Fern Grace Vermilyea, 94, of Le Mars passed away on Friday, April 4, 2014 at Plymouth Manor Care Center in Le Mars. A Celebration of Life Service will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, 2014 at the Merrill First United Methodist Church. Rev. Merrill Muller will officiate. Burial will follow at a later date at the Climbing Hill (Westfork Township) Cemetery.
Fern Grace Neal was born March 8, 1920 in O’Neill, Nebraska the daughter of Charles and Gertrude (Spotts) Neal. She graduated from Climbing Hill High School with the class of 1939. A highlight each summer was attending the alumni banquet.
On April 5, 1941, she married Ray LeRoy Vermilyea at Cherokee, Iowa. The couple made their home in Climbing Hill before moving to Merrill, Iowa. She was a homemaker, a wonderful seamstress and enjoyed babysitting for several families. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Fern enjoyed baking, playing cards, dancing, working in her garden and with her flowers.
Fern was a member of the Merrill Methodist Church. She was blessed to have shared her life with her five children: Gaylen & his wife Janice of Omaha, NE; Sharon & her husband Mick Lawrence of Missouri Valley, IA; Terry & his wife Lorraine of Chino Valley, AZ; Danny of Le Mars; and a special niece, Darlene & her husband Darrel Krueger of Anthon, IA; one living sister, Lucille Neal of Georgia; 13 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death were her parents; her husband; son, Mark & daughter-in-law Candy; brothers and sisters, Charles, Mabel, Eddie, Louie, Viola, Chester, Estella & Harold.
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