Veronica M. Fink, 90, of Oelwein and formerly of Westgate, died Sunday, October 12, 2014, at Mercy Hospital of Franciscan Sisters in Oelwein.
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 16, 2014, at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. Susan Friedrich officiating. Interment will follow at the Church Cemetery in Sumner. Friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 15th at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Sumner and for one hour preceding services at the church on Thursday. Memorials may be given to St John Lutheran Church in Sumner or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Maynard.
Veronica Mae, daughter of Fred and Mae Nolte Koch, was born June 17, 1924 at Sumner, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner. She graduated from Sumner High School in 1941, and attended Upper Iowa University in Fayette.
Veronica first saw Darwin, the love of her life in 1940 and first met him at a dance at the Coliseum in Oelwein a year later when he asked her for a dance and told her he was going to marry her. World War II intervened and she and Darwin faithfully corresponded throughout the war and she saved all of his letters. Darwin’s statement at the dance was fulfilled August 8, 1946 when they were married at St. John Lutheran Church, Sumner. After they were married they started farming and helped her parent’s farm near Sumner until 1956 when they moved onto their farm near Westgate which they farmed until Darwin’s death in 1999 and she continued to farm until she moved to Arlington Place, Oelwein in 2010.
Veronica served her church and community her whole life. She began her career as a rural school teacher from 1943 to 1950. She then taught reading and fourth and fifth grades at Randalia. Her work in the school went on hold in 1954 when her son was born. In 1962 she went back to work in the Sumner and West Central Schools as a substitute teacher. Her work in the school changed in 1965 when she became a teacher’s aide in the Sumner School District. In 1968 she accepted a position as a teacher’s aide in the West Central School district. She held this position until 1977 when she became the Hot Lunch Secretary for the West Central School District a position she held until 1992 when she retired. While working for the schools she at the same time dedicated her life to her church. She was the assistant Sunday School Superintendent at St. John Lutheran Church, Sumner from 1956 to 1965. In 1965 she became the Sunday School Superintendent at St. John. She held that position until she retired from it in 1982. All of her work as Assistant Sunday School Superintendent and Superintendent was as a volunteer. At the same time she was the organist for St. John from 1963 until 1978 at which time she became the organist for St. Paul Lutheran Church, Maynard. She was organist there until she retired in 2008. At both St. John and St. Paul she organized, edited and directed Christmas programs, which proclaimed the birth of our Savior and created many warm memories for children and parents. She loved playing the piano and organ and for many years visited nursing homes and played piano for the residents. After she moved into Arlington Place she played a few times for her fellow residents.
She enjoyed traveling to Minnesota to visit her son and his wife Carolyn and looked forward to daily telephone conversations with her son.
Veronica is survived by her son, Jeri and his wife, Carolyn of Shoreview, Minnesota and nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Alfred and Varland Koch.
