Erwin Vonnahme

Erwin Vonnahme, age 83, of rural Arcadia, Iowa, died Friday morning, October 2, 2009, at his residence of an apparent heart condition. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 A.M., Monday, October 5, 2009, at St. John Catholic Church in Arcadia. The Celebrant will be Father Joe Dillinger. Lector will be Randy Behrens. Gift Bearers will be grandchildren, Tasha Bothun, Dr. Kate Pedersen, Jessica Vonnahme, Rob Pedersen, Erica Vonnahme, Kayleigh Vonnahme, Alyssa Guthrie, and Corinna DeLost. Mass Servers will be Ashley and Kelsey Blum. Eucharistic Ministers will be Deborah Pedersen, Mary Daniel, and Rosie Obman. Casket Bearers will be Bill Vonnahme, Ernie DeLost, John Guthrie, Rob Pedersen, Scott Bothun, and Doug Schuette. Graveside Services will be held at 1:30 P.M. Monday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Mt. Carmel with military honors conducted by the Breda American Legion. Officiating at the graveside will be Father Timothy Johnson, Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Carroll. Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 3 P.M. Sunday. A rosary will be prayed at 4 P.M. Sunday. There will be a Christian wake service at 6 P.M. Sunday by St. John Parish. Mr. Vonnahme was born on July 4, 1926, at Mt. Carmel, Iowa, the son of Henry and Sophie (Odendahl) Vonnahme. He attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School. He entered the U.S. Army in April 1945 and served during World War II with the 13th Engineering Combat Battalion in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and was honorably discharged in January 1947 at the rank of Staff Sergeant. On September 6, 1949, he was married to Rita Behrens at Holy Angels Church in Roselle. The couple farmed in the Maple River and Mt. Carmel communities until 1957 when they moved to their farm northeast of Arcadia. He was a member of St. John Parish, Breda American Legion, and traveled on the World War II Veterans Honor Flight to Washington D.C. on August 11, 2009, to see the World War II Memorial. Erwin dearly loved his family, especially his grandchildren, and enjoyed gardening, playing cards, fishing, hunting, playing baseball for the Mt. Carmel baseball team, and Chicago Cubs baseball. Survivors include his wife, Rita Vonnahme of Arcadia; his children, Dr. Robert Vonnahme and his wife Janice of Manning, Deborah Pedersen and her husband Robert of Dunlap, Illinois, John Vonnahme and his wife Kathy of Adel, Jane Guthrie and her husband John of San Ramon, Calif., and Connie DeLost and her husband Ernie of San Diego, Calif.; a daughter-in-law, Judy Vonnahme of Des Moines; eight grandchildren; one great grandchild; a sister, Teresa Kasparbauer of Templeton; and sisters and brothers-in-law, Celie Vonnahme of Carroll, Delores Vonnahme of Mt. Carmel, Caroline Vonnahme of Arcadia, Florine Eich of Carroll, Dorothy Behrens of Carroll, Donald and Arlene Behrens of Carroll, James and Margaret Behrens of Carroll, and Virgene Behrens of Carroll. He was preceded in death by his son, Daniel Vonnahme; his parents; brothers, Carl, Fred, Clarence, Ferdinand, and Raymond Vonnahme; and sisters, Margaret Wieland, Gertrude Wieland, and Rita Nepple.

Erwin Vonnahme

July 4, 1926 - October 2, 2009