Doc returned after the war, they built their home in 1948 at 490 West 7th Street in Garner, where they lived all of their remaining lives.

Norma and Doc enjoyed more than 50 years of good health and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 11, 1987. Within those years, they traveled to Europe, including Germany and Holland, to visit relatives.

But Norma's most continued work was in her home town where, after Doc's death, she continued to be active in making her community, state and her nation a better place to live.

Since Norma and Doc had no children of their own, they devoted much of their time to civic, school and church activities. She was a member of Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church and was active in organizations such as PEO, Progressive Club, Homemakers and Ladies American Legion Auxiliary.

She was an honorary director of Delta Upsilon Sorority and was also made an honorary Grandmother by the Klemme Grandmothers Club for her devotion in taking her aunts and other former Klemme residents from Prairie View Apartments, to their meetings at Klemme.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Henry Voetberg, June 27, 1989; her parents and three siblings in infancy.

Cataldo Funeral Home.

source: Globe Gazette, Mason City, Iowa, 3 Mar 2001, page A7, column 1

 

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